fourcircle

I had a meeting today with a very influential and successful businessman 20 years my senior. He "didn't know me from Adam" and we had no time to build rapport. Thus, I could sense he had a need to "size me up" to confirm his decision to do business with me. After our meeting, we walked outside towards the parking lot together, and I saw that he was trying to determine what I drove, as if it were a resume' on wheels. I was certainly very glad to climb into my beautiful E350!

So when people see you with your car, what does your car say about you?

FAMUBER

baus.

leapingpoint

if a very influential and successful businessman "size people up" by looking at what cars they drive... i would say, he's been very lucky in his life.

BM2BZ

i know quite a few very successful people drive old cars and wear old clothes. i also know some guys who make less than $3k/mo but drive amg. so don't judge a book by its cover.

alanme123

+1. Really not hard to "pretend" to be well-off/rich these days.

BenzV12

Years ago I read a mag about a car comparison test . The writer dropped a note saying it matters which Mercedes you own . So according to him , if you drive 300 SE 2.8 whereas your fellow business man drives 500 SEL the chances are people would think he is more rich and more successful business man . Sounds plausible but here is the funny part . Whereas in Jaguar there is no such a problem nobody cares what Jaguar you own whether you come with XJ6 or XJ12

Well, I think if you make somebody drive your car .......In English pose a buddy of your and make him look like he is your chaffeur aka driver , you can get more positive notes .

I agree, don't judge the book by it's cover and there is no need to impress the people like that , heeyyy look at me I am rich , I drive MB and I even have a driver for it lol
Hire a driver if you really don't wanna drive or when you hit the bar to get boozed up lol

bigigg

That's the problem with this world! Everyone is too quick to judge others! It isn't very difficult for a "non wealthy" person to lease a new E class, and others look at him saying wow this guy must have $$. A smart business man invests his $ on more important things than cars. Everyone has different priorities.

hyperion667

interesting thread.....

glad you were able to impress the business man....

It's like when you meet someone for the first time and they ask "so, what do you do???"

translation: "how much money do YOU make??"

makes me sick really........the judgemental, vain, materialistic society we live in......
will eat you alive if you let it....

I agree that some people do not wear their wealth......look at Warren Buffet for instance.....been living in the same house, driving the same car....

now THAT I don't get////having billions and not enjoying some of it, then again, he's too busy with business to live life a little......

interesting

I don't even have a job, and my plate says DEADBEAT...........LOL

ImInPA

He must not be much of a business man if he is impressed by an E sedan. lol

El Cid

What's the difference between a Mercedes-Benz and a porcupine? With the porcupine, the p***k is on the outside.

chrisvr6

keep those pics coming. Thats a really good looking eclass. Those 20's?

BenzE350

In and as of itself, the car you drive says very little. The richest folks are just as likely to drive a Mercedes as a Toyota Prius.

However a little research indicates the following. Interesting is that no American cars are on this list.

The wealthiest Americans are cheapskates, at least as far as their tastes in automobiles goes. Perhaps that is why some rich Americans stay rich.
24/7 Wall St. asked auto trends research firm Truecar to find the best-selling cars and light trucks that America’s rich drive. Truecar analyzed industry sales data from the 10 wealthiest U.S. ZIP codes by median income, according to the Internal Revenue Service, including neighborhoods in New York City, Greenwich, Conn., and the gated community of Fishers Island, Fla. Based on the 20 top-selling cars from Truecar’s report, 24/7 Wall St. identified the eight cheap cars the richest Americans drive.

The Top 8:

#8, Toyota Camry
#7, Honda Accord
#6, Honda CR-V
#5, Volkswagen Jetta
#4, Toyota Prius
#3, Lexus RX
#2, Mercedes C-Class
#1, BMW 328

(Of course, these same households could also have a Mercedes S Class or Bentley in the their multi car garages.)

alanme123

Apparently not a good impression for me as somebody just wasted a perfectly good choco milkshake from in and out on my black w212! LOL

listerone

All mine says about me,if they know the details of its features and capabilities,is that I like comfortable,competent cars with great mileage and great safety features.The name Mercedes Benz means nothing to me...if a similar car (diesel,midsized,advanced safety features) had been offered by Chevy,Ford,Toyota,VW or Honda when I bought my Bluetec I very probably would have bought *it* instead.

Yes,I know...I'm probably in the minority with that viewpoint.

listerone

My parents were children of the Depression.My Dad,although he grew up in the immigrant slums of a large city,went on to become quite successful.Certainly not "Bill Gates" successful but enough so that he didn't have to worry about his family's next meal.Throughout this period of success he lived well below his means.He drove Oldsmobiles when he could have afforded much better and he always wore a Timex watch when he could have afforded much better.I guess the Depression left an indellible mark on him.

BM2BZ

+1. that lip is 1000 times sexier than angelina jolie's !

pudding1978

Hey hey hey. Let's not say things we can't take back.

Mbenz260e

I was drawn between Passat TDI 2012 or the E. In the end I chose the E but not because of the name brand...

Karl901

I started driving MBs because I enjoy their over all experience.
It's like making love to a beautiful woman, It is hard to go back to a ugly one.

1985mb

Bingo.

kompressede

I like this comment.

I took my wife to few different brand dealerships for a couple of weekends to let her pick a car for herself, and she liked the new E. She was getting a little too comfortable using my AMG. I'm glad we went with another MB.

listerone

Unless I win the lottery...which is unlikely because I average a half dozen Powerball tickets a year....The Passat TDI will very probably be my next car.I didn't even know of its impending release when I bought my Bluetec.If I had I very probably would have waited to at least compare.

petee1997

What does my car say about me? What a waste of money and I should have sought treatment for my car affliction.

golfster

If it takes a car to speak for you, you haven't yet arrived.

fourcircle

We have our winner! Very well said, Sir.