Anyway, I agree that much of it has to do with the driver. If I was an older Mom, etc who drove a brand new "old news" $100,000+ SL, I'm sure I would get way less envy. It just so happens that I look a certain way that to some may make the overall package less easy to except. (We can't help our genetic make-up, but we can fine tune it with some easily found healthy habits) I dress well and try to take care of my body...To say I am looking for attention is partially true since the car is very flashy compared to most and is a staple of the industry within its class, thus being well known to those who care for such things. I am not posting to gloat, brag or even complain...I had just wondered if any other SL drivers found themselves in situations where other men in usually cheaper cars went out of their way to tailgate, etc.

Anyway, the flip side is way more fun...I stoped off at a local food jointo today to pick up lunch and was brutally attacked for my number by a beautiful woman, who had a few questions about my new toy....sure its not that healthy to play with women who are attracted to you (partially or fully) due to a car, but this car in most cases screams stability, class and style and what women wouldn't like a little of that.

PS
I was killing it way before the SL was around so lets not go into the whole gold-digger crap....and lets have fun w/ our SL's instead of acting like a bunch of Beemer freaks.....J/K

 

well you are tooting your own horn there... but anyways <g>

i don't even look at people anymore or pay attention to others on the sidewalks or in their cars when driving when it comes to anything but driving/safety purposes.. i don't think people care what i wear either, whether it's armani or abercrombie (which i wouldn't be caught dead in) it would just be nice to get from point a to point b without some jackass with low self esteem take out his anger on me.. but oh well, a mild concern when it comes to having a car like this.. i think seattle is alot less car friendly than southern california.. i'm from there, and every single damn person has one.. i read something somewhere that 40% of all mercedes in the US sold new are in california.. the sl really is old hat down there.. unless your in an sl55 or sl65, old as a top hat even.. the popular toy down there i'm hearing about are kids and gallardos.. but even those are becoming old.. but in the end.. who really cares.. as long as i die in a decent car, i'll be happy

 

After reading one of the previous posts I was almost convinced that I WAS full of myself and maybe subconsciously expecting (and attracting) people to give me a negative response here and there... And had no intention on resisting this thread...

THEN IT HIT ME

I think there is a stigma (in some cases) that goes along with an SL that lends itself to the reactions some of us have experienced from time to time.

Believe me.. My $60k (current value at most) 2003 500 is not a show stopper by any means and I'm the first to tell people that 'it's the cheap one' if/when asked. I picked it up on a whim, never previously owning a convertible I didn't think I would like it much, but I do. It's fun, blah, blah, blah and it's not a car I have to be worried about getting door dinged, etc.

But (and here comes my theory) the general perception is that I'm under the impression that it's some kind of exotic piece of machinery that should be admired and adorned. Which of course, I'm not.

So, I think some people think that I think I have a better car than I actually have and that makes me appear to be full of myself even though I am quite aware that my car may only really be 'nicer than average' and is just something I picked up, happen to enjoy, but realize it's nothing all that special in the overall scheme of things.

OR they are just jealous of my evenly tanned, chiseled, Adonis-like creation of a body, deep blue 'make women want to take their clothes off instantly' eyes and polar ice cap melting smile and they just take it out on my current choice of cars...

I haven't quite decided yet... But I'm leaning toward the latter...

 

I'd go for the latter. It works better on several levels.

 

hahahaha

definitely the latter...
although it may be both

 

Now thats some funny stuff....

Anyway there are very few "haters" in comparison to those who don't care or are happy for another's achievment. Its just funny how many times I have to look behind me and see some 20 something year old in a Camaro with his girl tailgating me to prove something. My friend's client has a Phantom, Bent GT, gallardo, Murci, Carr. GT(sold), SL65/CL65 and more... and when we drive in his cars...we get the same crap...the Phantom gets it the worst, probably due to the fact that its on bigger rims then stock. Its just that I wasn't expecting this crap in a SL since my R129 got almost no attention.

 

R129? eww, isn't that for like... poor people.. that can't afford the new body style? why would anyone be jealous of that unless they live in the ghetto?

 

I've been reading this thread and lurking. I've got to say, contrary to some peoples thoughts and comments, Hating does exist. A lot of haters don't even realize that they are hating, it's done on a subconsious level. I have been the victim of haters for the majority of my life, and it still continues (even on this forum). It used to make me mad, but ther's really not a lot you can do about it. A very good friend of mine who is a retired NFL pro-bowler once said "if they're hatin' you, you must be doing something right."

 

Hating is one thing. Anyone ever been physically attacked ?

I offen wondered what cause people to hate eatch other, and my conclusion is that has mainly to do with succes. It can be that you have more money, have more succes in your job, have a better looking girl/wife, or just that you in general are more popular, than others.

Did you know that those people have a bible ?

Here it comes:
The Law of Jante
You shall not think that you are special
You shall not think that you are of the same standing as us
You shall not think that you are wiser than us
Don't fancy yourself as being better than us
You shall not think that you know more than us
You shall not think that you are more (important) than us
You shall not think that you are good at anything
You shall not laugh at us
You shall not think that anyone cares about you
You shall not think that you can teach us anything

Sayes it all, right.

The funny thing is that as soon as those haters get succes them selfs, they turn into people like us within no time. I have seen it several times myself.

 

It's basically the "bully" effect.. it makes them feel like a better, more powerful person when they can bring someone down that appears successful to beneath their level...

Like said previously, many times it is subconcious.. BUT it works both ways..

I remember when I was even younger than I was now... (18-19) and have a thriving business and had countless cars parked outside my residence.. i thought i was so cool.. so successful, so powerful compared to anyone else..

but then one day i thought about every one of those single moms driving by in their 1984 beat up buick, barely being able to afford food.. and here i am, some kid, with all these cars he doesn't even drive..

essentially i was subconciously bullying them into telling them that.. "hey. if a kid, can have all this excess and you can't.. then you obviously are a failure.."

it took awhile to analyze all of this.. but yes, this was somewhat true.. i bought all the cars, simply to show everyone i was better than everyone else to make up for my own insecurities..

while i think we judge everyone upon what we see, i think it's a bit different when you verbally come up to them and intercept their daily lives.. it's not as if i went up to them and said "you're 40 years old and driving a POS like that? ha ha" the same goes both ways... we've obviously worked hard for where we are in life, and people are going to think what they want, and we know they are thinking certain things in their head about us.. BUT when people verbaly or physically get involved, without knowing the person or situation, personally i think that is uncalled for...

some of the most successful and wealthiest individuals i've ever known, would trade their life to live in poverty and just have a friend... some of the biggest failures and poorest individuals i've ever known, wouldn't trade their life for anything because of the friends, family and people that care about them that truly make them happy..

life is a journey, but ignorance is abound.. only thing we can do is try to figure it all out, and try not to hurt anyone else along the way...

uhem, but anyways.. before i write a novel, i'll leave it at that

 

The rich person is that person who has a happy soul and has those that love him for his heart.

Anybody that values life and wealth by ones bank account is only going to die a miserable fool.

 

To me, money is better used as a verb than as a noun -- isn't really worth much as a noun, no matter how much of it you have. Is worthwhile and can accomplish many good things as a verb, no matter how little of it that one has.

If one is rather empty, or lacks worth as a person, it will be very improbable that that person will be able to accomplish anything worthwhile with his money used as a verb -- no matter how much money he has as a noun. Perhaps this is why many with money are unhappy, or in the stark reality of things in the quiet of the night, unhappy with themselves and their money.

If one has worth as a person, has invested in and labored to grow their 'stock' as a person, than one can do many wonderful things with their money, using it as a verb - and their money as a noun is merely or just the well-spring that they draw from and water the gardens and fruit-bearing orchards in their life with.....

Hmmmm...was that too deep? LOL

But that is certainly the way that I feel about it; and I have lived in both places in my life.

 

I wasnt born with a silverspoon in my mouth, had to work all the way up, a 100 hours a week, and all the things i dreamt about when i was younger, i can now affort. They dont make me happyer, maybe more satisfied with life, but at the end of the day, it is only the love of your famely, friends, etc. that counts.

With money commes friends you never know you had, and you alwayes wonder if they are your friends, because of your money, or because of you. This is the time when you think back to your life before money, and you can be shure that the friends still left from then, are your real friends.

Life is what you make of it, and regardless how mutch money you have, if you dont have anyone to love you, you will die as a poor soul.

Money can do a lot of things, but it cant buy true love.

 

Some guys yelled ***** when my wife is with me with the top down. I always asked my wife did you date him in the past?

 

Don't wonder, they are not your friends because of you, with of course, rare exceptions.

 

 

Funny, but he had better make sure his wife is nowhere around this site otherwise he'd better head for the hills.

 

Too funny.

For some reason any cute girl that drives an expensive car is called a ***** in my area. My area is not that wealthy and most of the time you will see a young pretty lady in an expensive car, because her husband is old and rich.

Many times, I see a young lady in a expensive car at a red light being called a ***** and some will even say where is your sugar daddy.

 

I thought Memphis was in the United States of America?

 

It is, but the average income per household is about 36K.

 

 

Physically attacked? Yes.

2 years ago a friend and I were followed home to the house I was renting...We were pistol whipped, gagged and held at temple gun-point while we were robbed by 4 guys. It was due to a flashy car and was done in a nice area....they came out of no where and were pros. So you guys better be careful, cuz these guys were way worse than haters IMO.

Tonight I was out and had an encounter with some guy telling a girl (behind my back) who had seen me park and who was very intrested in me that it probably wasn't my car....I let it slide, got her number and then even had the guy kissing my a$$ trying to buy my friends and I drinks. I had another problem later but it wasn't due to the car and was resolved quickly since one of the guys with us was a cop......going out to the clubs sure gets old pretty quick.

 

Let me just clarify something, usually if someone is honking for no reason, its a good thing! make eye contact.. usually a smile or thumbs up! (if negative..disengage eye contact )If your still young at heart, chirp the tires once in a blue moon for the honkers! It makes their day. :p.

 

Maybe its the part of the country you guys are in .. like when my friend from North Carolina visits SoCal and he sees a SL55/65 .. his head turns, or if he sees a Gallardo. It might take him all year to see a car worth more than $75k in his neck of the woods.

 

I too pay attention to what is going on around me including drivers of the cars around me and pedestrian on the street.

I was car jacked and shot in the stomach back in 1990 when car jacking was 'popular'. At the time I was driving a Supra (MKIII) which was nothing special but I guess they really wanted that car so lucky me. I was not even in a bad neighborhood ( Santa Monica ).

After that incident, I am much more aware of my surrounding especially when I'm driving. So yes I do notice that people have all kinds of different reactions when they see me in different cars.

When I am driving my supra I usually get compliments on how nice it looks, thumps up etc. Once in a while I would get a rice boy come up next to me wanting to race but that's about it.

With the SL it's a totally different story. I get more people cutting me off, speeding up to block me when I turn on my blinker to change lane. It's worse when I'm driving with my top down.

I have lived and worked here on the west side for over 20 years and I don't see the SL's as being a predominantly middle aged Mom's ( of any ethnicity ) car. I don't know which part of LA you live in (Arcadia maybe ?).

I see all kind of people driving SL's with the mojority being men and so far all the SL55 drivers that I have ran into has been men with one exception. I saw this white SL55 going 55 on the 10 one day ( most everyone was going at least 65 at the time ) and the driver turned out to be an old asian lady (your neighbor possibily?) :p