What you drive and what you wear as to how you are treated !

[c250 turbo diesel]

So as not to clog up the Merc related discussions, I posted in this section.

"What you drive and what you wear, as to how you are treated, especially by car franchises/ dealers !

Basicly what I am saying is that if you drive into any dealers with the wrong car, or dressed too poorly, you will be treated as a chancer or second rate citizen, I have definately proved this, as I have forunately, been fairly rich, and not so rich, and been able to have some great fun with A/hole salesmen, when you know you have the funds to pay "there and then" !

Also I have various motor bikes in the barn, and if you want to be treated as a third rate citizen, go in with a bike, then see how they treat you !!!! lol

For all sales men/ future salesmen the following story is true !

Within another business I used to buy all the rubbish excavators from my local Jcb dealers, scrap them and sell the individual parts, greasy overalls, rigger boots, black as coal that was me !

I said to the smug sales guy I want to but 5 new excavators, costing 25k each +vat, he laughed at me, and said "yeah I suppose you wanna pay cash", I said yes mate straight cheque !

He laughed at me and walked away, I called out are you sure, he never answered.

I got a better deal up country, delivered free ! I invited him and his wife for a BBQ, and showed him the invoice, he was sick as a parrot, and that company that now has been bought out tried and tried to make it up to me !

I only ever then used them for my convienience. Lesson over !

 

[veedweeb]

People's reactions to what you drive can be quite extreme too:

A friend of mine sold his business and retired - he's got a couple of million in the bank.

He bought a 1987 Rolls Royce for £10,000 and a brand new BMW X5 for nearly £50,000.

When he drives the Roller, pedestrians swear at him, stick 2 fingers up and even spit on the car. Driving the X5, he doesn't even get a 2nd glance.

S'a funny old world....

 

[television]

Its the same abroad, While in Sweden in 1987 and had a 1985 123 280TE and wanted a 124 300TE. It was a Saturday morning, I was wearing overalls, but no way could I get a sales guy to talk to me. when picking up the car from service the following week, I took my wife with me and was driving the Vintage RR, things were very different, they all wanted to talk to me, all I had to say was that I bought a 300TE in the next town as no one wanted to sell me the one that they had.

In MB Exeter, I called in there to look at some wheels, again I had overalls on, one of the salesman came over and said, I wish that I could wear what you have on, I am stuck in this suit.

Malcolm

 

[BarryG]

I still wear Levis, jeans and jacket most of the time, plus trainers.
Amazing the amount of times I get ignored by spotty shop assistants. A case in point being I went to my local Currys superstore. (Yeah I know I probably know more about what they are selling than the staff they employ.) But I wanted some info on the latest 50" plasma TVs and whether they would price match. I was in there to purchase a couple of laptops anyway. After waiting for 15 minutes before being able to grab a guy in his late 20s who proceeded to look past me all the time as I was asking him questions. He actually grunted "what?" a few times as he wasnt listening, not pardon me or anything so polite. Then to cap it all a guy in a suit was looking at a TV further down the row and this ignoramus walked away from me mid sentence and asked the guy if he needed help. The temptation was to walk up to him and punch his lights out but I had 2 grand in cash in my pocket to purchase the laptops (my sons christmas pressies.) So I took the wad out and walked up to him and waved it under his nose telling him he had just blown a cash sale. A woman who turned out to be the assistant manager came over at that time. I am assuming she saw me marching up to the assistant and asked if she could help me? NOW NORMALLY I would let it ride and not get the guy into trouble but he actually sneared at me as if he had got one over on me. So I told her the truth of what had happened and that she employed some very surley staff who had just blown a £2500 TV sale and the 2 grand for the laptops I would get elsewhere because of this. As I had ordered one of the laptops I had to officially cancel it. Whilst this was happening the wally came over to me and suddenly it was SIR this and SIR that and im so sorry SIR etc. I managed to get in about 20 good old anglo saxon phrases explaining what I would do to him before he took the hint and went away.

Barry

 

[Balal]

interesting topic.....

Buying clothes is always tricky. But when there's loud music playing, it really throws your judgement. You look at stuff like, "Hey, if there was a cool party and I was a cool guy, this might be a cool shirt." You get it home there's no music, there's no party, and you're not a cool guy. You're the same chump, 75 bucks lighter. - Jerry Seinfeld

now on a serious note...

They want to see me, here I am. If they want to see my clothes, open my closet and show them my suits. - Albert Einstein when his wife asked him to change clothes to meet the German Ambassador

and in reality

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society. - Mark Twain

They think him the best dressed man, whose dress is so fit for his use that you cannot notice or remember to describe it. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

and in my experience

Yes! dress does matter, but its the expression that we carry on our faces matter alot as well. I am lucky that the merc dealer in edinburgh is very friendly (although i have a feeling he does overcharge me), but still treats me very well despite my torn jeans and 1930s style trainers (guess its the latest fashion these days - probably some young member can advise me about it!). O and in shops, dunno if its the whole "O hello! how are you" that i start first with the biggest smile ever (kinda like the kid outside the icecream store wishing to get a free icecream!! ) that gets the advisor in shop pretty relaxed as well. But I must say there are some rude shop assistants as well.

However, the simple rule is, dress in which others will feel comfortable around you. So to start with, we have to feel comfortable in our dress, and if its jeans then why not! . As people are more friendly when they feel comfortable around us.

(better stop this essay as I have a feeling I am off track - will edit it in morning.)

 

[gls5000]

Being very young to be driving a brand-new Merc I was worried about being prejudged at my local dealer (Jacksons Poole). The salesmen weren't exactly rushing over to me but when one finally did, he was perfectly pleasant and friendly, and offered me a test drive even though I was quite clear about what I wanted.

When I went to take delivery of the car, in my 5-year-old Toyota Yaris, one of the suited guys in the showroom was giving me one of the dirtiest looks I've ever received. I hope he felt like a dick when he realised that the £45K car being polished up next to him was mine. I was dressed casually but not scruffy, but then I do look very young (honest ).

As for people in the street, I've been pleasantly surprised that road users have shown me MORE respect in the Mercedes than in my previous cars, rather than the jealousy that I was led to believe I would be subject to. Even BMWs let me out of junctions more than before. Still no improvement from women in 4x4s though.

 

[Myros]

I have to wear a suit and tie for work

If I'm wearing the C280, I'm invisible, just another exec/wage slave/drone.
If I'm wearing the 300TE, I'm a poor put upon family guy, and am allowed out of the odd side road.
If I'm wearing the 500SL, I'm obviously a transient playboy who needs to have opportunities made for him in every traffic stream. Gaps in traffic appear as if by magic, side roads are no longer purgatory on wheels, and lane-changing is as easy as thinking about it.

I'm still the same numpty though, and drive all the cars the same.

 

[Silver Arrow]

Progress though town is pretty smooth in the old Range Rover. Not a patch on the progress made with the older Safari Landrover with galvanised bumpers, Boadecea hubs and steel side steps sprouting from the extemities.
George.

 

[nialler]

501s, Tshirt, CAT runner boots, Skinhead (going grey), get some very odd looks in the S320 but other drivers tend to be very very nice to you and those that try to beat you off the lights in the inside lane that's what pressing the accelerator is for.

And I get followed a lot walking around department stores.

 

[Hanz]

I wear a lot of different things in the E280, but it's an estate so I probably look like worn out mother with 5 kids and a husband who insists he rides upfront.

Or, as I am a youngun, look like I'm driving daddys car...

But, alas all of this, I'm still let into the fast lane by BMW's, even the convertibles!! I feel I get more respect on the road too..and the element of surprise on the Ford drivers face when I let them out is also rather amusing...

But yet people still think I am rich, like the charity guy who when I said I couldn't afford to give £2 a month to kids, he later saw me in the merc, and commented through my window "well you can't afford £2 a month but you drive a mercedes" ..

As for what I wear, depends on what I'm doing.

 

[c250 turbo diesel]

interesting topic.....

Buying clothes is always tricky. But when there's loud music playing, it really throws your judgement. You look at stuff like, "Hey, if there was a cool party and I was a cool guy, this might be a cool shirt." You get it home there's no music, there's no party, and you're not a cool guy. You're the same chump, 75 bucks lighter. - Jerry Seinfeld

now on a serious note...

They want to see me, here I am. If they want to see my clothes, open my closet and show them my suits. - Albert Einstein when his wife asked him to change clothes to meet the German Ambassador

and in reality

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society. - Mark Twain

They think him the best dressed man, whose dress is so fit for his use that you cannot notice or remember to describe it. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

and in my experience

Yes! dress does matter, but its the expression that we carry on our faces matter alot as well. I am lucky that the merc dealer in edinburgh is very friendly (although i have a feeling he does overcharge me), but still treats me very well despite my torn jeans and 1930s style trainers (guess its the latest fashion these days - probably some young member can advise me about it!). O and in shops, dunno if its the whole "O hello! how are you" that i start first with the biggest smile ever (kinda like the kid outside the icecream store wishing to get a free icecream!! ) that gets the advisor in shop pretty relaxed as well. But I must say there are some rude shop assistants as well.

However, the simple rule is, dress in which others will feel comfortable around you. So to start with, we have to feel comfortable in our dress, and if its jeans then why not! . As people are more friendly when they feel comfortable around us.

(better stop this essay as I have a feeling I am off track - will edit it in morning.)

One more story of how bikers can be treated, I will never forget this one !

A few years ago we used to go to this upmarket farm shop, expensive, but lovely meat straight from the farm, some of the best I had tasted, drive up in a new Landcruiser, spend 100 to 200 every time, more at xmas, the boss used to grovel, and know me well !

One day I was out on the motor bike, and decided to go in and get some lovely off the bone ham, for tea, I walked in with the helmet still on and asked the guy for two pounds of best ham, he did not recognise me.

He then proceeded to rake up all the odd scabby scraps of ham and put in a bag, not nice cut of slices, he then said so much for it.

I said to him to I look f...ing hard up mate I ask for 2 lb of best ham! His answer was I thought it would be a bit cheaper for you as your a biker !

When I pulled off the helmut he got the shock of his life, he went like a beetroot ! I told him what he could do with his scraps, give em to his ****** dog ! never went back again !

 

[television]

I cant see any point in trying to upset anyone and go out of my way to do so with regards to the way I dress

I do all kinds of things from Elecronics to building the house or fixing a car. If I need some materials, than I have to drive to town to pick them up, as I am there,if I need food I go and buy it, dressed in what ever was suitible for the job I have been doing.
When it comes to visiting MB, I normally do it on a day out, dressed in clean smart clothes, if though I need parts,things are not what they used to be, as the parts department were always round the back through a little door with an oily counter. These days its in one end of the showroom, so one has no choice.

I cant drive the MB in dirty clothes, for that would be stupid, and do not go out of my way to look scuffy, I work more than I play so I look scruffy most of the time.

Malcolm

 

[stumpy]

I wear a lot of different things in the E280, but it's an estate so I probably look like worn out mother with 5 kids and a husband who insists he rides upfront.

Or, as I am a youngun, look like I'm driving daddys car...

But, alas all of this, I'm still let into the fast lane by BMW's, even the convertibles!! I feel I get more respect on the road too..and the element of surprise on the Ford drivers face when I let them out is also rather amusing...

But yet people still think I am rich, like the charity guy who when I said I couldn't afford to give £2 a month to kids, he later saw me in the merc, and commented through my window "well you can't afford £2 a month but you drive a mercedes" ..

As for what I wear, depends on what I'm doing.

I used to work at Exeter Airport and my workmates used to take the pee saying that I was a rich Londoner because I wore a suit and drove a Merc. "But it's 11 years old and cost me 2 grand!" I would retort. "Doesn't matter, it's still a Merc" they would say.

People are funny

 

[Hanz]

They are indeed Stumpy

 

[daveenty]

Followed this thread with interest......a lot of people who care about appearance, a lot more who don't.

I probably fit into the second half.

Total animal...what I look like is my problem.

Fair play to the last dealer I visited...took me on face value and sold me a car...

No family outing, took a friend for the ride with me on the initial viewing.

He's built like the proverbial outhouse (I'm not far behind him) Salesman treated us both like gents.

Two big lads in working gear expected to be shown the back door really. (Even though we were in a CLK to swap)

Won't mention the name of the dealer as I don't want to advertise, but will certailnly use them again