my sentiments exactly LK1. Guess you beat me to it.

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headrivenoise... listen.

Rent a Hummer for a day & flatten the bastards.

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2007 C 230 Sport.

Although my first and only car here in Canada is my 190e2.6, I do notice that I get more than my fair share of respect on the road, from people giving way for lane changes and moving out of the way on the passing lane (well, most of the time).

What mystifies me is that my car does not exactly convey the image that the owner is wealthy, because of the car's model and age. My guess is that the stereotypes that people attach to owners of this marque causes them to think that the owners are respectable and deserve respect.

And to give way to people who (they think) are respectable does not involve any loss of dignity. On the other hand, they would not belittle themselves by giving way to someone whom they think does not deserve their respect (based loosely on the car the other person drives).

Curiously, I also feel good when I give way to others, be they other drivers or pedestrians. It's as if I am behaving according to the stereotype they attach to me, by acting considerately and well-mannered. And there is no loss of dignity on my part because I am acting out that role.

I am curious as to what the experience of BMW drivers is on this matter. My guess is that the 3-series car owners are treated differently from the 5- and 7-series owners.

I am also curious on what kind of treatment the drivers of the diesel W123s get. Personally, I feel like giving such drivers a thumbs-up whenever I see their cars on the road (especially the wagons).

Hello,
OK, around here it is:
1.Old W115:Give him room, stay away from the tank
2.Shiny W107: Ohhh, a rich SOB, lets box him in and teach him a lesson in humility
3.Small 0.9 litre box on wheels:Squeeze the sucker into the curb OR lets try to drive over him
4.Any SUV:Get out of his way............................

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Nachi11744

Quite the opposite for me actually:

GIANT SUV: Will not let in to traffic, merge ect

small SUV: won’t block their entrance, but will not go out of my way for them

any car: usually make a space for them to get in

Semi: most respect, get past them fast, give them room to turn, and let them in when they are up to traffic speed (ever see one of these go careening out of control on ice? I have also witnessed a car sliding sideways under the trailer and getting run over by the rear of the truck! Not something I would ever like to do!!)

Van: see car

Truck - used for work: see car

Giant useless truck that jones has never had out of city: see giant SUV

I have never noticed any difference in the car I drive, I tend to spot gaps in traffic way before I am merging ect, and if I have to get over I just nudge over and they usually move if there is no space. After driving in the (us) 3rd worst traffic every day in a big work van for several hours a day you get used to the tactics needed to get around and it becomes second nature. In a car, almost fun!

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1983 Mercedes 300SD
1987 Mercedes 300SDL
2001 VW Passat 2.8 AWD
2007 OM642 Jeep WK 4x4

Have had a bevy of two seat drop tops with alot of power. SLK32, etc. Bought a big black navigator to tow my antique cars to car shows. Drive the navigator all the time now. Comfy, cushy, and the fastest vehicle I have ever driven.

How you ask?

Simple. I plant the freakin chrome grill in the rear window of the left lane dead heads and nine times out of ten they get out of the way.

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The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!

I sure hope you can stop that 6K pound navigator faster than I can stop my lightweight, efficient car!
One of those damn deer again.....

But, unless there is traffic in front of me, I would never be in the left lane while someone was attempting to pass. These people are worst in my book.

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1983 Mercedes 300SD
1987 Mercedes 300SDL
2001 VW Passat 2.8 AWD
2007 OM642 Jeep WK 4x4

One of the joys of life in Wisconsin is that people are exceptionally polite -- even on the highway.

I commute about 88 miles (round trip) daily, mostly on suburban to urban freeways. My primary weapon of choice: a W123 coupe, although I'm working a W123 wagon into the rotation. On nice days I roll out the '87 BMW 325i convertible.

The MB diesels seem to engender respect up here in the Dairyland. I'm thinking it's because people recognize it as an old car and they don't want to mess it up in an accident.

I'm serious! Milwaukee's economy is historically based on machinery (tractors, tool & die, the AMC Pacer) and there's a healthy respect for a fine assemblage of gears and sprockets.

A year ago, a kid in a crappy Ford Ranger rear-ended me during rush hour. We got off the freeway onto downtown city streets and waited for more than an hour for a sheriff's deputy to meet us to take an accident report -- the deputy never showed. Several hours later, I discovered that the kid in the truck had dutifully reported the accident at the appropriate station. I wound up with a $3200 check from his insurance company -- I probably could have wrung them out for more, but I bought the car for $1500!

As we waited for the deputy who never showed up, the kid told me how sorry he was that he messed up my ride. He showed some class, for sure.

Of course, I also encounter more than a few obnoxious kids with bad haircuts in Civics and Cavaliers, but I figure I have a mission as a mature motorist to avoid killing them. Yes, I'm congenitally courteous too.

Russ M

If you think it's bad in an MB try a Ferrari, thats why they give those things so much HP.

Here's the short and skinny, Crap Car=Low Self Esteem+Bad AttitudeXlowincome.

Most of them that mess with you are just low life wacky people.

. . . to different Benzes, too. I got a lot more respect in traffic in my banker's grey 420SEL than I do in my gold C230. Maybe they realized that the big car would do more damage if it hit them . . . or maybe, as KV said, they thought it was a lawyer's car . . . or maybe it's the color of the smaller car. I dunno.

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* *
-- Paul W. (The Benzadmiral)
('03 Buick Park Avenue, charcoal/cream)
Formerly:
'97 C230, smoke silver/parchment; '86 420SEL, anthracite/light grey; '84 280CE (W123), dark blue/palomino

I love my 240D for rush hour traffic. Almost all other drivers avoid it like the plague. I'm guessing it is for one of two reasons:
1. They think it is a classic MB, worth big money, so they're scared of it.
or
2. They recognize it as a $500 car that I'm not afraid to hit them with.

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Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

Cool another Milford member, we are up to 3 that I know of!

Their is a meet December 11th btw it is posted in the diesel forum.

Anyway I notice people tend to get out of my way on the highway when I'm in the SDL. No one will move out of the left lane if I'm in my mom's Olds. Other than that everyone at least around here is pretty much a jerk and drives like they are the only ones on the road.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

The DC area is pretty cutthroat traffic wise and I definitely notice a difference when I'm in the Benz (even though its a baby benz 190E). I rent a a crappy econobox whenever the car's in the shop and I definitely struggle to get let in lanes. I think part of it might be that the econobox can't get up to speed quick enough to merge well though.

When I first got the SUV it was quite an adjustment. The fact it's an EVIL SUV combined with the NJ license plate caused what I think were some aggressive reactions on the highway here, compared to my old Saturn. I've adjusted, I guess, as I no longer notice it. Maybe the pro-gun bumper sticker helped

I notice no special treatment, good or bad, in the 300D or on the motorcycle.

are you my mother-in-law in disguise?

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1993 320TE M104
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past:

1983 230E W123 M102
1994 E300D S124 OM606 (x2)
1967 250SE W108 M129
1972 280se 3.5 W108 M116
1980 280SE W116 M110
1980 350SE W116 M116
1992 300E W124 M103
1994 E280 W124 M104
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"music and women I cannot but give way to, whatever my business" -Pepys