Benz-haters galore

Hi,

Just thought I'd open a thread regarding people who hate Merc drivers just in case anyone has had a similar experience and wants to blow some steam.

The other night I was driving up a street which is so narrow that it is necessary to cooperate with oncoming drivers. When a stream of cars came down the street, I pulled over behind the parked cars to allow the oncoming traffic to get passed. The first of them went by. The last two cars didn't move and simply blocked the way for a moment. The next thing I knew was that the bastards had pelted an egg at my screen. I followed them and reported them but don't know if anything came to fruition.

They damaged my windscreen which previously was spotless (new courtesy of a hail storm). Admittedly this might not be an anti- benz thing but it makes you wonder if I would have received the same treatment if I wasn't driving one.

Aside from this experience the following has happened in the last year: my old man's 380sel (not exactly worth a fortune!) has been keyed on a several panels;a hub cap stolen from my car; the driver's door on my car booted; and both mercs badged twice!

Gotta hate them benz haters.

David.

[Lee Scheeler]

David,
Though never to the extent you have endured I frequently see people do their best to not let a MB into a lane they are signaling for, cut them off, pass to hit brakes, etc....just mass amounts of rude behavior. Though in ATL MB are so common you usually have a "friend" not too far away.

Lee

There are two areas to the Phoenix Metro area - MB prone and non-MB prone. Scottsdale is definately MB prone and I do not hesitate to park mine in the Scottsdale area. If I am going anywhere else, I drive my Expedition. Also, Scottsdale is Bimwad country so it is easy to "mark my territory" by letting them get a brief look at my taillights Other areas do not like the status symbol of MB. I can see the chacterization as a staus symbol, and I disagree with the behavior. We take that chance because we love our cars. The diff between an MB as a status symbol and pure rabidness is who hand washes/waxes versus who lines up at the car wash every Saturday!

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Make it a Good One!
1993 500E

[JCE]

Back in the late 50'swhen I was first learning to drive in my HS driving class, I needed to make a right hand turn, and the traffic wouldn't let me in (Student Driver sign on the car probably scared them. The instructor told me to just start easing over in front of a particular car. I said, "What if they won't let me in?" The instructor said "It's a Mercedes-they'll let you in, they won't want their car scratched." The 'Tude towards MBs goes back a long time!

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JCE
87 300E, 65k miles
Smoke Silver

[spinedoc]

Dont feel bad, my Benz has a big Swastika keyed onto its hood! I dont know what this was supposed to mean, but it is funny that I am actually of Latin descent.

Go figure.

[mark300d]

Hi there,
I would not worry about the egg thing. I had the same thing done to mine and I can only assume it was some dumb a$$ low IQ high school kids that get of on that kind of B.S.
Unfortunatly I was driving the 300D non turbo and by the time I turned around and followed they were long gone. Bastards.
I doubt they knew I was driving a MBZ as the street was poorly lit.
Anyway, thanks for the chance to vent.
Mark.

As a first time owner of a Mercedes, I can say having this particular brand of automobile can certainly change the way people behave toward you.
I bought a CLK new in 99. Previous to this car I have owned a Toyota 97 4 Runner, a 94 Chevy camaro, 92 Lumina Z34, Pontiac Trans Am WS6 etc. All these cars were bought new and I take great care of all my vehicles. I had never seriously considered owning a Benz until the fateful day I visited the dealership and took a CLK for a drive.
That is when things changed. Immediately the staff in my office began to make cracks about me having this car. It seemed there was jealousy everywhere. There was no problems when I drove the Toyota (it was only worth about 10K less than the Benz). My boss (who drives an Acura TL) even said "yeah, I could drive a Benz, I just don't like the image it portrays". ??? Say what ?? I thought the image was class, safety, performance and reliability. I found it very difficult to understand how a car could change the way you are treated. This experience was not limited to the people in my office either. I while back I picked up an old friend of mine for lunch. The moment he saw the car, he could not stop blubbering about how he couldn't beleive I had a mercedes. He even called his wife (from my car) during the trip to the restaurant to tell her he was riding in a Mercedes. Seemed a little extreme. The first topic for most people always seems to be the car. I am not sure why. For example, I know plenty of people who have high end cars (Lambo's, Ferraris, Porches, NSX, etc) and when we talk, cars may come up, but there is not the same tone about the converstion.
I have not had the same traffic trouble as some of you others, but I do know you definetly get different looks on the road. Most of the time it is positive (thumbs up or a long gaze at the car). The other day a kid (maybe 16) came up to me in a parking lot and said "man, that is a dope ride". I assumed this was a good thing, so I thanked him.
I guess maybe this stuff goes with the territory (good and bad) and maybe that is part of the price to have a Benz ??

I got my first taste of the MB haters when I was young. My father, the mechanic, bought an early 70's 450 from an insurance co. The car had an engine fire and needed body work, but was basically brand new on the inside. We (he) worked on this car for months, rebuilding and refining. Finally she looked better than show-room new with white leather interior, real wood, and smoke ext.

He drove it around to show it off. The car was egged, stoned, scratched, and kicked. Finally, after about three weeks of abuse, someone broke all the windows out, kicked in all the fenders, jumped up-and-down on the hood, top, and trunk, scratched all the paint, and non-surgically removed the leather and wood trim!

We always had a new Ford in the driveway, as well as nice trucks and the occasional Muscle car. Only one other person in our town owned a MB - he was the owner of an oil company. No one in the town ever treated us this way before, because we had NORMAL cars in the driveway. We were branded as 'those rich people that are too good for us'. Rich?!? My father was a school teacher that fixed cars in the evenings!

I had a couple of other MB in high school and college, but I basically bought them cheap, fixed them up (cleaned them up), and sold them to the preppie kids for a considerable profit! I drove them around just long enough to make someone want it.

When I got married, we drove 'normal' cars. I bought my wife a Taurus and it was totaled by a negligent 'little-ol-lady'. I bought her the 240 and then traded her up to the 300 the next year.

When I bought the first MB, people did treat us like Lepers. But, soon they realized that we were the same old loveable a--holes that we have always been.

When driving to work or in the big city, I get mixed looks. Some people look, point, and say what a 'nice old car'. Others just flip me off.... I just smile and wave back.

The MB STAR on the hood does cause some people's blood to boil. I do not understand why, it's just a car (yeah, right). Other people just stare or point as if to say, 'hey, there goes a guy that made something of himself.' But they probably own MB themselves.

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William
76 240D (W115) - 550K miles
78 300D (W123) - 200K+ miles

[This message has been edited by WmHarlow (edited 08-15-2000).]

its not just mercedes i rember whe i was little we had a lincon contentail and whe were driving down the stret and 2 teens tossed chunks of ice at my moms car. she got out chased them and took them to there parents and the explantion was they figured that we could afoord to fix the car. my dad has had lots of diels and i was tought that these cars a great. i am 16 and i would not trade my benz for anything it is all jelousy people say you will never be able to afford insurance gas repares. but i mange every thing fine. parents think i am are and idot to have a nice car but unlike most kids i love my car and treat it good i would love to have this car as long as i live. you think it is bad driving a benz alone try being my age and driving a benz the looks i get.

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Dan Younes
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1985 euro 500sel 220k
1981 300sd 278k sold
1979 240d 298k sold
1983 300sd 272k sold
1989 chrysler 2.2l Turbo
Leabaron 140k
1989 Dodge Carvan Se 295k
1996 C280(hopefully soon)

Just reading WMHarlow's account of the 450 makes me sick. Sorry to hear this happened, I know what it means to have that kind of work invested in something, and then have it destroyed. I have many times wished for 5 minutes alone in a locked room with the people who would violate someone elses property like this. They would learn a new meaning of destruction if you know what I mean.

WMHarlow's story reminds me of a little streak of insanity that ran through my old neighborhood in Oklahoma. It all started when a friend of the family's brother came to town and convinced his brother to sell his Lexus and buy a Ford. Everyone in the area got a sudden scare that foreigners were going to monopolize the auto industry and take over the world, so they jumped on the bandwagon, sold their foreign cars, and bought Fords, Chevys, and other American made cars. Many people in the South (everywhere, really) seem to have that fear of foreign contries, and it leads them to have people who don't follow suit and buy American cars. That could explain the fact that when a new Ford or a nice truck was parked in WMHarlow's driveway nothing happened, but the second a German made car showed up, all hell broke loose. Maybe people are not so much anti-Mercedes, but anti-foreign. Just a thought...

[elau]

Same goes here. I recently had to give my boss a ride back to the office after a client meeting. He said to me what a flashy car I have. I was totally floored because he would not make such comment to my co-worker's Porsche. But since I drive a R129 I am too flashy. My response to him was "its all perspective". The way I look at it is if you can afford it, buy the best you can and enjoy (check out one of the threads in this forum "Car and Watches"). Life is way too short to worry what other think. People make such comment usually out of jealeousy and resentment. I did not tell him to have a whole house full of kids, and every penny he makes goes the the rug rats. Boy, pulling over on I-95 and told him to find himself a taxi because I quit and get out of my flashy car did come across my mind.

95 R129
98 ML320

People tend to stereotype Mercedes-Benz owners as arrogant people. That is certainly not true, of course, but I’ve always been conscious of it. This awareness of what people think of Mercedes-Benz owners has in many ways affected me. I remember when I was dreaming and shopping for my “new” car, I didn’t want to tell people that I was looking at Mercedes-Benz models because I didn’t want to give the impression that I was bragging or had money. My close friends knew that I wanted a 190E, but they were actually against it suggesting that I get a BMW E36 model or—their recommendation to me—an Acura Legend. Why? Because, unlike a Mercedes-Benz, a 3 Series or a Legend is not an “old man’s car.” Oh, yeah, that’s another stereotype of M-B and another reason why I didn’t want to tell other people that I wanted one, lest they think that I’m trying to be mature and sophisticated.

It’s kind of strange that some social stereotypes that people impose on M-B have instilled guilt feelings within me. I can’t be open about my love and enthusiasm for M-B cars. I’m afraid (if that’s the word) that people will think I’m being pretentious, insulting them or their cars, trying to be sophisticated, or just flat out bragging by talking about Mercedes-Benz. I sometimes get embarrassed when people ask me what I drive—I usually say that I drive a car. If they then ask me what kind of car, I just say a sedan. When people do find out that I drive a M-B, they might make comments like, “wow, rich kid” or “wow, when did you become so rich?” or “why didn’t you just get a Honda?” I remember once I asked my friend to go to this place with me, and he responded, “I don’t have any money; I’m not as rich as you, Mr. Mercedes-Benz.” Arghhh!

I remember in another situation, I was about to leave campus when I saw some friends chatting on the parking lot. I was in my car by then and was about to leave, but I decided to park near them, BUT not so near that it may seem that I’m trying to show off my car and screaming, “Hey, look at me, I drive a Benz!” Well, when I went to greet them, most appeared to ignore me and I couldn’t help but think that it was because of my car. To them, I was some sell out, capitalist pig who just love money and image. By the way, these people have socialist views and are against the “ruling rich.”

When I used to work in Glendale as a bookkeeper, I actually parked on the side street because I was kind of embarrassed, for a lack of a better word here, to park in front of the office where everyone could see it. I didn’t want my boss or co-workers to think that I’m trying to show off. Yes, people think all M-B owners are show-offs. Heck, I was kind of embarrassed to look at my professor when he passed me on the way home from a field trip our class had. If I looked at him and he saw me, then he might think that I’m showing off—and that might affect his view of me when grading comes around. I tend to be very conscious of these things.

I take pride in my car; I worked hard for it and dreamt about it for almost two years (researching, shopping, saving, deciding, and waiting for the next big repair on my Samurai to spring up). But all these stereotypes have really made me feel guilty and even prevented me from talking about M-B cars. If I tell people that I have a M-B, then I feel like that I’m boasting. People really tend to judge you and it’s a bloody shame. I know if I bought a brand new Honda, people would react differently—even supportive. But I bought a MERCEDES-BENZ because I’ve always loved Mercedes-Benz. I love how they look, how they are built, how they are engineered. And I love the ambiance of their presence. I could care less about the image they project, the chicks that they attract, or the respect they may elicit from other rich people. Ok, the chick part is a bonus, hehe. Owning a Benz is not about money . . . sure, I treat my car like if it were worth a million dollars, but that’s only because I love it. I only wish other people would understand that and not think all M-B owners are arrogant, shallow, “I’m better than you because I drive a Benz” kind of people. And also, I wish they would stop thinking that all M-B people are too much into their cars. Actually, we are, but for DIFFERENT reasons. The only people who I can be open about my love for M-B are my close friends from high school; they’re either car enthusiast or just know the real me.

And, oh, this is a great site to rant about Mercedes-Benz! Now, how to save my pennies for that E500. . . .

[bobbyv]

same sentiments as Cossie here ...

when people ask what type of car i drive, i answer in the most generic, need-to-know manner i can, like, "sedan" or "small 4-door". If they dig deeper i say "German". If they persist and i want to show it's none of their business, i say "white". If i think they are sincere/non-judgemental or car enthusiasts like me, i tell them the exact model. At least nowadays you could say "Daimler-Chrysler" ...

what i'm trying to figure out is that my car costs less than half a brand-new honda civic yet i get labelled for owning a benz. Would never happen to a honda driver.

For those i care to explain to, i tell them the reasons i bought the car - for the engineering features and the autobahn breeding. If the car is with us, i show them how solidly the door thunks and tell them it's a 10yr-old.

when i was applying for a car loan, even the loan officer made a remark about the car. I explained that it was a 10yr-old car, but she said that it was "still a Mercedes Benz"

i am a rather low-profile, non-descript person, and when walking towards my car in a parking lot with other people walking towards theirs, i could see through my peripheral vision how they would do a double-take when i open my door.

my car's star has been swiped a couple of times and the second time, i just grinded and smoothed off the base of the star. It also has some conspicuous rust in one of the fenders. At least these details will tell them that i'm not the rich guy they think the image says. And the absence of the star tells them that i'm not after the image.

the best way to tell them why i bought a benz is on the highway. With the right pedal doing the talking ...

[johngray]

I have a friend who once had a Corvette and he complained that mysterious stratches and gouges, or "keying", was always happening to it. Any high end car can be the target of this kind of stuff. A "locus of class conflict" is the way academics refer to something like this. Of course, it is also simple envy. One reason I just drive beaters.