Unfortunately, until you get to know someone, appearance is everything. If you are wearing a Brooks Brothers suit, the cut and material are going to look better on you than a polyester/rayon suit from Kmart (not that there is anything wrong with your poly/rayon suit from Kmart). If you take someone who is not a car buff, who doesn't really know much about cars, and place a new S-Class and new 7-series in front of them and ask them which they think is the "richer" car, I bet they will choose MB because of the 3-pointed star.

I've heard similar for the Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph/Bently Arnage. People who want to "display" their wealth, choose the car with that nice Spirit of Ecstasy on the radiator. People that are wealthy, but want a car that drives more sporty, choose the Bentley. AND, those cars are basically the same body, save for the grill.

I have a 740 and a CL. I enjoy driving the 740, but LOVE my CL. Maybe learning to drive in a 280sl and being exposed to family MB's during my formative years has prejudiced me. :-)

Whatever you drive, enjoy.