Do people really judge you on the car that you drive?

[slackerinabox]

I've never really understood people who buy luxury cars, mostly because I think of cars as appliances. I would never get all hippy angry about people who drive fancy cars, and read autoblogger every day because I do appreciate the awesomeness of great engineering, but I don't have a need for anything besides basic transportation.. My last car was a Hyundai Elantra that served me very well and my current car is a Nissan Versa, a cheap car with plenty of cargo room and great gas mileage (I'm getting 35+ now)... I don't really care for leather seats or v8 engines, or a luxury name plate, as long as the car is fairly reliable (owned the elantra for 5 years without any non-maintenance expenses) and fuel efficient.. It just seems silly to me to drop a lot of money on something that depreciates so quickly..

But now that I'm married and older, I'm wondering if I drive a car that's "too young." I also hear comments that are getting to me, such as "oh, your car's so cute!" or (the worst) "at least you don't have to worry about it getting stolen!"...

My question is, is it weird that I don't really care about nameplates or "luxury?" For example, I used to wear $10 walmart jeans but now appreciate a well made pair of dress slacks, and wouldn't wear $10 jeans to social gatherings.. Is a cheapy car a sign of immaturity/youth?

edit: to clarify, you know how they say "dress for the job you want, not the job that you have?" Do cars fall into that at all? Do people assume that I'm not ambitious (or boring) because I drive an overly practical car?

 

[acheron]

I judge people on their cars: if the car is expensive, the driver is probably an asshole.

 

[ManBearPig]

yes

 

[Arcadio]

If you like the car, you buy the car. Period. Who cares what people think.

 

[Barfo]

yes.

 

[nageov3t]

I wouldn't judge one mid-range car from another.

but, I think it is revealing of people's personalities when you run into like a pretty well off guy driving a piece of shit or someone who obviously can't afford it leasing a luxury car.

one of my friends frustrates me to no end... I know that he's pretty well off. he works on wall street, rents an apartment from his parents, and is obviously not spending money on clothes or entertainment. but he drives the biggest piece of shit in the world. which ordinarily, I wouldn't even care about, except for the fact that on any given day, it's like 50/50 as to whether it's going to run or if he's going to start calling all of his friends to try and get a ride.

 

[kranky]

I guess some people do. But I have never commented on anyone's car one way or the other nor do I draw any conclusions about people based on the car they drive. I'm the same way, it's just an appliance to me. Before I bought my current car I had our mechanic check it out, and his comment to was "you know, this is an old person's car" as though he was trying to warn me.

But a one-year-old car with 18,000 miles for half the price of a new one was more important than worrying if people felt I was driving an "old person's car."

 

[JulesMaximus]

I drive a 6+ year old Nissan with 83,000 miles on it.

 

[ViviTheMage]

If you like the car, you buy the car. Period. Who cares what people think.

yup, pretty much sums it all up!

 

[bignateyk]

Yes. In fact, i'm judging you right now.

 

[slackerinabox]

yup, pretty much sums it all up!

Will driving a shitty car limit my social and occupational upward mobility? For example, people with lower titles than I have drive lexus SUVs where I work, and I wonder if that helps their image while my nissan hurts mine.

 

[PricklyPete]

People definitely judge you by things you own. You'll realize that you will never win with people judging you one way or another. You should just stop worrying about it and just buy what you need or want. If you don't like "luxury" cars, don't buy them. If you like $200 pair of jeans...buy them.

 

[slackerinabox]

Yes. In fact, i'm judging you right now.

 

[nerp]

I think people who define themselves by the car they drive are out of touch what really matters in life. And I hope they're ok with the fact that a lot of people aren't impressed by their car.

 

[ivan2]

i don't care what you drive unless it's a pimped out ricer then im pretty sure it will eventually end up in a minor crash on the local streets.

 

[PricklyPete]

Will driving a shitty car limit my social and occupational upward mobility? For example, people with lower titles than I have drive lexus SUVs where I work, and I wonder if that helps their image while my nissan hurts mine.

Depends completely on where you work and who you work with. The Lexus could hurt you just as much or more than your Nissan...or vice versa.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Will driving a shitty car limit my social and occupational upward mobility? For example, people with lower titles than I have drive lexus SUVs where I work, and I wonder if that helps their image while my nissan hurts mine.

Seeing as your only a Diamond member, I can't really answer that, now can I?

But really, as long as you have a car you like, who cares?

 

[ViviTheMage]

Will driving a shitty car limit my social and occupational upward mobility? For example, people with lower titles than I have drive lexus SUVs where I work, and I wonder if that helps their image while my nissan hurts mine.

Seeing as your only a Diamond member, I can't really answer that, now can I?

But really, as long as you have a car you like, who cares?

It does not really matter what car you have, unless it's dependent on your sales, or job in some way or other. Most jobs, what you drive does not matter.

 

[lokiju]

Who gives a shit what others think?

The director of my division has nearly 200 people below him that he's in charge of and he drives a old Honda Accord with nearly 200,000 miles on it.

Just because someone makes a lot of money, doesn't mean they need to buy a car to show that.

 

[her209]

I drive a 94 Camry with 250k+ miles on it.

 

[IronWing]

Judging people based on the cars they drive is silly. I judge them based on the cookware they use.

 

[nace186]

I judge them on how they drive.

 

[TheVrolok]

I don't put as much into having a nice car as I do dressing "up." I'd rather spend a bit more on clothing than on a car, more often than not at work someone is going to see what you're wearing more than what you're driving. You quoted the adage, dressing well is important - and yes, you can tell the difference between $20 slacks and $70+ slacks. Back to the car issue - well, I would say that for me it depends on how often you drive/where you drive/where you park. If I had an hour commute each day and had a safe place to park it, I might buy a luxury car if I could afford it because well, simply put, it's more luxurious (comfortable, features, etc.) to drive. However, if I had a 10 minute commute and I parked downtown in the city, I'd drive cheap.

 

[slackerinabox]

Judging people based on the cars they drive is silly. I judge them based on the cookware they use.

Emerilware FTW!

 

[darkswordsman17]

yes

yes.

This. Everyone knows this.

People judge others for all kinds of stupid shit. Ignore it and don't let it bother you.