Prejudged because of car?!?

123457

Replies

  • TankGirl71
    TankGirl71 Posts: 241 Member
    I don't judge or hate anyone for what they drive. I get more aggravated with the WAY people drive, and jerks exist in every income bracket. I'm just puzzled why so many people try to identify themselves with a certain brand. It's metal and rubber and electrical wires. It is not who you are.
    I remember the rant from Fight Club....."You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You're not your f*cking khakis. You're the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world. "
    For the record, I drive a six year old Hyundai. It runs like a champ and gets me where I need to go.
    I would've left the waitress a nickel for a tip. She probably thought she was being clever like in "Two Broke Girls."
  • sonyapowell
    sonyapowell Posts: 38 Member
    that is mean, mean people suck.

    consider the source.

    i am from Indiana not so diff from MI or PA in the American made arena. btw new balance shoes are the only American made shoes now. lots of folks out east lost jobs thanks to out sourcing. we get judged by lots of stuff, cars and shoes and body shape. some folks are so miserable with themselves they can't hold back a chance to take a jab @ others. They do not know or care where you came from. How we react to that is up to us but we will be remebered weather we prove right the assumption of dispell the prejudice.
  • JoyousRen
    JoyousRen Posts: 3,823 Member
    I drive a 2002 Saturn I bought used, have paid off, and intend to drive till it's dying breath. In general, I don't judge people based on cars (though I am know to grumble "d@mn {insert type of car here}" while driving) though I get pissed off at people with big *kitten* cars (or trucks) that park in compact spots. When I see people with really nice cars, I just assume they have different financial/social priorities than I do. I would rather keep my older reliable car and spend my money on traveling or doing things than a car payment. Other people may find a nice car to be important to them. We may or may not have much in common but *shrug* it doesn't bother me unless you want/expect me to be impressed.
  • ehsquared
    ehsquared Posts: 42
    I don't think I've been...but honestly, based on personal experience, I think people who drive Hummers are a-holes! (sorry if that's what you've got!).

    Edit: just to add..I live in the Detroit area, and people can be PSYCHOTIC if you drive anything from a Japanese maker. We have a Toyota Tundra (which incidentally has the highest percentage of American made parts in the full size pickup class), but that won't stop the UAW nut jobs from yelling at you!

    Ummmm uncool btw....I own a Hummer H2 and I am a good driver. I live on the prairies and nothing else makes it through 8 feet of Canadian snow.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    One of my cars is a car from a swedish make that's owned by an american company and built in japan. Worldwide pride, yo?
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member

    That being said - I wish people who drive larger vehicles (trucks, hummers, suvs) would stop being such *kitten* to people in little cars. Regardless of the size of your car, my car is still there and riding my *kitten* won't make me or my small car go any faster. As a matter a fact, I'm gonna slow down if you try and bully me.

    I drive a truck and I can say its you people in the little cars that do worse... I consistently get cut off in the middle of traffic by smaller cars because I am not going fast enough for them, I have actually been run off the road 3 times by smaller cars changing lanes into me so I don't actually think its just people driving larger vehicles that are douche canoes I honestly think that its just people in general. I do get where you are coming from and I would slow down too, in fact when I notice someone tailgating me I do slow down.

    I've always driven small cars and I've never forced anyone off the road. I thought about it, but.. I'm sure the police frown on me doing it -- so I refrain.

    I just hate when I look up and there's a big *kitten* grill thisclose to my *kitten* end. Are you trying to save gas? Slip streaming me? Or are you just a douche?
  • KimmieBrie
    KimmieBrie Posts: 825 Member
    that is mean, mean people suck.

    consider the source.

    i am from Indiana not so diff from MI or PA in the American made arena. btw new balance shoes are the only American made shoes now. lots of folks out east lost jobs thanks to out sourcing. we get judged by lots of stuff, cars and shoes and body shape. some folks are so miserable with themselves they can't hold back a chance to take a jab @ others. They do not know or care where you came from. How we react to that is up to us but we will be remebered weather we prove right the assumption of dispell the prejudice.

    Not all New Balance is made in the USA....

    Yes, mean people suck.

    My car is an 03 - it's older and paid for and bought used.
    My friends X had a new BMW - his MOM (He's in his 30s) leased it for him. He crashed it and now lives on his friends couch.
    I don't assume any financial status based on cars. He's a prefect example!
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member

    Hey, you two.

    Pssst.



    Get out of the left lane.

    Thank you.

    AGREED! Slower traffic keep right. If I have to pass you on the right after giving you plenty of opportunity to move, you've broken the law AND been incredibly rude. Hint: If more than one vehicle drives by you on the right, you're going too slow to be in that lane. It's for passing.

    This has been a public service announcement :)

    Excuse me? I only drive in left lane if I am passing someone. I was actually talking about the regular roads and NOT the highway. And my little car can keep up quite nicely in the left lane. The speed limit here is 70, but the average left lane speed is anywhere from 80-90. My car can easily do 80-90. Just because my car is small doesn't mean it can't run with the big dogs (it has an engine too, my friends) and doesn't mean I can't be in the left lane.

    There's NO need to place your large grill in my back window when I'm driving down the road. You're being an *kitten* if you do that. I'm not moving just cause you're big.
  • outtanms
    outtanms Posts: 237 Member
    But back to the OP. It's pretty common for people to prejudge based on your car.

    I make house calls to my clients on a regular basis, many times before I ever meet them.
    If I drove a rusted out POS, or a KIA, I would not be portrayed as half as successful as I am, and likely lose out on clients. It's just the way the world is.

    On the flip side, you get pretty good at connecting with people based on your portrayal of them by what they pull up in. Not always, but I have gotten pretty good at picking up enough clues by someones car/appearance to know how to converse with them.

    Subtle items are really the key though. Shoes, briefcases, watch. Any prick can go out and buy a car for the name, but it takes atleast some style to pick out shoes.

    yep yep yep!!! I always look at the watch and the shoes.
  • _Khaleesi_
    _Khaleesi_ Posts: 877 Member
    I don't think I've been...but honestly, based on personal experience, I think people who drive Hummers are a-holes! (sorry if that's what you've got!).

    Edit: just to add..I live in the Detroit area, and people can be PSYCHOTIC if you drive anything from a Japanese maker. We have a Toyota Tundra (which incidentally has the highest percentage of American made parts in the full size pickup class), but that won't stop the UAW nut jobs from yelling at you!

    Ummmm uncool btw....I own a Hummer H2 and I am a good driver. I live on the prairies and nothing else makes it through 8 feet of Canadian snow.

    Have to call you on that one. I live in rural canadian prairies as well. Lots can get you around. Not just a hummer. I drive a toyota matrix
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
    When I see someone with a fancy car...the first thing that comes to mind is how much that payment must suck! Doesn't always apply but anyone can drive a nice car who can't truly afford it.
  • ncahill77
    ncahill77 Posts: 501 Member
    Yeah, I judge people who drive BMWs, and spotless 4x4s around town. In fact I judge anyone who drives a gas guzzler as it seems selfish and necessary and is so bad for the environment.

    But I am not rude enough to do it to their faces!

    I love my pickup that gets 16 mpg, do i wish it got better, sure, would I get rid of it, no! I love that I can move my own stuff, help friends move, tow trailers, go out to my dads and help him haul irrigation pipe and do a host of other things that a prius would never ever be able to begin to do. I do try to offset the mpg with a car for my wife that gets much better mileage.
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
    ^ Yep. Diesel...because I tow nothing.
  • ncahill77
    ncahill77 Posts: 501 Member
    But back to the OP. It's pretty common for people to prejudge based on your car.

    I make house calls to my clients on a regular basis, many times before I ever meet them.
    If I drove a rusted out POS, or a KIA, I would not be portrayed as half as successful as I am, and likely lose out on clients. It's just the way the world is.

    On the flip side, you get pretty good at connecting with people based on your portrayal of them by what they pull up in. Not always, but I have gotten pretty good at picking up enough clues by someones car/appearance to know how to converse with them.

    Subtle items are really the key though. Shoes, briefcases, watch. Any prick can go out and buy a car for the name, but it takes atleast some style to pick out shoes.

    you would think I am the poorest white trash until you got to the watch, I do like my watches. I spend as little as possible on clothes and shoes that are not used for anything but hanging out or sitting in my office. Now when we get into outdoor hiking/workboots and attire and workout stuff that's where I spend my money. I really can't stand watching people go into a store and drop $80 on a shirt made out of $3 worth of material.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    No point judging me on my shoes....I am vegetarian so am lumped with buying cheap non-leather ones. It doesn't mean I like them, nor that I can't afford good shoes, I don't really like any of my shoes except flip flops, but I have to make do with what is available to me. If I bought leather it would be a different matter.
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    I don't think I've been...but honestly, based on personal experience, I think people who drive Hummers are a-holes! (sorry if that's what you've got!).

    Edit: just to add..I live in the Detroit area, and people can be PSYCHOTIC if you drive anything from a Japanese maker. We have a Toyota Tundra (which incidentally has the highest percentage of American made parts in the full size pickup class), but that won't stop the UAW nut jobs from yelling at you!

    Those UAW nut jobs are also the ones who are killing the auto industry for Michigan. Auto makers are headed straight for non-union states like GA, AL, OH, & KY. They can yell at you from the unemployment line if they like.
    You've got that right...the saddest part is how many of them are tremendously overpaid to do very little. I’ve got nothing against the spirit of unions (and by that, I mean, back when they served a real purpose to protect workers rights), but these days, it just protects the drunk and lazy. Not sure how many people saw the stories in the last year or so about Chrysler workers being caught drinking and smoking pot out in the open on their lunch breaks....but it was big news here for weeks (the "problem solver' reporter who exposed it is lucky he didn't end up like Jimmy Hoffa).
  • JoyousRen
    JoyousRen Posts: 3,823 Member
    you would think I am the poorest white trash until you got to the watch, I do like my watches. I spend as little as possible on clothes and shoes that are not used for anything but hanging out or sitting in my office. Now when we get into outdoor hiking/workboots and attire and workout stuff that's where I spend my money. I really can't stand watching people go into a store and drop $80 on a shirt made out of $3 worth of material.
    You can tell a lot about what is important to someone by what they spend their disposable income on.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    you would think I am the poorest white trash until you got to the watch, I do like my watches. I spend as little as possible on clothes and shoes that are not used for anything but hanging out or sitting in my office. Now when we get into outdoor hiking/workboots and attire and workout stuff that's where I spend my money. I really can't stand watching people go into a store and drop $80 on a shirt made out of $3 worth of material.
    You can tell a lot about what is important to someone by what they spend their disposable income on.

    $2300 on a watch made from $28 in material is much better ;)
  • sc1572
    sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
    What in the world?!
  • miss_kisha
    miss_kisha Posts: 74 Member
    I used to judge Neon Drivers, until I got one myself :blushing: It always seemed that the people that didn't want to let me in on the freeway were driving Neons... Anyway, I had so many problems with that dumb Neon that I now understand. Maybe they wouldn't let me in because they were afraid the stupid thing would stop running. Sorry Neon drivers out there!
  • ronda_gettinghealthy
    ronda_gettinghealthy Posts: 777 Member
    YEP..... for many years I drove an 86 toyota pickup with a huge dent in the hood (because of a billy goat)...it was the 1st car we ever bought and saved it for the kids, but the son was toooo tall and big to fit in it in High school so he drove my truck...People were always shocked to find out the doc is in the oldest ugliest car in the parking lot...LOL I told them I was just cheap !!!
  • kenzietea
    kenzietea Posts: 614 Member
    Which is why I said spotless ones around town. Range Rovers are not called "Chelsea tractors" for nothing. Round here a LOT of people drive Volvo XC90s, Range Rovers and Mercedes MLs. None of them would ever take them off road (I have had many conversations with people complaining about being made to park in a field on the school run), they drive them purely for the status, and the fact is, they are polluting the planet the rest of us have to live on for nothing more than their own vanity. It would have been far cheaper for me to get one of those cars. I didn't because I have an environmental conscience.

    What car do you drive? If it electric or hybrid, your car is purely to save money on gas- because the battery causes FAR more pollution then ANY gas-run vehicle. If you want to help the environment, drive a NGV.

    here is one of many sites :)
    http://www.lead.org.au/lanv3n2/lanv3n2-6.html
  • Amber82479
    Amber82479 Posts: 629 Member
    I drive an 03 Elantra that I got in November 02. The thing is a fugly rust bucket! I don't know if people actually judge me, thinking I'm poor, or if I'm just paranoid. Either way, I'd love to have a new car. Nothing exceptional, just a nice, rust free mode of transportation that doesn't scream "HOOPTY MOBILE" :) However, since instead of buying a new car, we bought an amazing new home that I absolutely adore, I will force myself to happily drive my hoopty mobile awhile longer... judgers be d@mned!
  • bllowry
    bllowry Posts: 239 Member
    As I'm reading this thread I'm waiting for my hubby to call to let me know that tow truck has arrived; the wheel bearings broke and his right front wheel is behind the vehicle. He drives a 1990 E150 with not quite 320,000 miles on it. It's moved our daughter back and forth to uni and our son several times and hauled more things than I have time to list. We've had it 16 years and I think we may have to finally replace it as it is now starting to become difficult to get parts for it. I drive a '96 Ford Explorer with 197 plus thousand miles on it and will drive it until the wheel fall off ;)

    The only odd comment I've ever gotten was "Why don't you guys drive fancy cars?" I guess since we're Realtors everyone expects us to be wealthy, not realising its costly to pay for all the advertising and marketing that goes in to having your own business.
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
    So I think I found out why the waitress made the comment

    I told my brother what happened, and he said" WeII yeah! haven't you heard the porcupine joke, what's the difference between a porcupine and a BMW owner, , , , with porcupines, the pricks are on the outside"

    My guess is that the waitress assumed I already knew the joke and she was merely joking with me, at Ieast I hope so :)
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
    As I'm reading this thread I'm waiting for my hubby to call to let me know that tow truck has arrived; the wheel bearings broke and his right front wheel is behind the vehicle. He drives a 1990 E150 with not quite 320,000 miles on it. It's moved our daughter back and forth to uni and our son several times and hauled more things than I have time to list. We've had it 16 years and I think we may have to finally replace it as it is now starting to become difficult to get parts for it. I drive a '96 Ford Explorer with 197 plus thousand miles on it and will drive it until the wheel fall off ;)

    The only odd comment I've ever gotten was "Why don't you guys drive fancy cars?" I guess since we're Realtors everyone expects us to be wealthy, not realising its costly to pay for all the advertising and marketing that goes in to having your own business.

    When I used to work for my fathers construction company, he had this oId 1986 Dodge pickup with about 350k miIes on it
    It Ieft me stranded a few times but I'm good with cars so I was abIe to fix the probIems once I got it towed home, but as soon as it Ieft my dad stranded once, he was Iike "that's it, I'm getting a new truck" IoI
  • CouchSpud
    CouchSpud Posts: 557 Member
    No hummer for me, if I ever did purchase one, it would be a military spec, not a pavement pounder like the ones seen on highways and streets, and never used off road.

    I drive a BMW, but when I had an Acura nobody ever made rude comments. Also, an old friend of mine seen me at the gas station and I stepped out my car he said "Look at you, all sketchy now"!

    In my region, a sketchy person is a superficial, all about them self type of person. I think I'm fairly considerate and go out of my way to help others whenever I can.

    And no, I didn't report her comment to the manager, and I still gave her a great tip, hopefully that changes her perspective a bit.

    Hahahaha I was about to ask if you by any means drive a Bimmer. Now Bimmer, that is kinda international, is a Proll car (I luve it though it's one of the best drives and I want one) - it's a well known car but often you find the older versions driven by younger people... ort people who are seriously too old to drive. Here in the Uk, often driven by people, who want to make a statement (i.e. I am wealthy enough to get a german car, even though it might not be a Maybach or Porsche quite yet) - but have not learned how to drive a car on Motorways and at Night time on empty Country Lanes (that's a shame because, dear me, it is such a wicked drive when you can max to the limit )

    Anyway, I've been driving a fair few cars during the last couple of years due to job requirements. It always cracks me up (driving a Rio Sport now) when someone pulls up on the Traffic light next to me and wants to race me (very often either Mercedes or BMW). And then they see my lights - all I can say is, Mate... one needs to know how to drive a car as well ^^
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    Which is why I said spotless ones around town. Range Rovers are not called "Chelsea tractors" for nothing. Round here a LOT of people drive Volvo XC90s, Range Rovers and Mercedes MLs. None of them would ever take them off road (I have had many conversations with people complaining about being made to park in a field on the school run), they drive them purely for the status, and the fact is, they are polluting the planet the rest of us have to live on for nothing more than their own vanity. It would have been far cheaper for me to get one of those cars. I didn't because I have an environmental conscience.

    What car do you drive? If it electric or hybrid, your car is purely to save money on gas- because the battery causes FAR more pollution then ANY gas-run vehicle. If you want to help the environment, drive a NGV.

    here is one of many sites :)
    http://www.lead.org.au/lanv3n2/lanv3n2-6.html

    I have a Diesel volvo. 72mpg.
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member

    I have a Diesel volvo. 72mpg.

    That's awesome, I wish they had more cars in the US with Turbo dieseI
  • Ocarina
    Ocarina Posts: 1,550 Member
    My husband drove this awful Ford Escort 2002 car painted white for years before I met him. He totally trashed the car as well so we always dreaded driving around in it. I was very grateful when we got a Ford Focus. Looks A LOT better but is still a cheapo car so I don't feel like I'm trying to look richer then I am. :laugh: It's funny because we now make fun of Ford Ecorts every time we see one as an inside joke. Just such a horrid car!! Sorry if someone has one but we drove that damn thing for ever and totally have the right to diss it! :happy:

    I had to add ... my family ALL drives Lexus vehicles of one type or another because they are awesome cars and good quality. We ALWAYS get looks on our way to places. My dad doesn't ignore it either. Seems to flaunt it which irritates me. Doesn't help that they can be on their way to the symphony or something which is just got rich old people written all over it. It's retarded but goes to show some people really use cars as a way to express themselves.
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