Are You Embarrassed To Tell People What You Drive?

I was at a gas station a year or two ago when I noticed a guy in a Chevy Silverado with his daughter a few pumps over – his little girl was pointing eagerly at my car. She was maybe nine years old – although I admit I’m not the best at judging the age of children, so that’s just my best guess. As I started fueling, they had finished up and started over toward me. He was rubbing his chin as he stared at my modified Cayman, and she was jumping up and down like she just saw a bunny.

“What kind of car is that?” he inquired as they got closer. I was rather proud of my Porsche, and I never minded the attention. Perfect strangers give you the thumbs-up. Neighborhood kids will race you to the corner on their bikes, and you’ll always get the two-finger salute from other Porsche drivers when you cross paths. Like walking an alligator in the park, I’d come to expect interaction from strangers. It comes with the territory – part of owning a Porsche.

monster - 4/22/2016 3:11:36 PM

+2 Boost

What is the point of this article? If you sounded snobby then you got the proper reaction from the person whether be it intentional or not.

TheSteve - 4/22/2016 3:46:32 PM

+1 Boost

monster: I feel sorry for folks who feel inadequate because they believe they don't "measure up," perhaps because of the car they drive. I also feel sorry for people who feel they're better than someone else, perhaps because they believe they're "above them" because of the car they drive.

That said, not everyone who has a nice car looks down at others or holds them in contempt. Similarly, not everyone who drives a "beater" feels badly about themselves. We're all different.

cidflekken - 4/23/2016 4:55:52 PM

+1 Boost

That's the first thing that came to mind: What was the point of this article?
This guy is making all kinds of (probably incorrect) assumptions about what the truck driver's reaction was to him saying "PorschUH". He sounded like he had a pre-disposition to sounding and feeling a bit pompous for owning a Porsche, so that's probably how it came off.

TheSteve - 4/22/2016 3:42:47 PM

+2 Boost

No, and I drive an Audi Q5 3.0L diesel, which has been implicated in the Dieselgate scandal.

I am mightily displeased with VW's and Audi's roles in this horrible scandal. I purchased my vehicle in good faith, with the understanding that its emissions were (allegedly) much lower than the average vehicle. I'm not embarrassed to say that. Aside from that, I love my car, except for a few niggly things like the terrible MMI (Man/Machine Interface).

atc98092 - 4/22/2016 3:48:39 PM

+4 Boost

Agree. I'm not embarrassed to drive my TDI Passat, but quite unhappy with VW. My dealer also carries Subaru, and he loaned me a brand new fully loaded Legacy 2.5i Limited. Quite impressive, and the mileage wasn't all that much lower than my Passat on the drive home. Once I've returned my Passat and Jetta in the buyback, I may be switching. Have to wait and see what VW officially ends up offering us.

TheSteve - 4/22/2016 3:59:36 PM

+2 Boost

atc98092: Being a 3.0L, I'm not part of the alleged buy-back or compensation plan we've been reading about recently, but should Audi offer to buy back my vehicle, I'd choose to keep it. I like it that much. I haven't found anything I like more and which is similarly priced, or which is "better" (and perhaps more costly) and doesn't sacrifice fuel economy. My all-time record is a 528 mile trip that delivered 51.8 US MPG! It cost me just US$21 in fuel to get from Virginia to Florida, and that's for a mid-sized SUV with AWD.

atc98092 - 4/22/2016 5:06:48 PM

+4 Boost

Yeah, it will be a tough call on the Passat. I too like it a lot. The Jetta on the other had will go back with no qualms. It was the first year, and it's in the shop right now trying to make the AC work reliably. Put that $500 dealer gift card to work!

My guess (and that's all it is) is that the 3.0 can be fixed without a significant impact (except for urea consumption). I thought that's all the Passat would need, since it uses urea as well. Since it's included in the buyback offer, that may not be the case.

bw5011 - 4/22/2016 4:53:39 PM

+5 Boost

I'll sell my A3 TDI back just as soon as they do and buy the A3 e-Tron. when I am riding around on my 2010 hatch TDI, I don't feel more or less, I don't care. All I know is I get almost 50mpg on the highway, now that makes me feel good.

610looper - 4/22/2016 7:05:01 PM

+2 Boost

It's an emission issue, why throw the baby out with the bath water?? I drive an mdx and love every minute of it..I had an accord and a tl before previously and I am not leaving the honda family unless they start becoming unreliable.

on another note, I wish honda/acura would poach vw/audi engineers & designers. I am so amazed that vw/audi gets uniform, extremely close door, hood, trunk, tailgate shutlines. Germans..

TomM - 4/22/2016 7:50:03 PM

+2 Boost

My first car was a 1939 Chevrolet Standard Six (interestingly - it was called the Chevrolet Mercury when it first came out in 1932. It was standard Black - 3 speed on the Column - and it went forward and backwards and worked! I had a car! Back then - just have a real car was enough - so today I would never be embarrassed by the car I drive. I was already working on cars and tractors long before I was old enough to drive.

I eventually sold the car to the son of a friend who still has the car - and still drives it. I still fix it for him. (He added a transistor AM radio when he got it.) The kids to day do not appreciate what they have!

MDarringer - 4/22/2016 8:54:07 PM

0 Boost

My first car was a worn out Mustang Grande that barely ran. I didn't care what people thought. it got me around.

I appreciate that I can drive fancy cars, but I spend most of my miles between here and the Southland in utterly mundane cars and I love them. I have nothing but praise for the Kia Optima and Ford Fusion for being great long-distance cars.

I love flashy cars but will sell any one of them in a heartbeat to any "gotta have it" person for a profit.

ATrain - 4/23/2016 8:40:18 AM

+2 Boost

I have a 2007 Dodge Nitro called the HD Runner. It's a really lousy performer and acknowledged by the press as being a rigged-up Jeep that gets awful gas mileage.

But I can drop 9' lumber and close the hatch.

So I keep it pristine with an annual polish, CQuartz, regular wash and tire shine... And I like it. It's predictable (in the way it handles poorly). And after 9 years of ownership, thousands in unwarranted repair bills due to poor construction, it just made it past the 60k miles. And I'm good with it.

I'm not ashamed of it. Heck, I've even had compliments about it... Go figure.

MDarringer - 4/23/2016 9:38:24 AM

0 Boost

Customer satisfaction is an interesting thing because it depends largely on what customers will put up with. American owners of Volkswagens get salty over how many times the vehicle needs to go in for unscheduled warranty work and that causes VW ratings to go into the toilet, but the same level of trips in for unscheduled service does not tarnish VW's undeserved reputation for quality one little bit.

Coming from where I have come from, a new car--regardless of price, but especially as the price climbs--that is a dealer queen gets nothing but venom from me.

The car that I would most be ashamed to be seen driving would be any car that is not reliable.

cidflekken - 4/23/2016 5:16:25 PM

+2 Boost

When I drove a lowly Isuzu I-Mark, I wasn't even embarrassed to tell people what I drove.

arrowmg - 4/23/2016 11:35:19 PM

+1 Boost

Nope, not at all am I ashamed to tell people that I drive vehicles that haul-ass, have agile handling, unfadeable brakes, and never need any work done to them outside of whatever's on the maintenance schedule.