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

[slackerinabox]

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.

That's a good point, living outside of your means could spell immaturity (or "married rich").. Or, my favorite, "I drive a $50,000 car but live in my mom's basement." I don't really judge either way..I mean, we all spend above our means at times..

 

[n yusef]

Don't you live in Brooklyn? Boring people from the suburbs care about cars. You should have better things to do.

 

[40Hands]

Yes some people judge you regarding the car you drive. I only think poorly if they drive like a douche or are an obvious attention whore.

I see a car in the same regards as the OP. It's a tool to get me from point A to point B. Bonus if it does it cheaply.

 

[slackerinabox]

Don't you live in Brooklyn? Boring people from the suburbs care about cars. You should have better things to do.

Yep, Bushwick representin'! But I work in the suburbs and my in-laws (the loudest about our car) are from Omaha.. I get an ear full everytime they visit about the car's size and it's no-frills design.. It's.. Annoying..

 

[69Mach1]

I have 2 kinds of cars, my good car, that I drive while on my time, and my work car. Work cars have to be reliable, get decent gas mileage, and be big enough for me to be comfortable. They also have to be cheap enough to replace easily. I have been in charge of most of the people almost everywhere I've worked, and I had several take it out on my car when I've had to fire them. When I'm driving the old beater, I really don't care. So I don't judge people very much by what they drive until I've seen everything they drive.

 

[AdamK47]

I drive a Camaro Z28, Corvette, Monte Carlo SS, and a GTO. What am I? Judge me!!

 

[n yusef]

I drive a Camaro Z28, Corvette, Monte Carlo SS, and a GTO. What am I? Judge me!!

The only person who likes American cars.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

If anything, I judged people on the CONDITION of the car than what the car is. If someone trashes their car, I probably shouldn't loan them anything. But if they take good care of the car, they probably take good care of other stuff as well.

 

[IronWing]

I drive a Camaro Z28, Corvette, Monte Carlo SS, and a GTO. What am I? Judge me!!

Male, Hispanic, age 28, three tattoos including one on back on neck, never been to college but possibly community college, skilled trades, married to girl you knew in HS, two kids, underwater on mortgage.

 

[Gamingphreek]

Not saying it is right, but yes to an extent.

For instance, if a person is well off and they have this very nice car, but their house looks like it belongs in the ghetto, I really question their priorities.

Also, generally I make a snap judgement when I see a truck/car that has been lowered, has huge rims, and sounds like a weed whacker I threw away a year ago.

Generally I associate Buicks with older people and am shocked when/if I see younger people driving it.

-Kevin

(Oh and I will never, ever, under any circumstances, ever ride in a VW Bug or a Mini Cooper - but thats just me )

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

i didnt hire a guy because he drove to the interview in a BMW Z4. He was applying for a entry level, low wage job.
My reasoning: a guy who drives a car like that while not having a good job is most likely up to his eyeballs in debt and will be constantly begging for more pay to make up for it.

So yes, I do judge people by the car they drive. But in most cases I agree with the previous comment, its more about the shape the car is in than the actual car.

 

[soulcougher73]

Some do. Some dont. That is the best answer you will ever get.

 

[nageov3t]

Oh and I will never, ever, under any circumstances, ever ride in a VW Bug or a Mini Cooper - but thats just me

what's wrong with a mini cooper? I was thinking about getting one as my next car (which is like 4 years away, god willing)... I heard they had great resale value, which might make up for the comparably high price.

 

[TruePaige]

Subcompacts are just..horrible. I couldn't drive a Versa, but if it works for you that's nice, it has good mileage.

With the features a normal person would like though (CD player, 6 speakers or more, Air conditioning) you mine as well buy a compact. Could get a used, fairly new midsize for less.

The only cars I judge are Smart Cars, because they are horrible in every aspect (looks, performance, mileage, crash tests) for the price point (expensive for such a tiny piece of crap).

 

[Gamingphreek]

what's wrong with a mini cooper? I was thinking about getting one as my next car (which is like 4 years away, god willing)... I heard they had great resale value, which might make up for the comparably high price.

Well admittedly they aren't in the same realm as a VW Bug, but every time I see them, I think either:

A. Clown Car
B. Toy Car

Also, I have heard reliability isn't very good on Mini's.

I would also like to say that anyone who drives a SmartCar, Nissan Cube or a Scion Xb (Is that the box?) instantly loses respect with me as well

-Kevin

 

[torpid]

Yes.

I bought a used lexus not too long ago. I bought it because it is extremely reliable, comfortable, has heated seats, quiet, and is fun to drive. I didn't pay much for it, but I could have paid less for a car that was less enjoyable for daily commutes and during the winter. No big deal. I don't see why anyone would draw conclusions solely based on the make/model. But they do - I've had a fair number of people judge me one way or another based on it.

On the flip side, I do judge people because of their car as well. Not the model and make, but the condition of the vehicle. If it looks like a hoarder's home, is poorly maintained, etc. I do judge people. So shoot me.

 

[God Mode]

I stopped caring what I drove over the years due to one single thing. My cars over the years repeatedly got vandalized, dented and scraped. Sure its nice when you never travel to places where this occurs frequently. Not in NYC.

 

[dbk]

I live in NOVA - I'm Asian - I drive a Honda

 

[AmdEmAll]

I drive a Subaru Forester. So I must be a lesbian...

 

[hanoverphist]

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

this. i have vehicles that make me smile, i could care less what others think of them. i spend a lot of time in my truck (about 90k miles in 3 years) so i want it to be comfy. it has to not suck the life out of me (like my old hatchback did).

 

[slackerinabox]

Subcompacts are just..horrible. I couldn't drive a Versa, but if it works for you that's nice, it has good mileage.

With the features a normal person would like though (CD player, 6 speakers or more, Air conditioning) you mine as well buy a compact. Could get a used, fairly new midsize for less.

The only cars I judge are Smart Cars, because they are horrible in every aspect (looks, performance, mileage, crash tests) for the price point (expensive for such a tiny piece of crap).

Well, it's funny - I went into the dealership for a midsized car and left with a subcompact, because it was oddly roomier up front (and the hatchback has more trunkspace) than the Altima, plus higher fuel efficiency and quite a bit less money as well. It works great for 2 people + groceries, but I can totally see the value of a car based SUV once I have youngins... In fact, they had a used BMW 3 series at the dealership that would have cost less than my versa.. And I was really, really tempted, but it felt wasteful ... Hell, I'm still tempted!

 

[LS8]

It's not surprising, humans judge others for all sorts of reasons.

 

[TheSlamma]

I think people feel they are judged based on what they drive more then they judge others on what they drive.

You'll find the older people get the less they really care about cars unless they are motor heads or have serious midlife/vanity issues.

 

[ktehmok]

My advice is to drive what you can afford, without going into debt. And hang out with people who don't care about what you drive.

 

[PepePeru]

I judge people more on how they drive, not what they drive.

unless you drive a hummer, then you're an asshole.