You can tell by some recent posts that I did visit the Motor Show this year! Yesterday while parking up at a business well know to me in the Berkshire Boroughs I was struck by the love affair sales people have with their wheels. Originally - and I think at a time before email so I'm now showing my age here !! - The car was a very practical solution to sales folk who must on a regular basis visit prospects and customers ! In short, the reason you got the car with the job was because you were expected to spend so much time in it. Sometimes all week i.e. never at home and so the better the model the greater the incentive to work your balls off making other people rich !
What started out as a practical solution and 'perk' has develepod into a full blown obsession. But then as we all know, the car says a great deal about the driver. At the end of the day stereotypes do seem to fit when we look at cars. Personally I do drive one of these 'Chelsea tractor' things - but more fuel efficient than most - and am therefore one of the most hated motorists in London ! I admit that a greater size and density does make me feel like I am signalling to many other on the road - "Get out of my Way"! The high driving position gives me better visibility and the tailgate is great for the dog.
Again showing my age, a small part of me would swap the ageing Chuck Wagon for a two seater very fast and brightly coloured variety but I'm extremely aware that this would actually make me look like a bit of a prick and succeed only in advertising to my friends that I have now entered the stage in my life when erectile disfunction is acknowledged as a potential future problem.
To me its absolutely fine to own the vehicle you desire for whatever reason but please just don't go on and tell the world about it. In doing so you are surely just confirming that you believe you have higher status - of one kind or another - because in actual fact you have a hole inside that needs filling with road tax, high fuel charges, and the badge or a prestigeous manufacturer - usually German.
Cars are much more than about getting from A to B. This was true even in the days when getting from A to B on our roads could be achieved in less than a week or more. To have a car - for some - was essential to the confirmation to oneself that we had 'made it', were 'getting on fine' or indeed that we had higher status. At the motor show there was a VIP area for invited guests only who could sit in and stoke very expensive cars. I actually saw a bloke stroke a yellow Corvette several times. With a mesmerised expression he also looked like he was starting to dribble before he remembered he was in a public place and quickly dabbed his slaver with a hanky.
I was struck by the design work on show and found the whole visit to be a feast for the eyes as much as anything. ......
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