Luxury car owners drive with a sense of entitlement. There's no denying it. Pick any Porsche/BMW/Mercedes/Maserati/Audi/Rolls-Royce on the road and watch them drive. They merge when they want (where they want), park however and wherever they want, and they often don't signal for any move they pull. This might seem like a generalization, but I emplore you to do your own case study for a week and try and deny the results.
Well, there's a reason for the luxury car driver's sense of entitlement: We give it to them.
Despite my job allowing me to drive some of the higher-end vehicles on the market today, I consider myself as part of the masses, driving my "regular" car. I own a Subaru. I am not a luxury car owner... at least not on the inside.
Recently, I was handed the keys to a Porsche Cayenne Diesel. Besides being uber excited to pilot a diesel car for the week, I was also happy to have a great vehicle to head downtown with to catch a concert.
Forget "riding in style" I was excited for the space and the entitlement. Here's the thing, you get away with a lot when you drive a car like a Porsche Cayenne (which is precisely why those drivers get the egos they do behind the wheel).
When I arrived downtown for the concert (for an extremely popular pop icon whose tickets were outrageously expensive, but worth every penny), traffic was tight but I was always given a wide birth. Once I found an outdoor lot, I pulled up to the little man who'd been collecting keys and parking the cars himself. As soon as he saw the Porsche he told me the price, then said nothing else. I told him where I wanted to park (up front, under a light, away from harm), and that I'd park the car myself. He made no motion to stop me, just waved me through.
Upon leaving that night, amongst the throngs of concert-goers still singing and partying in the street as well as in their cars trying to leave the downtown core, I gently eased into traffic and made my way through the crowded streets without much delay as most cars let me slide in where I pleased.
And I swear I'm not overly pushy when I drive luxury cars. I simply drive the way I normally would, and other motorists on the road give me opportunities; they give me that sense of entitlement.
So, remember that next time you complain about an Audi driver's "attitude" on the road, or a BMW driver's better-than-everyone-else-on-the-road move: You made them that way.
You make them feel special with your looks of awe, your finger-pointing and your space given on the road. You make them feel important when you simply scoff and say nothing when they park where they want. Your impressed looks and jealous side-glances make luxury car drivers feel like they deserve more of the road and that they can get away with anything.
Kind of like the hot, popular girl in high school: she could be a complete b*tch, but everyone would still want to be her bestie.
Maybe we should start treating luxury cars like any old Honda Civic instead and see where that leads.
Well, there's a reason for the luxury car driver's sense of entitlement: We give it to them.
Despite my job allowing me to drive some of the higher-end vehicles on the market today, I consider myself as part of the masses, driving my "regular" car. I own a Subaru. I am not a luxury car owner... at least not on the inside.
Recently, I was handed the keys to a Porsche Cayenne Diesel. Besides being uber excited to pilot a diesel car for the week, I was also happy to have a great vehicle to head downtown with to catch a concert.
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| 2013 Porsche Cayenne Diesel (Photo: Philippe Champoux) |
Forget "riding in style" I was excited for the space and the entitlement. Here's the thing, you get away with a lot when you drive a car like a Porsche Cayenne (which is precisely why those drivers get the egos they do behind the wheel).
When I arrived downtown for the concert (for an extremely popular pop icon whose tickets were outrageously expensive, but worth every penny), traffic was tight but I was always given a wide birth. Once I found an outdoor lot, I pulled up to the little man who'd been collecting keys and parking the cars himself. As soon as he saw the Porsche he told me the price, then said nothing else. I told him where I wanted to park (up front, under a light, away from harm), and that I'd park the car myself. He made no motion to stop me, just waved me through.
Upon leaving that night, amongst the throngs of concert-goers still singing and partying in the street as well as in their cars trying to leave the downtown core, I gently eased into traffic and made my way through the crowded streets without much delay as most cars let me slide in where I pleased.
And I swear I'm not overly pushy when I drive luxury cars. I simply drive the way I normally would, and other motorists on the road give me opportunities; they give me that sense of entitlement.
So, remember that next time you complain about an Audi driver's "attitude" on the road, or a BMW driver's better-than-everyone-else-on-the-road move: You made them that way.
You make them feel special with your looks of awe, your finger-pointing and your space given on the road. You make them feel important when you simply scoff and say nothing when they park where they want. Your impressed looks and jealous side-glances make luxury car drivers feel like they deserve more of the road and that they can get away with anything.
Kind of like the hot, popular girl in high school: she could be a complete b*tch, but everyone would still want to be her bestie.
Maybe we should start treating luxury cars like any old Honda Civic instead and see where that leads.