Mercedes Benz, Declasse. Mass Class Has Reduced My Ardor For The Three Pointed Star

I used to love Mercedes Benz cars. I've never owned one but have always aspired to. I remember as a kid looking through my older brother's Car and Driver magazines where they tested seminal Mercedes classics like the 6.9 or the 560SEL, like the one J.R. Ewing used to drive. I thought someday, I'll be cruising around in one of those babies instead of chugging along, blocking the slow lane, like my dad's VW Bus.

Now that I have successfully finished decades of education and training, I can finally say, yes, it is now my time. I can realistically consider getting one of those three pointed starred cars in my very own garage. I have finally made it. But have I? I look around Southern California, and that is all I see--Mercedes hood ornaments and trunk emblems on every block I drive.

M-B has decided that it wanted to rake in more money by going mass class. While owning a Mercedes used to imprint on the owner an image of wealth and exclusivity, it is now priced so low that almost anyone can have one. Driving through the San Gabriel Valley, and in fact most of Southern California, a Mercedes is as common as a boba milk tea. It's on every block, in every parking lot, parked on almost every driveway on every god-forsaken side street. It just doesn't exude affluence anymore.

It's the same feeling my wife has with Louis Vuitton bags. In its attempt to generate more revenue, LV has also become declasse. Virtually anyone can, and do, have one. I've seen many teenagers carry one, as well as nursing assistants, 7-11 clerks, and just about anybody who thinks it makes them look elegant and chic. Unfotunately this ubiquity has really turned off my wife. She now carries Coach bags. If you're going to carry a mass class bag, why not get one for hundreds less than the wannabes who buy LV?

As a matter of fact, if one truly wants to stand out here in SoCal, the best way to gain attention is to drive an American car. Owning one imparts on the owner that he is an individual, not one of the lemmings. Driving an Oldsmobile Cutlass or a Chevy Malibu here is more fashionable than the BMW 3-Series. While shopping for cars, I've seriously looked at exotic cars (for SoCal) like the Ford Taurus or the Buick LaCrosse. Why spend thousands of dollars for an expensive European brand when you will see another one driving past you every day while you're still paying off your sixty month car loan?

Maybe my dad was pretty smart after all. The VW Bus is probably the most coveted, hippy chic, car that one can own today. I should have bought it from him when I had the chance. Now they have something that Mercedes Benz can't touch, a pop culture image that no billion dollar advertising campaign can duplicate. That is the definition of exclusive.