Keeping up appearances without being boring.

[Stickyfinger]

Germans, Italian....trying to hard.

Turn up in true style and comfort @ speed.

[FredClogs]

What you want OP is something so unremarkable, so bland, so plain and ubiquitous that there can be no doubt that by driving it you are making absolutely no statement or inviting any kind of judgement, it makes you impossible to read and says you have nothing to hide at the same time. Just get a 5 year old Golf, innit, or a Mondeo at a push. Its what I drive when I need subtle discretion and I'm a mafia hit man.

[Cold]

These are just old cars and will impress no one who deems this type of thing important.

[rockandrollmark]

Can I be the controversial one to say, just get cheap lease deal. Once you factor in purchase cost, plus servicing and consumables of an older car will you really be that far behind? Can you write off some of the cost through your business too, perhaps?

[Blue Oval84]

If you're buying a car based on what clients think looks correct then ignore all suggestions of classics, people won't think "what a lovely classic Mercedes", they'll think "why is he driving an old banger?".

If you must buy a convertible for client meetings then surely a Saab 9-3 is the answer?


If that doesn't work for you then I'd keep the fun car, and buy a Volvo S60.

[akirk]

swisstoni said:

What car can you buy that says absolutely nothing about you - perhaps the low range BM or Audi is the answer after all.

standard landrover / classic range rover / P38a ?

[SturdyHSV]

So many people are missing the point. It's not about what is right. We know what OP should do, and that his clients or colleagues are wrong.

But it's tough. That's not the way they think, and so you have to either swallow your "I know better" PH pride and get a fking BMW, or be that odd guy in a ropey old red convertible in a sea of conformist grey German saloons.

Whether it is ropey or not, it is different, and that is scary and clearly unacceptable, and it isn't new and German. It doesn't matter what you as a member of PH think is right, it's about the collective sheep masses and what they think of your suit / car in OP's situation.

It's nothing to be ashamed of being aware of that pressure. It's the same pressure you feel to buy a Bose speaker as opposed to an actually decent product by a non-household name like Onkyo.

Just because us lot happen to like cars, that just gives us a different perspective on this one tiny facet of life. I bet in countless other areas all the free spirits are just as susceptible to the unwritten rules of conforming without even realising. And that's fine, it's only human.

OP, rent a grey Golf for image concious meetings. It'll cost you what, maybe £60 or something? That's a lot of business meetings for £5k

[Chainsaw Rebuild]

I used to drive an MX5s and people thought it was pretty cool. You could treat yours to a full detail and wheel refurbishment, if required.

[Kolbenkopp]

Hm. I was about to write something about either blending in (grey Golf) or making a bit of a universally accepted statement ('they don't make em like this any more' car, e.g. Defender, W124, classic Jag).

But in the end the harsh truth is, IMO, if you really think about st like this -- you either aren't good enough for the job in the first place (and need the front) or you are and are just a bit too insecure at the moment.

I hope it's the latter, then hire car idea suddenly does not seem so bad for special occasions.

[bloomen]

Austin Allegro. But make sure it's a Vanden Plas with neons. They won't be forgetting you in a hurry.

[wildcat45]

You already own the answer OP.

Assuming it's not blinged-up with big wheels and black windows, your 2004 Range Rover fits the bill.

An early L322 with small wheels still looks classy. It's the nearest you can get to the style of an old School Range Rover Classic.

If you care about image it suggests to others that you don't bother with such trivial things.

I'd be more impressed by a L322 than a new Jag or something new and German.

[Toyoda]

SturdyHSV said:

So many people are missing the point. It's not about what is right. We know what OP should do, and that his clients or colleagues are wrong.

But it's tough. That's not the way they think, and so you have to either swallow your "I know better" PH pride and get a fking BMW, or be that odd guy in a ropey old red convertible in a sea of conformist grey German saloons.

Whether it is ropey or not, it is different, and that is scary and clearly unacceptable, and it isn't new and German. It doesn't matter what you as a member of PH think is right, it's about the collective sheep masses and what they think of your suit / car in OP's situation.

Totally agree with the above. Rightly or wrongly (well, wrongly) the OP may experience prejudice or inferior treatment in his line of work due to his car choice. Of course he shouldn't (and hopefully won't) but if it's going to be costly/lose business then hiring a bland VAG product for the occasional meeting is actually a good idea.
Simply buying a car to 'keep up with the Jones' on your housing estate is a different matter though.

[Antony Moxey]

If OP's company is getting paid 'not insignificant sums of money' why can't the company buy a car, or at least provide sufficient dividends for OP to buy something he considers worthy if he's worried about BIK etc.

[Lowtimer]

The OP has not complained about being underpaid. He's said he can afford to spend up to £10K on a second car. I dont; see your point.

[SturdyHSV]

Kolbenkopp said:

But in the end the harsh truth is, IMO, if you really think about st like this -- you either aren't good enough for the job in the first place (and need the front) or you are and are just a bit too insecure at the moment..

Really? Where is the line drawn? So long as you're good enough for the job, you can rock up in this:



And it won't have any impact whatsoever because you're such a thrusting senior executive? Come on.

A grey German car is just an additional layer to your suit. Yes it's a front. Do you know what it also is? It's a demonstration that you are aware of your surroundings and what is expected of you, that you respect the traditions and rules of the situations you are engaged in, and that you don't put your own ego / freedom fighter opinions above the fact that you're just there to conduct business, and not make a statement about what a fking maverick you are.

I suppose we might as well rock up to funerals in flip flops and chat through the memorial service as well because why the hell should we conform to what other people expect, we know better right? Play by nobody's rules but your own, sometimes not even those etc. etc.

Great.

It's just a business meeting, you're not there to make a statement about how little you care about what everyone else thinks and what a special individual you are, not least because nobody gives a st. Oh you're so 'different', you really stand out because you turned up in a 30 year old Jaaaag rust bucket with a beard when everyone else is a sad boring grown up. Good for you renegade.

OP, rent a grey Golf as and when it's needed. It'll always be spotless inside and out, it'll always be serviced, taxed, insured, fairly new, and it will never raise a single eyebrow, which is all it needs to do The rest of the time, enjoy your MX-5 and all the best with your salon career

[Antony Moxey]

Lowtimer said:

The OP has not complained about being underpaid. He's said he can afford to spend up to £10K on a second car. I dont; see your point.

I never said he did complain about being underpaid. As others have said why not just get something that fits for the sake of the business, if the OP is embarrassed by what he turns up in. If everyone is driving black German cars get the company to get one for him for business meetings - he doesn't have to use it outside of work. Also, again going back to OP's embarrassment, if the budget is £5k then his embarrassment won't be eased - a five Grand car still looks like a five Grand car especially when parked next to stuff costing five to ten times as much.

[JamesRR]

Ignoring the moral debate raging for a moment, what about an LCI E90, either SE or M-Sport trims still look fresh and smart IMO, and you'd get one for well under 10k, albeit not for 5k.

[TooMany2cvs]

Another thread where nobody's bothering to read what the OP actually wrote...

He's perfectly happy with using the MX for commuting and business travel. It was a social function (albeit socialising with business contacts) where he felt it stood out...

[SturdyHSV]

TooMany2cvs said:

Another thread where nobody's bothering to read what the OP actually wrote...

He's perfectly happy with using the MX for commuting and business travel. It was a social function (albeit socialising with business contacts) where he felt it stood out...

Forgive me if I've missed something, but I took:

OP said:

I arrived at a meeting the other day with a client

To be business and not social? I have obviously just cherry picked that bit though, and may have missed some further context before going off on one

[TooMany2cvs]

SturdyHSV said:

TooMany2cvs said:

Another thread where nobody's bothering to read what the OP actually wrote...

He's perfectly happy with using the MX for commuting and business travel. It was a social function (albeit socialising with business contacts) where he felt it stood out...

Forgive me if I've missed something, but I took:

OP said:

I arrived at a meeting the other day with a client

To be business and not social? I have obviously just cherry picked that bit though, and may have missed some further context before going off on one

<looks back>
No, you're right. It's me... I mis-remembered it as a barbecue or similar.

As you were.