Why expensive cars = careless owners?

K

KenSilver

New member
I'm really surprised at the number of client's high end cars, both here and on other forums, that show long term owner neglect. Not just swirls and bad cleans, but downright abuse.



It's not only on the forums, but all round me. There's a nice 2003 Mercedes SL500 in my area that is constantly dirty and has blackened front wheels from a lot of brake dust. It hasn't seen a wash since the last rain. It's typical of a lot of Mercs here.



My SL500 was in the paint shop recently, and while I was there visiting a couple of times I saw a late model Porsche was being worked on - it looked like crap.



And they also had this 2001 Ferrari 360 - which shows up nicely in the photo below when they did a quick detail after a repair. But on close inspection there are stone chips everywhere. The body paint looks like 20 years old, the engine see-through cover is badly scratched, and the interior looks more like a 4x4 after a weekend of offroad.



What is it that causes this affliction among the rich? Is it new money - they're not used to looking after good stuff? Too little time in the day to keep up appearances? The 'I have so much money I don't care' kind of thing?



Maybe it's not a bad thing... it keeps a lot of detailers here in business!



Ken Silver

--------------

1999 Mercedes SLK, 1999 Suzuki Grand Vitara, 1993 Mercedes SL500, 1991 Daimler (Vanden Plas). Finish detailing, then start all over again...





ferrari.jpg
 
Yep, thats definately the case. I think its a kind of "breifcase" mentality where to them a car is simply an expendable item that is used for a while, then replaced. A lot of it probably also has to do with the prevelence of leasing in high end cars too. The "its just a rental" thing...
 
If you break-down the hourly pay that people who can truly afford those cars make, you'd find out why it's too much to ask of them to take care of the cars. They usually have more money than time so they'll just pay to have the cars "fixed" instead of taking proper care of the them. Maybe they're paying the gardener to wash the car with a gritty rag. Who knows. Just take their money and smile.
 
I don't think income level has anything to do with it. It's not any different than people at lower income levels. My dad always taught me to take care of our things. Some people are either taught this by their parents, or learn it on their own, but many just don't have much self-respect.



I live in a very nice neighborhood. I spend a lot of time maintaining my house, lawn, trees, bushes, etc. Fortunately we have an active home owner's association that gets after people who don't properly maintain their property. Believe me there are plenty.
 
detailing for money on the weekends has made me realize that it is not just people with money that dont take care of their cars or lack the knowledge of doing it correctly. The only difference is the price tag of the cars.
 
KenSilver said:
What is it that causes this affliction among the rich? Is it new money - they're not used to looking after good stuff? Too little time in the day to keep up appearances? The 'I have so much money I don't care' kind of thing?



Maybe it's not a bad thing... it keeps a lot of detailers here in business!
Click to expand...



From the viewpoint of successfully marketing a professional detailing business, it just goes to show that you do not have to look too far to 'Find A Need And Fill It'.



Just look around. Dirty, neglected vehicles are everywhere and in many cases the owners are just waiting to pay someone to properly maintain their appearance.
 
I agree with what Scott Said. I find that I often look at a 100k car with bad paint and wonder how the owner could have let the car slip into that condition...the reality of it is that weather it's a Honda or a Ferrari if it was owned by this person it would be in the exact same shape as the cause is that they simply don't know how to properly care for it rather than a case of neglect.



just my .02 though
 
KenSilver said:


But on close inspection there are stone chips everywhere. The body paint looks like 20 years old, the engine see-through cover is badly scratched, and the interior looks more like a 4x4 after a weekend of offroad.
Click to expand...





Hey that means the owner actually drives it! :) I think what bothers me more is people that have a car like that just to own one. If one is too afraid to drive it, then the car probably cost too much to them and they should've bought something they would've enjoyed more often.
 
A lot of times, regardless of income or cost of the car(s), neglect is a result of not having the time to take care of the car. That is the case with most of the people I know.



Then you have the people that just do not give a rats ***. I know a couple of people that fall into that category.
 
I have a number of clients that fall into this category and find that they just don't care. They will get a new Mercedes every 3 years and that is basically their version of a clean up - replacing the car. I have turned one guy around and now he gets his new s430 done every week or two but I still have to call him and bug him or he will just forget and leave it. Really sad. The whole thing about earning enough to afford a nice ride is enjoying it. What's the point if it just gets trashed?
 
In my experience most of the leased cars are treated like crap and the owned cars are better cared for. I suspect that the leasor doesn't really care about it if he plans on replacing it in a couple years. In fact the people who bring in leased cars seldom comment one way or the other on my details while the owners always express their gratitude for a good job.
 
I think it just stands out more to see a dirty expensive car . You wanna see a dirty car, look at 90% of the beaters out there.
 
It all depends on where your priorities are. Some drive vehicles for transportation and do not give one hoot if it is dirty. Some love, like us, to maintain that pristine appearance no matter if an economy vehicle or hi-end sportscar.

What bothers one as a health care provider is the vehicle owners that spend more time making their vehicles look cared for and their own personal appearance (fitness, obesity, etc.) is neglected. One can always buy/lease a new vehicle, but we are given only one heart, lungs, liver, skeletal system, etc.:nixweiss
 
You should have seen the Lamborghinis at the 2004 Auto Show in Atlanta...bad swirls and these were brand new vehicles. The detailers they hired were walking around the show with cotton terry towels :shocked wiping down the cars with Windex and lord knows what else.



And this was an Auto Show!
 
I live in Shoreham New York not far from the hamptons and around my area and out east more there are people with every exotic and expensive car you can possibly think of and maybe 10 percent of them are properly cared for! It's sad really!
 
blkZ28Conv brought up a very good point...you can pay somebody to detail your car, but you can't pay somebody to do your exercise for you ;) Or have your life experiences for you. When I'm gone, I sure hope I will have done more than just keep my car really clean!



Most of the people I know who have a lot of money spend their time doing stuff you can't pay others to do for you. But then none of them really neglect their cars either, they just pay other people to take care of them (and the yard, and the other stuff). Around here, you apparently can't find a decent professional detailer, so their cars seldom look all that great.
 
Accumulator said:
Around here, you apparently can't find a decent professional detailer, so their cars seldom look all that great.
Click to expand...



I see a spot for someone to fill :cool:



High end dirty cars definately stand out more then low end dirty cars. Seeing them when they are well kept though, is always nice. Granted, the price range around where I live tops out at probably $50,000, and even that is rare, most people are driving anywhere from beaters to about $30,000, averaging less then that. I want to make some money off detailing this summer possibly, come spring I need to get to a couple of my neighbors....
 
ShineShop said:
I have a number of clients that fall into this category and find that they just don't care. They will get a new Mercedes every 3 years and that is basically their version of a clean up - replacing the car. I have turned one guy around and now he gets his new s430 done every week or two but I still have to call him and bug him or he will just forget and leave it. Really sad. The whole thing about earning enough to afford a nice ride is enjoying it. What's the point if it just gets trashed?
Click to expand...



Sounds like a customer of mine with an S500. He replaces them every 2-3 years. His new one sits in his driveway and gets nailed by the sprinklers every day. Totally covered in hard water spots and there is no sense doing anything about them until he prevents the sprinklers from hitting his car.



I have other customers with high end cars who really pamper them, which makes my job a lot easier.
 
Man, you guys are tough.

A few years ago, I had a 2000 MB S class.

We often visited the local state parks.

Got a lot of deep scratches from the branches while driving

on the narrow lanes. Since it was obsidian black, I have

got a life-time worth of swirls on that car.

(This is all before I discover this sick site.)
 
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