Merc and bmer drivers - have you become more aggressive/easily annoyed as a driver since buying the brand?

Im in the U.S, just under 2 years ago a BMW driver ran me off the side of the road causing me to flip my vehicle with my child in the car and the driver never even stopped. The cops never caught her

Reply

[-]

I know of somebody who lives at home with their parents, works full time and uses literally all of their monthly wage on finance for a new BMW. Posts insta stories every day of them driving like an absolute dickhead through traffic.

Reply

[-]

Strange-Pick2967@reddit

No, not at all. And I still use my indicators.

Reply

[-]

DogThatGoesBook@reddit

BMW indicators are great, lovely weight to them, I don’t understand why people don’t use them more 😅

Reply

[-]

LayingInBracken@reddit

My OH and I both have Audi's and we indicate religiously. Every time we see a beamer or Audi indicating we point it out to one another as if it's a rare exotic animal and go "Ooh look!"

Reply

[-]

TheToolman04@reddit

Audi owner here too and ALWAYS use my indicators, even on dual carriageways even if there's nobody behind me as I overtake.

Reply

[-]

SituationMundane5452@reddit

Ah you obviously ordered yours with the optional indicator package

Reply

[-]

ShareCrafty5822@reddit

My last three cars have been mercs and I drive at a moderate speed. Long motorway journeys i use the cruise control ( always set to 69mph tee hee ) Its not the car that makes someone drive like a nob head

Reply

[-]

ArsePotatoes_@reddit

You could be me. I also find it amusing to set the cruise to 69 on motorway journeys. My Mercedes finds it economical.

Reply

[-]

ShareCrafty5822@reddit

💯 , currently got a E220 and often drive from South Coast to Edinburgh and use just over a quarter of a tank. So economical sat at 69

Reply

[-]

No-Decision-6019@reddit

I went C Class, 3 Series then C Class again The 3 Series I wanted to drive quickly, all the time The Mercedes, the power is there and it’s nice to have it but you don’t want to, the car makes me relaxed and calm Weird I know

Reply

[-]

PitchOk1448@reddit

I think that's usual. I don't often see Mercs zooming around aggressively because they're more designed to be comfortable and luxurious. If someone's going to be sat in the outside lane for miles on end doing 77 mph when everyone in the middle lane is doing 76, *that* is almost always a Merc saloon.

Reply

[-]

PitchOk1448@reddit

I recently bought an M-lite after having fairly pedestrian cars for quite a while and I think I've become more chill because I know I can get back up to speed quickly if someone pulls out, get past things when there's a gap if I don't think they're going fast enough, and so forth. I'm definitely leaving better gaps when following someone and generally getting less angry. I know we get all the flak but, IMO, when someone is *really* being a dick on the road, it's usually a Range Rover.

Reply

[-]

ARobertNotABob@reddit

In several decades of driving, I have determined that dickheads and the incompetent may be behind the wheel of *any* marque and model ... none are spared the indignity.

Reply

[-]

hhfugrr3@reddit

I think the BMWs are designed up look quite aggressive when they come up behind you, which probably increases the perception that they're all twats. I've never owned a BMW car, but I've had a merc and I drove it exactly the same as every other car I've owned, a bit slowly compared to a lot of people on the road.

Reply

[-]

davus_maximus@reddit

that grille design definitely looks disproportionately aggressive.

Reply

[-]

WastedYouth39@reddit

I mean was it a champagne gold colour by chance?

Reply

[-]

davus_maximus@reddit

I picked an i3 recently because it's the most atypical, friendly-looking BMW they ever made (in my opinion). I'm making a point of oversignalling to try to break the stereotype and I've always left big following gaps/tyres-n-tarmac gaps, so my super-short bonnet hopefully expresses the gap even more. I haven't even gloated verbally to anyone about cheap fuelling since the Iran oil war started!

Reply

[-]

Fabulous-Wolf-4401@reddit

We've had a BMW for about 14 years, it was five years old when we bought it, and the reason we bought it was because we could trade in our previous car for it (plus cash) at our local garage. It's a 2-door. We drive it like you'd drive an Opel Kadett.

Reply

[-]

creamyjoshy@reddit

No not at all. But I do have a funny anecdote. I used to drive my mum's Nissan Micra until recently, and I noticed that people haaaated being overtaken by a Micra, especially BMW, Audi etc drivers. I don't drive particular fast but I'm not a slow driver either. They took it as an invitation to drive incredibly aggressively around me I decided to get a BMW after driving one after I had to rent a car. For me I just really like that I can see everything around me. I can easily tell where the car begins and ends and the mirror placement is nice. It feels safe. It's a nice drive too. I tried an Audi and absolutely hated it because I couldn't see shit. Anyway now I notice the opposite problem to the Micra. Now when I overtake (safely!) they see a BMW and see it as an opportunity to race and again get very aggressive There's a horseshoe spectrum of cars for how other cars react to you and I'm pretty sure the Ford Focus is the equilibrium point

Reply

[-]

hauntedathiest@reddit

I absolutely didn't mind. Mine was a mobility car and I wanted it to go back in the same condition as it came to me.The guy who inspected the car said he had never had a motobility car come back in showroom condition. So I'd say if anything I was calmer on the roads and much more alert.

Reply

[-]

SituationMundane5452@reddit

I’m a Hgv driver and also a bmw owner. Didn’t change me at all after buying the car. Totally agree a lot of bellends tends to go for bmw or merc, don’t know why this is to be honest. Worst vehicles on the road though are taxi’s and supermarket delivery vans

Reply

[-]

TAOMCM@reddit

Driving a hgv isnt helping your case here.

Reply

[-]

PantodonBuchholzi@reddit

OMG, yes! I drive on country roads virtually every day and I swear supermarkets must ask if the person applying for the job is a fan of Colin McRae as one of the questions used to weed out unsuitable applicants 🤣

Reply

[-]

Ok-Constant-2683@reddit

>I’m a Hgv driver and also a bmw owner. Didn’t change me at all after buying the car. The jokes write themselves here.

Reply

[-]

Pedantichrist@reddit

I have never thought of Mercedes as part of the Audi/BMW/Ford Ranger trifecta.

Reply

[-]

Fraggle_ninja@reddit

No, but I get tail gated waaaay less.

Reply

[-]

wittytittyyy@reddit

I have a BMW and I purposely drove like a nice guy to de bunk the theory

Reply

[-]

Alert_Mine7067@reddit

I had a BMW and an Audi, I drove them the same way I did my other cars, Ford, VW, Vauxhall's, Renault etc. I did notice that I was treated less friendly in the BMW especially, and the Audi not as much, but definitely noticeable. I think the problem with people that have discontent for drivers of Audi, BMW, Mercedes etc, is that they like the cars, but they can't afford one, so they demonise the drivers to soothe their jealousy. Some bastard did key the BMW, and someone hit the Audi when parked and drove off.

Reply

[-]

EUskeptik@reddit

Buying a Mercedes-Benz made me a much calmer driver. But it was a W124 E300D and very slow to accelerate, so no point getting aggressive. 🙂 -oo-

Reply

[-]

MoleWhackSupreme@reddit

Nah, I see just as many complete cunts driving a Juke as I do Beemers and they’re the opposite end of the spectrum

Reply

[-]

-captainjapseye@reddit

When I’m bored on a long journey I sometimes make a mental note of cars that don’t indicate when changing lanes and tally them up. It’s a boring game but at least it involves being alert. Anecdotally, the number of BMW/Audi etc. drivers that don’t indicate isn’t significantly higher than other brands (though of course it does happen). A lot of Nissan drivers however. Vans don’t count because I expect it from them. /cartism

Reply

[-]

Latter-Tangerine-951@reddit

When you have a car that is significantly faster and more agile than other cars, it's easy to get annoyed at slow plodding drivers.

Reply

[-]

ReallyIntriguing@reddit

No, that's a lack of self control.

Reply

[-]

VolcanicBear@reddit

Only for people who are already bellends in my experience tbh. My mates with BMWs, Jags, Audis and Mercs don't drive like arseholes that much.

Reply

[-]

getoutmywayatonce@reddit

Yep, I’m constantly experiencing the great BMW divide lol. I’ll think it’s safe to be charitable and let one out of a side road in traffic seeing as we’re of the same ilk, assuming they’ll get a move on. It’s become like a 50/50 chance whether they do, or whether they start driving like an old dear doing half the speed limit and randomly braking for absolutely no reason. Can’t even trust a bmw to get a move on these days 🤣

Reply

[-]

hhfugrr3@reddit

I mean most bmws and mercs are not fast cars. Had a BMW up my arse on my way home tonight. When I turned at some lights it went past me it was a 120, which takes about 8 seconds to get to 60 according to bmw.

Reply

[-]

DogThatGoesBook@reddit

Not really and tbh a lot of bellends have moved to 2nd rate SUVs and EVs (crashquais, Hyundais and those plastic electric MG things seem to like getting closer up your chuff than a proctologist conducting a prostate exam)

Reply

[-]

Diligent-Magazine781@reddit

I have one of each… and no. My personal preference is to be super polite and then watch the cognitive dissonance when the other driver, fully expecting pro level wankpuppet behaviour, is then confounded by a calm, courteous and reasonable driver. You can almost watch them go WTAF. I also have a truck though, which is great for meeting impatient wankers on country roads… usually older women tbf, driving totally oblivious to their surroundings and who don’t slow down and then bounce into the nearest pothole, fucking the wheel on their Honda Jazz 👍😂

Reply

[-]

LaurenNotABot@reddit

I have a Mercedes and don’t drive any different but my husband has a BMW and I think he’s forgotten how to indicate

Reply

[-]

Ok_Gap_4380@reddit

It’s such a shame when they spend so much money on a car and it doesn’t come free with those wee flashy lights! Lol

Reply

[-]

Separate-Frame-7038@reddit

The Beemer doesn't maketh the dickhead, the dickhead chooseth the Beemer.

Reply

[-]

spinzzi@reddit

Shakespeare over here

Reply

[-]

1whoisconcerned@reddit

I’m a pedestrian and I see all drivers as the same really. Beeping horns at each other and not stopping at zebra crossings.

Reply

[-]

GuybrushFunkwood@reddit

Whenever I drive the wife’s Land Rover I do actually catch myself driving more ‘twatty’ than I do in our other cars!

Reply

[-]

rustynoodle3891@reddit

That's on you then! I have a Spanish friend who is the most courteous and observant driver I have ever known. Occasionally I think he knows what somebody is going to do before they do! And he is exactly the same if he is driving a big work van, his little van, and SUV or a little hatchback. I can't drive for medical reasons but being in the car with him often enough has taught me to also spot idiots from a mile away. Conversely my sister seems to get bigger cars each time she changes and it makes her worse, although she will argue with anyone car or not!

Reply

[-]

MaltedMilkBiscuits10@reddit

It's not the brand but who is attracted to the brand. Every boy racer around where I live is in a VW polo or golf at the moment. Every car doing a ton racing on the M4 into Cardiff is a Merc or a beamer. Most remapping places specialise in German cars and have a particular clientele in them. Every OAP doing 40 in 30s, 60s and coming down a slip road onto a 70 dual or motorway, honda jazz or a Hyundai i10. Everyone on a school run, range rover.

Reply

[-]

Remote-Pool7787@reddit

I regularly drive a fiat panda and a merc e class. I drive exactly the same in both. But I’m treated so much better by other drivers when I’m in the merc

Reply

[-]

PantodonBuchholzi@reddit

LOL no, if anything I’d say it’s been the opposite. But then our BMW isn’t exactly the “agressive type” and I’m getting a bit older now. I used to get wound up, not anymore.

Reply

[-]

Imaginary_Finger7844@reddit

My 1991 Mercedes doesn't allow any form of impatience or aggression from me. It demands serenity and I follow orders. I drove like an absolute bellend when I had my BMW though.

Reply

[-]

WastedYouth39@reddit

Back when i was in field sales, everyone knew the fastest car on the road was a vauxhall insignia! Especially if it was a company vehicle and not on a car allowance. Think it was popular as it had tech that could tell if average speed cameras were working or not, every time i was sat at 50mph on a restricted speed zone, a insignia would come bombing past.

Reply

[-]

PrincessPK475@reddit

My Merc is an automatic B class. I chill and listen to forest sounds when I drive. You can plonk me under "exception" Anytime anyone does something beyond stupidly dangerous on the road my brain always "bet it's a BMW"... Confirmation bias maybe... But I'm not surprised far more often than I am.b

Reply

[-]

Equal_Special4539@reddit

I don’t think it’s the car that influences people I think it’s the type of person that subconsciously selects these cars (Not all of them, obviously)

Reply

[-]

KingPing43@reddit

No, I have always been easily annoyed whilst driving.

Reply

[-]

AutoModerator@reddit

**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - When replying to submission/post please **make genuine efforts to answer the question given**. Please no jokes, judgements, etc. If a post is marked 'Serious Answers Only' **you may receive a ban for violating this rule**. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*

Reply

Reply to Post

61 Comments