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| Angelika/Mike Schilli |
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Michael Let's put it this way: I work at a company where a considerable number of employees are immensely wealthy by German standards. And how do you think someone who has, for example, 500 million dollars in their account, which is not uncommon, gets to work? Naturally, with a status-appropriate car. Sports cars from German manufacturers are a dime a dozen, so the higher earners tend to prefer something like a Lamborghini Huracan or a McLaren 720s.
In Germany, no one flaunts their wealth so openly. What would the neighbors think if it suddenly became clear that the simple farmer from the countryside is sitting on a naturally inherited fortune worth millions? He might buy himself a BMW 3 Series station wagon because the neighbor has the same one, so it doesn't start the gossip right away. In my youth, I once hitchhiked with someone who was the branch manager of a small Edeka store in a small town. He drove a Honda CRX and told me that he absolutely couldn't buy a Porsche because it would cause bad blood in the village and no one would shop at his Edeka location anymore.
Since Americans generally aren't as obsessed with the paint on their cars, I didn't know for a long time that there is also a considerable number of total car enthusiasts who polish their vehicles like crazy until they can marvel at their mirror image. The technical term for this is "detailing," and car owners typically pay a few hundred dollars for this service at car wash businesses so they can sell the car at a high price afterward. During this process, an employee really gets into the pores and even uses cotton swabs to remove the last bit of dirt from the smallest crevices. I've also heard of car enthusiasts who spend a few thousand dollars at the detailer for special waxing techniques and mirror-like finishes.
The typical car enthusiast ("car nut") usually washes and polishes their car at home themselves because the workers at car washes are allegedly too rough and leave circular scratches in the paint ("swirl marks"). To do this, they buy all sorts of special cloths and chemical miracle products from specialty stores, and one such store is "Griot's Garage" online. I believe I receive their catalog because I typically order car tires online from Tirerack (Rundbrief 05/2010) and these rascals probably forwarded my email to the polish product supply company, but whatever: Although I have never been seen polishing one of our cars, I do enjoy leafing through this brochure while I'm in the bathroom. Their offerings are amazing, a highly praised special cloth can easily cost $70, or a lump of clay ("clay bar") that sucks the last bits of dirt from the paint costs $22. I would never buy it, but the publication from "Griot's Garage" is a great read, and I highly recommend it.
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All Editions:
2023 148 149 150 151 152
2022 143 144 145 146 147
2021 138 139 140 141 142
2020 133 134 135 136 137
2019 129 130 131 132
2018 125 126 127 128
2017 120 121 122 123 124
2016 115 116 117 118 119
2015 111 112 113 114
2014 106 107 108 109 110
2013 101 102 103 104 105
2012 96 97 98 99 100
2011 91 92 93 94 95
2010 85 86 87 88 89 90
2009 79 80 81 82 83 84
2008 73 74 75 76 77 78
2007 66 67 68 69 70 71 72
2006 59 60 61 62 63 64 65
2005 54 55 56 57 58
2004 49 50 51 52 53
2003 43 44 45 46 47 48
2002 36 37 38 39 40 41 42
2001 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35
2000 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
1999 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
1998 7 8 9 10 11 12
1997 1 2 3 4 5 6
1996 0