Are you a car snob?

If you are, take heart. Given a choice, most others would be one too

Snobbery resides in every human heart. Snobbishness need not necessarily be rooted in wealth and social position. Good health can lead us to develop a condescending attitude towards the chronically sick. Garnering scores of ‘likes’ for every Facebook post can lead us to assume superiority over those whose posts are almost always ignored.

Considering snobbery is intrinsic to human nature, why sneer at car snobs?  In fact, car snobbery remains an immutable fact of social life. For most of us, the notion of a good life includes a car.  For some of us, it includes flaunting that car. For all of us, cars are a major barometer of success.

It however takes courage to admit this to ourselves, let alone the world.

Balraj Vasudevan, who drives an Audi A6 three-litre V6 TDI Quattro, is a brave man. “The choice was purely driven by the desire to be different, and a notch above most others driving an Audi A6. In an Audi A6 two-litre TDI, I would have found most of the features I was looking for. However, an Audi A6 three-litre V6 TDI Quattro would give me greater snob value and therefore, I went for it,” says Balraj.

Bajraj has an interesting line of reasoning. The majority of human enterprises arise from the desire to be different and rise above the rest. Almost all achievers in any field are powered by the delicious thought of being seen as surpassing their peers. “This is called drive. In contrast, when someone wants to show the world he has a better car than most, it is not looked upon kindly,” says Balraj.

Manoj Lulla, who owns a Ferrari F430 and a Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4, says he largely avoids driving any of these machines to social dos, for fear of being branded a car snob. “I use my Ford EcoSport on such occasions and my Ferrari and Lamborghini are almost entirely restricted to joint drives with other members of the Madras Exotic Car Club.”

Manoj thinks car snobbery is sometimes assumed where it does not exist. Especially on the roads, where a man at the wheel of a fancy car invariably receives looks that attribute arrogance and snobbery to him.

In the rural setting, more kindness is shown towards people driving around in fancy cars. An ostentatious display of automobile acquisitions does not always receive censure, instead, guarantees respect and awe. There, it is automatically assumed that a car is meant to be flaunted. This attitude is a carryover from the past, when owning a car was the privilege of a small section. Those were the days when car loans were unheard of and a car, any car, was equated with massive wealth and luxury.

“Even today, in certain parts of rural Tamil Nadu, a car is referred to as ‘pleasure’. People don’t ask what car you own, but what pleasure you own,” says automobile enthusiast Subhash Chandra Bose, pointing out that cars defined the luxurious living of the rich.

As cars have become more common across the rural landscape, especially in villages that are close to bustling urban centres, wealth and success are now measured not just by any car, but by the specifications of the car.

So, anybody there seeking to up his snob quotient has some fastidious car choosing to do.