The Mercedes Benz
A conversation today sparked this train of thought - how much are Mercedes' a status symbol for Malaysians? I've just noticed that every time people talk to me about APs in England, (or more often, to inquire whether I'd be interested in selling them my AP), the leading question would be: "Tak nak beli Merc bawak balik Malaysia ke?"
It is not uncommon for Malaysian students to buy a Mercedes to ship home. Even before I went to the UK, people were ooh-ing and aaah-ing over the new Merc model Dr. so-and-so bawak balik after finishing his doctorate. That in itself is not surprising, since cars abroad are so much cheaper than in Malaysia - for comparison purposes, if the purchasing power of the ringgit is on par with that of the pound, almost (note: purchasing power, not the value); then a fresh graduate earning GBP 1500 could buy a new Vauxhall Corsa for about GBP8000; a Malaysian fresh graduate earning MYR 1500 has to fork out RM25,000 for a new Kancil.
But why is there a fascination, among Malaysians, for a Merc? Why not a Volvo or a BMW, which are all superior European cars too? Does the Merc really have an edge when it comes to design? Or did a group of pioneers 'decide' that Mercs were the way to go; and in the same way that people 'decide' Microsoft should be hated 'sebab dia Microsoft lah' without any arguments to support their dislike such as disagreement with its business plan or it's aggressive marketing, people also 'agreed' that Mercs were cool?
I'm not saying that Mercs aren't any good. I'm just curious as to who made it the holy grail of statushood to own one.
Of course, if said Malaysian student in the UK could afford to ship home a Merc, but still relied on child benefits from the British government.. well.. that's quite a different story, no?
*Credits to Ash for Microsoft analogy
It is not uncommon for Malaysian students to buy a Mercedes to ship home. Even before I went to the UK, people were ooh-ing and aaah-ing over the new Merc model Dr. so-and-so bawak balik after finishing his doctorate. That in itself is not surprising, since cars abroad are so much cheaper than in Malaysia - for comparison purposes, if the purchasing power of the ringgit is on par with that of the pound, almost (note: purchasing power, not the value); then a fresh graduate earning GBP 1500 could buy a new Vauxhall Corsa for about GBP8000; a Malaysian fresh graduate earning MYR 1500 has to fork out RM25,000 for a new Kancil.
But why is there a fascination, among Malaysians, for a Merc? Why not a Volvo or a BMW, which are all superior European cars too? Does the Merc really have an edge when it comes to design? Or did a group of pioneers 'decide' that Mercs were the way to go; and in the same way that people 'decide' Microsoft should be hated 'sebab dia Microsoft lah' without any arguments to support their dislike such as disagreement with its business plan or it's aggressive marketing, people also 'agreed' that Mercs were cool?
I'm not saying that Mercs aren't any good. I'm just curious as to who made it the holy grail of statushood to own one.
Of course, if said Malaysian student in the UK could afford to ship home a Merc, but still relied on child benefits from the British government.. well.. that's quite a different story, no?
*Credits to Ash for Microsoft analogy
posted by Idlan at 9/07/2004 05:45:00 pm
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