In article , v wrote:

No always. There is indeed something else going on here, also. An
acquaintance had the valet parking concession at a REALLY high end
event every year. The really rich folks, even those with classic cars
that were not likely leased, didn't have a qualm about having their
cars parked.

OTOH the few hoi polloi driving old bombs were the most irate, snotty
and suspicious, and didn't want anyone else touching their cars. I've
seen it myself - my teen stepson refused to go to events at a certain
club (not ours, a relative's) with his crappy Hyundai, when he heard
that there was valet parking there. I do not lease cars, yet I have
been to events there several times.


How did this get from car washing to valet parking? The point I was trying
to make is that supremely wealthy people don't *have* to care. A
coworker's friend drives a $300K Bentley and some uninsured idiot hit him
causing $10K in damage. He didn't even attempt to litigate. ("Can't
squeeze blood from a turnip.") He just paid to fix the car. $10K is no
big deal to *him*. It's not that the wealthy people trust valets more or
trust car washes more. It's that they can handle whatever problems may
result, including (if it comes to it) litigation. You can bet your
bottom dollar that the guy who has to save for a few years to even
*finance* the Corvette he intends to drive for the next 15 years is going to
be much more irate when a valet/car wash scratches the hell out of it
in his first year of ownership.


There are lots of reasons people in expensive cars don't care as much
in addition to being wealthy enough to afford problems:


1. They want to be seen getting out of the car. Likewise, people in
beaters often *do not* want to be seen getting out of the car.

2. They don't want to look cheap by driving a $300K car and avoiding
a valet fee.

3. They want someone to watch over the car rather than park it on the
street. People in beaters don't really care if the car is on the
street.

4. They can afford it. Yes, sometimes poor people freak out when they have
to pay $20 + tip to park. That doesn't make them bad people.

5. Convenience. Walking through downtown in a fur coat and dripping in
diamonds isn't their idea of fun. The guy in khakis and loafers with a
plastic watch doesn't care as much.


There are probably more reasons.


Dimitri