Plugging his new book with Richard Hammond, What Not to Drive, Top Gear producer Andy Wilman scribbles out a brief outline of how to choose a car based on the nebulous factor of cool. Our favorite bit? Never discuss cool with salesmen:
"These are the people, remember, who try to entice customers into their showrooms by covering the forecourt with balloons. I ask you, what successful businessman in his forties, driving home, thinks: 'Yes! Balloons. I must go in that shop and get a new Audi.'"
As an addendum, if a salesman calls us "bro" we leave and come back and talk to a different salesman. Waiters who refer to us by the same colloquialism similarly get a 5% reduction in tip. All men may be brothers, but we are not your "bro." Got it, people?
Anatomy of a Cool Car: How to pick cars with credibility [Times, UK]
Related:
Top Gear Interviews the Man Behind the Ferrari F430 [Internal]