DEFEND YOUR RIDE: Gary At Fan Pier

Q: Nice car. I bet you hear that a lot?

A: Actually, just three weeks ago, as I was coming out of Dunkin Donuts, someone said to me, "Nice ride." But I definitely don't hear that as often as with my last car. My last car was a Mercedes S600. A lot people would give me a thumbs up or say something about the car when I was stopped at a red light. They would just be like, "Wow, nice car."

Q: So why did you choose to buy this car?

A: It was a little bit of an impulse buy. I was with a friend of mine who also owns a C300. He has had several different nice cars over the years. He mentioned to me that this was his favorite car of all of his cars. He felt it handled particularly well in Boston winters. We decided to go car shopping. By the time I got to the dealership, he had pretty much convinced me that this was the car that I wanted.

Q: What was his argument?

A: Just the fact that it does handle very well in the snow. My previous car did not handle weather well at all. I couldn't use the car in the winter if it was snowing. Even in the summer, if it was raining, it wasn't great.

Q: Sounds like you've had a lot of Mercedes. Have they all been black?

A: Yes. I think a black car looks the most elegant. I'm really into design, which is probably why I have Mercedes. I think they are really high design cars. I appreciate a good, smart design, and I think the Germans definitely got it right with their cars.

Q: Does your car have a name?

A: No. I've never given my car a name because I want to be the thing in the car being spoken about, not the car.

Q: Do you spend a lot of time in your car?

A: I don't spend very much time in my car because I live in the city and I work in the city. However, I do drive to work at Salon Mario Russo at Fan Pier. My drive to work is nine-tenths of a mile.

Q: What are some of your favorite things about your car?

A: One of the perks of the car is that it has an amazing stereo system. I think it has like 12 or 13 speakers. It has an iPod hookup. The car also has heated seats and a heated steering wheel, which is definitely key for those of us that live in the Northeast.

Q: Would this be your dream car if the sky were the limit?

A: I like different kinds of cars for different reasons, probably to suit my many different personalities. Sometime I want to be driving a pearl white Cadillac Escalade and listen to really hardcore rap music. Other times, I want a sports car. I really love the esthetics of a Maserati. I've always had great luck with Mercedes. If it's not, it will probably be something super green.