I'll never forget taking my first test drive in a Mercedes.

The salesman was related to dealership's owner. And he was anything other than a chip off the old block.

Papa was elegant and cultivated, and very much a gentleman, prone to understatement.

The kid was brash, spoiled, impatient, and a lot of other things you can imagine.

We were driving in a residential area, and I was concerned that the pickup was hesitant.

He told me to push the pedal to the metal, and it didn't help, much. I thought this car might be able to do 60 in a half-hour, or so, if you timed it on a track.

Anyway, the ride came to a conclusion, but not before I asked a question about the transmission, which seemed jerky, from gear to gear.

Obviously frustrated with me, perhaps partly because I was younger than the demonstrator, he said I could stop worrying about the mechanical integrity, because "This car is more intelligent than most people!”

Hey, I know a compliment when I hear one, and this was anything but.

All I could do was smile. I had never heard of insulting your way to a sale, but this seemed to be just such an attempt. Did he actually expect to earn my business this way?

Recently, I spoke to a sales manager in a different industry, and he revealed that he loves to insult prospects, that they actua

lly seem to appreciate it.

No, he's not in the whip business, buggy, or otherwise.

All I can say is that the car dealer that insulted me has gone through its share of hard times, because the nameplate it represents has been plagued by quality problems.

Moreover, it has faced excruciating competition from other brands such as Lexus and Infiniti, to name a few.

Now, those are some intelligent cars!

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