We shall call them the Badge Swappers.
We’ve all seen these guys and gals on the road, hidden behind the steel-and-glass veil of their cars. Unlike the rest of us, who are proud of the cars we drive, the Badge Swappers try to convince the rest of us that they are driving something much more special.
Some people try to be blatant and pass their car off as a different brand entirely. Others are more subtle and adhere a performance badge to a base-level car.
Here’s the thing that the Badge Swappers must not know, though: The only people who would care about the badge are the people who notice the fraud. Keep reading and see if you can identify the car behind the badge.
This is one of the subtle ones, but this supposed M5 is likely a standard-issue 3 Series. It’s all in the tailpipes, friends.
This is one of the most blatant rip-offs I’ve ever seen. Mercedes-Benz AMG? No. Try a 2004 Kia Optima. Although I admit it doesn’t look too bad.
If you drive a BMW 7 Series, you’re already doing a pretty nice job of impressing people. Sticking an M performance badge on the rear makes as much sense as the lyrics of a Modest Mouse song. An M750? Ummmm, no.
This is one of the most common badge-swaps on the road, though I don’t know anyone who would be fooled into thinking a Chrysler 300 is actually a Bentley.
Now this guy’s doing it right. He (or she) actually owns a Bentley but wants the world to believe he’s driving a common Hyundai. I love humble people, but in this case it might have been best to simply remove the badge rather than replace it.
What badge-swaps have you seen on the road?
-tgriffith
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Used BMW M5
Used BMW 3 Series
Used Kia Optima
Used BMW 7 Series
Used Chrysler 300
The “likely a standard-issue 3 series” is not a 3 series at all but an e60 535i with an m-sport aesthetics package. Also the bentley with a hyundai badge is owned by a man who owns a hyundai dealership.
Before buying a USED car, the engine may look good, runs good, interior clean, body of vehicle good, test drove it was good. Look underneath the car!
Car is paid off but I have had it for 7 months. Undercarriage needs to be replaced. Gonna cost $2,000 dollars or more. Look if it is a older car, inspect it under the car. Whitman Auto Sales in Elkhart, Indiana is where I purchased this car. Clean sales lot, had to go get the salesman though, he was the owner. Clean but look underneath the cars. Used cars be more observent. Think I will purchase a new car. No more used! Screwed again! Just turns out bad.