I'm always impressed when I see someone with a well-maintained older vehicle, even if its something not inherently impressive like a Honda Accord.
When I see a person with a poorly maintained older vehicle, I think "slob".
Your problem is not that your vehicle is old, its that it looks like shit. Wash it, do your best to pop out any dents from behind the panels, claybar it, give it a nice coat of wax, spray out the bed with a hose, and vacuum the interior. Total cost is <$20 bucks, but it will make your vehicle look 100% better.
I'm guessing that a multimillionaire, who doesn't give a damn about what you think of him driving an old vehicle, probably also doesn't give a hoot about whether or not you think he is a "slob" based on the shininess of said vehicle.
Or, at least, this particular multimillionaire doesn't care what people think.
Here's my rationale about car washes, waxing, and the like.
To me, a vehicle is nothing but a tool. Something to haul my butt and stuff from point A to point B.
I don't "take pride" in my vehicle any more than I "take pride" in my claw hammer. I don't see it as a penis extender. I don't use it to impress people.
Car washes cost money. Waxing costs money. Even if you do the work yourself. Like that morning cup o' Starbucks, it may not be a lot of money, but it adds up over time. And it takes time, either way.
And then you have to do wash/wax again a few weeks later. Over and over and over and over again. Year after year.
Even if you spend only $20 six times a year, that amounts to $120 per year (and that's a low estimate, believe me, my wife significantly more than that keeping her BMW looking showroom new). Or $1,680+ over the current life of my vehicle. To say nothing of the opportunity cost which would put the total cost of
vanity cleaning somewhere north of $3,300.
I'd rather have that $3,300+ in my investment account than in give it to some car wash.
I see no value in spending time or money putting lipstick on a pig. My money and my time can be put to much better use.
I keep the engine, drive train, tires, brakes- the important stuff- well maintained. Because that makes the vehicle safer and extends it's life. I also keep the cab clean. And by "clean" I don't mean rubbing down the dash with Armor All to make it shiny, I just don't like a mess in my vehicle- I keep it trash free.
So I'll just drive my truck, covered with dirt, pollen, dents, etc past you and a bunch of other people I don't know or care about, knowing that some of you may disapprove.
And I'll have to find a way to live with the shame.
In about 2 hours, I'm going to take my wife and her car to the BMW dealership to drop her car off for some work. I'm going to pull the dirty, ugly Beast right up front, and bask in the looks of HORROR I receive :)