what would you think if your child's therapist drove up in a.....

[cchavez]

"luxury" suv??? I am a current sahm but also a certified slp. I hope to return to the workforce in a few years and I am thinking about doing ECI or early childhood home health. I really would like to do contract work and set my own hours so I think that setting would allow that schedule plus after going through the ECI process w/ my son, I really think it is a great treatment model. Well, we are looking into getting a new suv soon and we are thinking of the following:

Infiniti X35
Volvo XC90
VW Touareg
Acura RDX
BMX x3
Maybe the Lincoln MKX?????

So what would you think if your child's therapist drove up in this type of car? I don't know what kind of neighborhood I would be working in but I would stay local. However, since I have bilingual skills they might send me into the poorer neighborhoods. Cars like this are common in our area....we live in the Collin Co. area in TX which is the wealthiest county in the state but I have reservations about driving this car around as a therapist. However, we are thinking of buying preowned and it will be at least a year if not two years before I start working so the car will have aged by then. All of our ECI therapists drove really modest cars...however, they were all young and single. One of my friends did pediatric home health for awhile and drove to her visits in her Mercedes sedan.....I always wonderered what her clients thought....anyway any thoughts????

I currently drive an Acura MDX that is almost 6 years old and I wouldn't think twice about driving it to a client visit.

[punkrockmama]

I think that if somebody's having someone come out to their home to help their child, they're probably very focused on their kid and the problems at hand and wouldn't even notice if you pulled up in a rickshaw.

[BillK]

What she said.

[clc053103]

I'd think you might be a really good therapist!!;-)

FWIW, I drive a BMW x5 and LOVE it!

[maestramommy]

>I'd think you might be a really good therapist!!;-)
>

Either that, or your Dh/partner makes a tidy living :-)

[cchavez]

Thanks for the responses. I guess this was a concern of mine when I got out of grad school. There was a chance then that I would do ECI in the inner city and I didn't want to draw attn to myself but I guess since I will be out in the burbs it really doesn't matter now. Thanks!!!!

[KBecks]

I would think "nice car". That's about it.

Unless I'm paying you an exorbitant fee, then I might think you're overcharging.

Seriously, who cares what a client thinks about your car? It's your skills that matter. Drive what you want and focus on being a wonderful therapist so they'll remember you for what great work you do and forget all about your hot wheels. :)

[HoneymoonBaby]

I wouldn't think twice about it, maybe you have a well-to-do husband, maybe you are really great at your job, maybe you had a lucrative previous career or are a trust fund baby. Who cares? All kinds of people drive "fancy" cars nowadays.

If you're that concerned about it, skip the BMW and stick to one of the "near luxury" brands like Acura or Volvo. I chose my Acura MDX over the Mercedes station wagon I was originally interested in partly because I felt it was less flashy and would draw less attention if I were ever in the "wrong" neighborhood. And as the owner of an MDX yourself, I'm sure you know how wonderful Acuras are .... mine is a 2004 and I haven't even thought about trading up yet.

[BeachBum]

I don't think there is anything unusual enough about those cars to attract unwanted attention. Now if you were to drive up in a $100K car that might be something to think 2x about.

I realize that it doesn't have the best exterior styling--but you really should consider the lexus 300 or 350. When shopping for my car I at first refused to drive one because I thought it was ugly. But driving it was so fantastic that it convinced me to buy. :)
My husband drives a Mercedes ML 300 (I think). While it is a nice SUV, it drives much more like a truck than mine does.

[SnuggleBuggles]

"I would think "nice car". That's about it.

Unless I'm paying you an exorbitant fee, then I might think you're overcharging."


My thought too. :) I remember a friend saying that she always felt like her hairdresser/ co owner of the salon charged way too much (for our area...) then she saw her driving around in a really fancy car. She said then she knew she was probably paying too much. I know, lots of factors could be at play for driving a nicer car- that was just her reaction. :)

Beth

[Momof3Labs]

Or you're up to your ears in debt - but that's not my problem!

[usfrph]

I don't think anyone in Collin county would care.

[thomma]

Actually, my first thought was-
Ds and dd had 3 years of early intervention and we worked with 3 different therapists...never once saw their cars.

Kim
ds&dd 5/03

[muskiesusan]

Alex was had speech therapy for about a year and I have no idea what kind of a car the therapist drove. I was too busy trying to keep the dogs and kids from running out of the house when she came to the door!

Susan
Mom to Nick 10/01
& Alex 04/04

[hardysmom]

We did EI for 3 years... I do know that our PT had some generic white truck. I didn't think much about it. I *think* the coordinator had an Acura.

Some people do have a hard time relating to someone who they judge to be way out of their socioeconomic group, but if you are really hands-on working with the kids, I think any first-impression can easiy be overcome.

Personally, I might be more concerned about attracting unwanted attention in the neighborhood if I was going to really rough areas. That said, with the exception of the BMW, I don't think any of your choices stand-out too much.

Stephanie

[fortato]

Who cares what you drive? Are you good at what you do?


I would care more that my son is getting the therapy he deserves.

ETA-
Since you are planning to return to work in a few years, that would make your car older, and it won't be a big deal anyway.

[suz]

Go for it! I don't think any of the cars on your list are flashy, but then, I'm in the CA bay area, where these cars are pretty common, so I may be biased.

[Melanie]

>I'd think you might be a really good therapist!!;-)
>
That's what I was thinking! Though I'd be happier if it were a hybrid. :)