One car owner had to get creative to drive their dream Mercedes-Benz without dropping six figures on an S-Class sedan.
In a video with over 302,000 views, Rae (@thatjawn.rae) drives through a parking lot, zooming in on a white sedan. At first glance, the car sports an "S" logo on the back, a trademark of the "S-Class" Mercedes-Benz.
As she pulls around the car, she shows the Mercedes-Benz symbol on the wheels and front grill.
There's just one problem. The car is actually a white Nissan Altima sedan.
"Look at the Benz symbol!" she exclaims. "See, that is the definition of fake it 'til you make it."
On-screen text reads, "POV: You want a Benz, but not quite there yet."
The caption continues, "If u broke u broke come on.. dude even had the S on the trunk."
In an email to the Daily Dot, Rae said that she was surprised to see the vehicle while driving with her husband.
"We don’t know the owner, unfortunately; we just saw it and thought it was hilarious!" she writes.
How much is a Mercedes-Benz S-Class?
An authentic 2025 Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan starts at around $118,000, according to Car and Driver. That's over four times more expensive than the 2025 Nissan Altima's starting sticker price of around $28,000, per Kelley Blue Book.
You can purchase an authentic Mercedes-Benz logo on the manufacturer's website for around $34. Pop that on a different car make, and the faux Mercedes-Benz mod costs pennies compared to the real thing.
What do others think of the fake Mercedes-Benz?
In the comments, viewers joke about the Benz-ified Nissan Altima.
"Not the Baltima," one writes.
"Not the Nissedes Benz," another jokes.
"Mercedes Bissan," a third says.
However, others applaud the car owner for "manifesting" their dream car.
"Periodddd manifest that Benz," a viewer says.
"Whoever it is got their priorities straight they ain’t got that Benz car payment but they got the illusion," another writes.
"The definition of manifestation," a third adds.
Some point out inconsistencies between the placement of the Mercedes-Benz logo on an authentic model versus the DIY.
"The Sport symbol don’t look like that on a Benz lol," one says.
"Y'all peep the S," another writes.
@thatjawn.rae if u broke u broke come on.. dude even had the S on the trunk ? #mercedes #mercedesbenz #fyp #fup #viral #funny #blowthisup #foryoupage #nissan #altima #broke #brokey
♬ original sound - ræ
The Daily Dot reached out to Rae via email and TikTok direct message. We also emailed Mercedes-Benz and Nissan for further comment.
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