"That's a cute dune buggy"

That's what the neighbor lady said when she first saw my T. No, she's not a granny, she's like 40. I tried to politely correct her: "um, well, it's not really a dune buggy, it's a hot rod." Then she sorta looks at me blank. "You should give the neighborhood kids rides, I bet they would love riding in a real dune buggy." As not to be a prick, I decided not to correct her again. So now I just sorta stand there and cringe whenever she asks about my "dune buggy."

Then there's the conversation I had with the guy at work who sees a picture of my A coupe. "That looks just like the car on the Waltons." "Uh, actually it's got a Pontiac V8, and those are 60s style chrome reverse wheels and..." "Hey, maybe you could it get it in a gangster movie." "Well, no, it's actually a hot rod..." "'Goodnight John Boy! Goodnight Mary Ellen!' Ha ha, that show was a real classic."

And, like everybody else, I get the occasional "I used to have a car exactly like that." I swear, sometimes I am surrounded by car idiots.

Any memorable tales of stupid car comments? Share 'em.

 

I had a guy stop and talk to me at the gas station. He told me that he used to have a truck just like my 36. So I asked if he had a 36 and he said " Buddy you don't even know what that is. That's a 39." Uh,,,ok, I just spent 5 years of sweat and blood working on this pig and you mean to tell me I bought the wrong year?.........He had a glazed over look on his face. "Yeah, I suppose", he said.

 

Had a guy tell me "Thats an old Dodge truck. Studebaker only made cars".
So I walked around to the back of my truck & said "Hmmm, s-t-u-d-e-b-a-k-e-r... thats a strange way to spell Dodge".
He got the glazed-over look as well & replied "Wow, you've got a rare truck".

 

I was going to the Nationals down here in Tampa last year with my T bucket and stopped at Waffle house for some breakfast. One of the waitress's and one of the people in there wanted to know where I was going with my "dune buggy".

I guess they really do not bother looking at them close, I have yet to see a dune buggy with a slant six and a 471 blower on top of it.

 

I never know whether to giggle or get mad when someone asks me,hey Tim do you still have that roadster,or,Have you been racin' your roadster lately,etc.
Dohhh ! Hee Hee Hee ! Dohhh ! Hee Hee Hee ! Dohhh ! Hee Hee Hee !

 

I love ot when people tell me "I had one just like that. Only mine was candy red and had a small block Chevy and slot mags with Mickey Thompson Indy Profiles and an automatic. Oh yeah, it was a Dodge, a 1941 Dodge......"

 

So what are you asking for the T?

 

Check yer PMs

 

My buddy and I stopped for gas in his 39 Deluxe coupe one time and the clerk asked him "What year's that Volkswagon?"

Bob

 

After explaining what my glass t-bucket is,I get the occasional "Did you build it from a kit?"
I got to the point where I just say "Why yes,,,I did,but it didnt come with any instructions".
Dumbasses.

 

I had a lady at the Pavillions Saturday car show comment about my black '48 Ford 4 door. She said "My dad had a car just like that, but it was green, and a two door, and it was a Chevy". Oh well.

 

I had my best story the day my buddy Buckle and I picked up my car. It is in pretty rough shape and trailering it back from Jackson, MI. we stopped at a McDonalds somewhere along I-94. We parked in the back of the lot and went inside. Inside there was a special needs guy, probably in his 20's standing in one corner. We ordered and during that time the special needs kid was talking to the manager. Apparently this McDonalds used to have car shows on this night, but the new owners stopped having them. The kid had walked up to the place to check out the cars and the manager had to tell him they weren't having the show anymore. So we left and the kid followed us outside. We got into the truck and started eating.
The kid came up to the truck and said "They aren't having the car show anymore" noticing the chevy on the trailer.
We said "oh we aren't here for the show, just passing through."
The kid nodded and said "Well that's good, cause your car doesn't look very nice."
Buckle and I looked at each other and cracked up "Thanks" I said as the kid waved and walked away.
Classic.

 

Driving a Citroën CX in the USA: "Izzat a Honda Insight??"
"Um, no. It's got FOUR doors, is about a block longer, an...., aww, fuck it, it's really the 2006 Corvette prototype..."
Driving a Cit 2CV in the USA: "Nice Bug". "Yes, it is, I like the four doors and front wheel drive..."

But, really, these people are trying to say they LIKE your car. They don't know a wrench from a screwdriver, probably call to have a bulb changed, BUT, they like names, and dune buggy came to mind. Never saw one of those either, but they don't KNOW the words Hot Rod, soooo, you've got a Dune Buggy by default. You see, it's the only word they know to describe your car, and they MUST use a word other than car, else they appear as an idiot.
Well, only to themselves, the rest of us already know that they are an idiot.

Cosmo

 

My neighbor came over after I brought my roadster home, and starts asking me about it and I tell him "it's a model A coupe with the roof cut off, and a lot of lead work, 32 rails, early Flathead ......" and he gives me this look and says "so what is it?" I tell him "it's an old 50's Hot Rod" he says aggravated "I still don't get it, what the hell is it? why would you want THAT?" I told him "I'm not going to explain it again, if you didn't get it the first time you're not going to understand the next time", usually the guys pretty nice but he sure was a dick that day. On the way home from getting the car we stopped to check the tie downs and this fat trucker comes up "cool rat rod", man my friend got pissed off "it ain't a fuckin' Rat Rod, it's a REAL hot rod" it was kind of funny.

 

I can have one as well...

Being a 23 year old "kid" driving a 1954 chevy since I was 17, I get all kind of comments from "car guys" who think this young guy don't know what he's driving... my favorite happened this last summer at the Soda Jerk cruise-in.

Let me preface this by saying that my car is original, complete with some scrapes and dents, and a hammered out fender on the passenger side compliments of the original owner, litterally a little old lady, who did this damage somewhere between 1954 and the mid 70's... now, from 20 feet, you can't see a damn thing, but yea, up close you can see the little minor imperfections...

Now, I was getting my camera out of my car and this middle aged man was looking at my car (the passenger side)... as I steped away, he goes "Boy what did you do?" pointing at the dents scrapes and dings... I said "what do you mean", and he goes "looks like you got into a little scape"... i reply "no, that's all original" in a stern tone... and he goes, "ohh yea?" i reply in a pissed off tone "yea, the original owner did this about 30 years ago, the car only has 72,000 miles on it, and 20,000 of them are mine, the paint is original and I maintain it and enjoy it" He got my drift and walked away.... AS@$*!!!

Really pissed me off that he saw a young guy and thought that I had messed up a nice car, his tone was an accusing one.... ha!

On the up side, I have a lot of cool people talk to me too... always just one or two bad apples in the bunch.

 

Since we moved onto the main highway I get tons of traffic. Lot's of people stopping by wanting to have work done or just to see what is going on. I had a lady actually stop and talk to me about my 36, because she wants a 37, but her husband won't help her at all. Amazing.

 

I always figured if the people had a pleasant tone and compliment, weren't trying to get all Know-It-All'ly, and generally had a no-clue about mechanics aura, I always went with it sans no fuss. Maybe give a brief history lesson, or polite correctness - sometimes people appreciate it, but usually just say thanks.

Now if they argue, then they are an asshole.

Case in point. When I got the Stude truck, there was a bloke convinced that Stude didn't make trucks, and I got scammed. I think thats a common one. I also always get for my bikes - "Hey thats a nice chopper" - when I don't have one anymore. OR "What year is that Harley?" When all I have are British. Had a guy that thought I rode a stolen/bullshit bike, because I was on my 96 Triumph and "everyone knows Triumph went out of business in 1983."

The dune buggy thing is kinda funny though.

 

My A coupe gets the same... "Been driving yer roadster?", "How's yer Model T?", etc... but my favorite was the hip-hop guy outside an Auto Zone in Austin. He walked over as I got out of the coupe and started in with the praise...

"Whoa... this sucka is BAD!"

"Thanks"

"Wait... OH NO YOU DINNA... a big block, too! Daaaaaammmmn!"

(It's a 3-carb flatty).

 

When I was working for my dad, there were always-- almost daily-- these old dudes coming in saying they either had, or knew where one was, for sale "a 19__ Ford 2-door Coupe". They always designated the 2-door part. Did Ford (or anyone else-- except Saturn ) ever make a coupe with more than 2 doors?

I also get a lot of people that ask if my car is "all original" (after we've already discussed the fact that there is pretty much nothing mechanical on the car that hasn't been changed). I really don't know what they're asking. Next time I swear I'll politely ask what in the world they are talking about.

 

I was driving my old 56 Bel air down the road when a new cadillac pulled up beside me honking like crazy... it was two elderly people yelling "Nice Cadillac!!!!"

...uhhmmm ya thanks!

 

I used to keep my old Ford Pop (Anglia) at work in the exhaust bay. One day, we,re fitting a new exhaust to this old farmers car and he,s kicking the piecrusts and asking me if they,re off a forklift truck........no, I calmly reply.
Well what year is it? He says, kicking the front wheel this time.
So I reply " Its 2005 you dozy old tosser, stop kicking my fucking car!"

Norms. You gotta love em! Usually with a large mallet.

 

A kid stops in the gas station where I work. I had my model A coupe parked along the side of the building. He asked if that was my model T and he just bought three just like it for $4000 and had to pick up one of the frames from power coating it and was it for sale? I answered that T's were made up to 1928 and mine was a 1930 so it was an A and I hadn't ever had a for sale sign in it. His answer was "Oh, yeah, right."

 

Best experience we've had along these lines was when a local writer did a story about my dad's '30 roadster hiboy for the local paper. ... through the entire story he (the writer) referred to the car as a "Deuce coupe".

Mike

 

Waiting at a stop light, car stops behind me.
Guy honks his horn and leans out of the window.
" Cool Truck! Nobody builds Dodge's anymore..."
Me... " Thanks! But its a Ford..."
Him... " Oh.., its still cool"

Me and a buddy are having lunch in a bar.
A guy walks in and stops at every table.
When he gets to ours he asks " Is that white car yours? "
me... " Yeah, its mine "
Him..." WHADIZZIT???"

He just walked in because he had to know...

It was my English Ford Capri Classic.

We thought that was cool, things like that probably dont happed if you drive a Honda...

 

On our way to the drags with the rail on the trailer we stopped at a store to pick up some items. When we came out there was a young guy with his girlfriend in tow. She must have asked something about the engine because I heard him explain, "It's a rare Offenhauser....they didn't make many V-8's !"

We had the Offy rocker covers on the Pontiac.

I'm sure she was impressed.

 

I got the 'Dune Buggy' question from a neighbor about an old T roadster I scratch built about 20 years ago. Suicide front with cycle wheels, small block ford with sprint headers, and big fat tires in the back.

"What is that THING, a dune buggy?"

No, it's a T

"T? What's a T?"

A T, a Ford model T, a T bucket. It's a Hot Rod.

"Huh?" (Followed by the blank stare)

I'll be happy just to get my A rolling around so I can get some more silly comments!

 

A few years ago, the first time I drove my 36 to work, a Secretary told me that she liked the color of my PT Crusier.

Now she knows better.

 

not wanting to disappoint the girlfriend - that kid might not know much about cars but he's good at running a line of bs!!!