The most common statement I hear is, "I or my parents, had one exactly like this but it was a hard top and different color". Often the year is wrong too.
I agree. I think I've head that one at every show 'n shine I've ever been to. The worst was after the guy spending 10 minutes describing how my car was identical to his first car he finally remembered his car was a Ford, a Fairlane he thought. But other than that, it was the same as mine...
The most common statement I hear is, "I or my parents, had one exactly like this but it was a hard top and different color". Often the year is wrong too.
I agree. I think I've head that one at every show 'n shine I've ever been to. The worst was after the guy spending 10 minutes describing how my car was identical to his first car he finally remembered his car was a Ford, a Fairlane he thought. But other than that, it was the same as mine...
The most common statement I hear is, "I or my parents, had one exactly like this but it was a hard top and different color". Often the year is wrong too.
That seems to be the most common one.
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1957 Pontiac Pathfinder Deluxe sedan restored 261 six
1974 Chevrolet Caprice Estate wagon low mileage original 400 V-8
* a "storyteller" I worked with used to always say this.
His Uncle was a multi-millionaire "bee farmer".
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Prince Edward Island
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
Guy was looking under the hood of the LeMans and turned to his friend and said that's no 454, that a 350 maybe even a 327, I interjected politely then he started arguing with me. Not worth it so I left.
Here's how my engine looks:
Next my Corvette is idling at the curb and it really throbs, I'm putting the roof under the tonneau cover, guy walks up and says Nice Car, I bet its got a V6 eh!?
The most common statement I hear is, "I or my parents, had one exactly like this but it was a hard top and different color". Often the year is wrong too.
I agree. I think I've head that one at every show 'n shine I've ever been to. The worst was after the guy spending 10 minutes describing how my car was identical to his first car he finally remembered his car was a Ford, a Fairlane he thought. But other than that, it was the same as mine...
Now that is hilarious.
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1957 Pontiac Pathfinder Deluxe sedan restored 261 six
1974 Chevrolet Caprice Estate wagon low mileage original 400 V-8
I know this is old but ...This last summer while on a ten day cruise only one person got the year of our 63 correct..every one who "had" onegot it wrong. One guy on a zig zag striped motorized tricycle went by us at a gas station and commented how ugly our car was and some dude at the A&W in Creston at 6:45 in the am informed me that the entire side of my car had been caved in referring to the quarter body lines...good grief....
My brother Mike with his 62 Falcon and me with my 57 Pontiac had pulled over because the Falcon was over heating, on our way to a weekend car show. Some shit head slowed down to shout out "Get that ******* garbage off the road. My brother and i had no time to react or respond.
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1957 Pontiac Pathfinder Deluxe sedan restored 261 six
1974 Chevrolet Caprice Estate wagon low mileage original 400 V-8
The most common statement I hear is, "I or my parents, had one exactly like this but it was a hard top and different color". Often the year is wrong too.
Yup, most common useless comment for me too. It seems I get that on a daily basis when I drive my 59 around. I don,t know why people seem to HAVE to find a connection to our old cars.
I would say that the most stupid questions I get, though, are related to timespan delusions... I am 42 years old, and I think I look rather young. My car is a 1959. You would be suprised the number of times I get asked if I bought the car new....!
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1959 Pontiac Parisienne 2 door hardtop Sport Coupe
1956 Pontiac Star Chief Custom Catalina 4 door hardtop
The most common statement I hear is, "I or my parents, had one exactly like this but it was a hard top and different color". Often the year is wrong too.
Yup, most common useless comment for me too. It seems I get that on a daily basis when I drive my 59 around. I don,t know why people seem to HAVE to find a connection to our old cars.
I would say that the most stupid questions I get, though, are related to timespan delusions... I am 42 years old, and I think I look rather young. My car is a 1959. You would be suprised the number of times I get asked if I bought the car new....!
Yes i have got that one too. I was born in 1958 (late) and my car is a 1957, yet i have been asked maybe three times, if i was the original owner. I am not young but i do not look that old.
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1957 Pontiac Pathfinder Deluxe sedan restored 261 six
1974 Chevrolet Caprice Estate wagon low mileage original 400 V-8
Hmmm... when I had my 1970 Dodge Coronet, just about everybody used to call it a "Dukes of Hazzard car" - even though they were Chargers. Usually I just went along with it.
Years ago, when I was selling my 1960 Chevy, a guy made an appointment to come look at it, but when he arrived he just started to reminisce about the 1959 Chevy that his dad had, how he would be drunk and let the kids sit on his lap, steering the car. What started as a potential sale, just ended up as an awkward exchange that I was glad to be finished with when he finally left...
Overall, though, this is part of the package of owning an older car. They will always grab attention, from all sorts of people with all sorts of experience. I've heard so many weird comments from "experts" over the years, about things that actually didn't exist, like "I had one just like it but it had a 383 Hemi in it" (didn't exist), or... "see where that Fury says 383 Commando on the fender - that meant it had a secret experimental engine in it from the factory"... (Me, sighing, "oh really?"). It's all in fun, and you have to expect it and deal with it - try not to take it so seriously. If you have a warped sense of humour, like me, it can actually be fun to see where the conversation goes...
-- Edited by MC on Wednesday 4th of December 2019 12:19:02 PM
Back in the late 1980's i met an older gentleman that was the neighbor of a good buddy of mine. This man had a Chevy Chevette and one day he had his hood up and called my buddy and i over to look at his engine. He proceeds to tell us that his Chevette has a turbo, my buddy and i are looking for a turbo and there was none. He then points to the alternator and says that was the turbo. I corrected him and then he got upset at me. He was an old guy so i just walked away.
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1957 Pontiac Pathfinder Deluxe sedan restored 261 six
1974 Chevrolet Caprice Estate wagon low mileage original 400 V-8
I worked with a guy years ago who had all kinds of stories. One of his best ones was the 1981 Malibu he said he owned that was a "GM test car that got away". It had a "305 with aluminum heads FACTORY". Of course it was a 4 speed car (which was available) . He said one day there was a knock on his door and it was a "Guy from GM" that wanted to buy the car back. He said "I told him to get the hell off my property" and he left. LOL!
When I got my Bonneville towed to my place. A lot of the older fellows came to look at it.. appreciated it and thought it was cool, they said they were going to come by and check out the progress. After they left, a young couple came by and made a rude remark about how I dont care about the environment and said think about my grandkids?!?
When I got my Bonneville towed to my place. A lot of the older fellows came to look at it.. appreciated it and thought it was cool, they said they were going to come by and check out the progress. After they left, a young couple came by and made a rude remark about how I dont care about the environment and said think about my grandkids?!?
I would have had a few choice colorful words for the both of them.
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1957 Pontiac Pathfinder Deluxe sedan restored 261 six
1974 Chevrolet Caprice Estate wagon low mileage original 400 V-8
I worked with a guy years ago who had all kinds of stories. One of his best ones was the 1981 Malibu he said he owned that was a "GM test car that got away". It had a "305 with aluminum heads FACTORY". Of course it was a 4 speed car (which was available) . He said one day there was a knock on his door and it was a "Guy from GM" that wanted to buy the car back. He said "I told him to get the hell off my property" and he left. LOL!
I wonder why so many people want somebody to believe they had some special experimental/test car? It's odd because I've heard many variations of that story over the years, and could never make sense of it.
Then there was the kid who's uncle owned a Bricklin with an engine that was "built by Buddy Baker"... lol
When I got my Bonneville towed to my place. A lot of the older fellows came to look at it.. appreciated it and thought it was cool, they said they were going to come by and check out the progress. After they left, a young couple came by and made a rude remark about how I dont care about the environment and said think about my grandkids?!?
Should have said: "What? You have grandkids? You look so young!" lol
I do worry sometimes that people in the old car hobby are going to start being targeted by enviro warriors. I've already seen on the news where somebody in BC was leaving nasty notes on cars about how they were ruining the environment, complete with virtue signaling about how they combat climate change by cycling to work, etc. etc. It concerns me that the next step might be vandalizing cars or whatever. And, to somebody who doesn't know anything about the hobby, an old 'gas hog' would seem like the worst polluter on the planet - forget the fact that most old/antique cars are driven no more than a couple thousand km per year.
People are becoming more 'in your face' these days, and are being jacked up by things like Greta and social media in general. The obvious things like a big old car would seem like an easy target to those people, I would think.
When I got my Bonneville towed to my place. A lot of the older fellows came to look at it.. appreciated it and thought it was cool, they said they were going to come by and check out the progress. After they left, a young couple came by and made a rude remark about how I dont care about the environment and said think about my grandkids?!?
Should have said: "What? You have grandkids? You look so young!" lol
I do worry sometimes that people in the old car hobby are going to start being targeted by enviro warriors. I've already seen on the news where somebody in BC was leaving nasty notes on cars about how they were ruining the environment, complete with virtue signaling about how they combat climate change by cycling to work, etc. etc. It concerns me that the next step might be vandalizing cars or whatever. And, to somebody who doesn't know anything about the hobby, an old 'gas hog' would seem like the worst polluter on the planet - forget the fact that most old/antique cars are driven no more than a couple thousand km per year.
People are becoming more 'in your face' these days, and are being jacked up by things like Greta and social media in general. The obvious things like a big old car would seem like an easy target to those people, I would think.
Yes that could be a real concern now and even worse in the future. Might pay to put hidden camera's on your car some how to see the face of the puke that damaged the car. The only sad thing is that you can not kill the puke's once you know who damaged your car.
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1957 Pontiac Pathfinder Deluxe sedan restored 261 six
1974 Chevrolet Caprice Estate wagon low mileage original 400 V-8