So I was curious, what with all the effort, blood, sweat, tears, etc, that we all put into our cars, what is the BEST compliment you guys have received on yours?
Mine was a few weeks back when the weather was still decent, I’d driven the car to work, and taken it to a local speed shop, Grand Prix Auto, where I’ve purchased a few things, learned a few more, and basically just been a pain in their backsides. So, take the car over, they come out to look, and one of the guys that has been a GREAT help, says, “Didn’t you say this was your FIRST project? GREAT job!”…
That “knowing” smile that you see on some car show attendee’s face which immediately says to me that they “get it” and they appreciate the car.
The other one that sticks out in my mind is a co-worker that first saw the car and almost uncontrollably blurted out “Holy Sh!t!”, that was good one. Then after laying on the ground to see underneath, he did the same thing again, LOL.
At a show this past summer with my wife’s Olds Vert, I was walking around with my boys while my wife stayed in her chair reading her book. Two separate guys came up to her asking about the paint job on her car. They each wanted to know who painted it. When she told them that I did (only my second ever paint job), they both coincidentally wanted to know where my shop was located.
With the Hero… I don’t own a bike but I have a lot of friends who do. They coerced me into bringing my car on a Biker Poker Run. I was feeling a little out of sorts at the kick-off that morning. I was one of only two cars there among 750 bikes. Then, perhaps the meanest, scariest, and most burly looking biker started coming towards me. I’m thinking he’s about to tell me to hit the road and that I don’t belong there. But instead he asks, “Is this your car?” I reluctantly answered, “Yes…” He comes back with “That thing looks like a Chip Foose creation!”
Also, getting selected as the very first “Ride of the Month” right here on this very fine site ranks up there too.
The best compliment I’ve ever had came from people who looked at CatVert and said “Mercury should have built this car”. The next best one came from Jim Karamanis, who was looking at my '67 earlier this summer. When I mentioned that it was still a work in progress, he said something like “That’s OK, I know what your cars look like when they’re done.”
At my 1st show with it, I had a guy come up and ask all about it. Then he said that he used to own one just like it. Then wanted to know if Id sell it, when I turned him down he offered his car in trade plus cash. Turned him down again, after all I didnt want a 99 Camery. We talked a bit more and after I told him about what I had envisioned for the car as well as whats on order for it. He gave me his card and wanted 1st dibs on it if I ever want to sell it.
Oh yeah, that reminds me about a similar experience I had at the Englishtown Raceway Park Fall 2011 Swap Meet Show (where I got that obscenely large award). A guy asks me how much would I sell the car for. I told him I had it insured for $50K. So he says “will you sell it to me for $50K?”. I said no, I couldn’t possibly. He said “well how much then?”. I said it was not for sale. He gave me his business card. He is some classic car restoration guy out of Greenwich, Ct. I later looked his place up online, http://www.classicautoofgreenwich.com/#! and well, I am not sure what I think, except it was nice that the owner was so taken with my car and was trying to buy it.
I’ve always wondered why the first thing lots of people say on seeing a nice classic car is “how much you want for it?” That’s the most frequent comment I get (aside from “you drive that in winter?!!”) I doubt any of them have enough discretionary cash to make such an impulse purchase (or they would already own one). I also doubt that people just happen to be wandering around gas stations looking for cars to buy. Instead, I suspect it’s just a way for people to start a conversation without having to admit you’ve got one over on them, i.e., something they really wish they had but either aren’t willing to build themselves or can’t afford. So in a way, it’s really an insult wrapped up in a compliment.
I think every compliment is the best one, just having people stop, walk up while your pumping gas, in the driveway washing, and talking cars is great. Owning a classic and having people stop to say hey i’m working on my (insert car make here) or I remember when I had a … is a pleasure.
Had an older lady who stopped at a traffic light and put her window down and told me that my Cougar was beautiful. Having a woman say that was cool. She even knew it was a Cougar.
Steven
Kind of a “personal” question, but… what the hey! Here goes…
We had just walked in the door, before I could even get to the light switch, BAM! She’s on me like a bum on a hoagie! Skip ahead 2 or 3 minutes and she’s buck naked and in the full trendelenburg! Well, she’s hyperventilating and the divers mask is starting to fog-up. The flippers dont fit her right, and to compound the problem, baby oil is dripping into one of them. There is an odd “POP” sound, and a swim fin goes flipping over her head in a graceful arc and lands in the Cool-Whip. GREAT! Now there is Cool-Whip in the face of the line judge! She cant see a damn thing, and I’m thinking “I’m NEVER gonna get a fair call on this!” but she’s a TOTAL trooper and says…
What? Compliment on my wha…? Car? The Cougar? Oh. Yeah, I’ve ahh… I’ve had a few compliments on the car too. Nothing I’m comfortable with repeating here though.
