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Car show peanut gallery

6K views 50 replies 37 participants last post by  Woodchuck 
#1 ·
Man, it's really wild hearing what people have to say about your car. I had my '68 fastback at the Fabulous Fords Forever show this year and while I met some super awesome people (VMF guys of course), I also encountered a few odd balls and jack asses. A few notes:

- Several people didn't believe I owned the car (might be why I overheard so many comments).

- Apparently there's an invisible for sale sign on my car.

- People lecturing me about my own car. Really? I didn't know that about MY car?

- "So you're just going to leave it like this? Aren't you going to beautify it?"

- "It doesn't have the original motor, that's not good for the value"

- "Why didn't you paint it?"

- I had several odd conversations with the owners of cars near me, it almost felt like they were trying to flex or one up me? When did this become a contest? (Insecure much?)

And the most annoying:

A LOT of people persistently asking how much I paid for it. I'm not sure why that's relevant or why it needs to be asked. It's annoying and no ones business. One person was particularly stubborn, I had a few choice words in response (GET LOST).

I think car show etiquette has a lot of unspoken rules, but some of this stuff is just common sense. None of this really bothers me because at the end of the day I'm the one driving my dream car home from the show :). I think it would be interesting to make a thread on car show etiquette :shrug:.
 
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#3 ·
One of the many reasons I'm not a huge 'car show' fan. Give me a cruise, a cruise in(theres a local unplanned friday night thing at the A&W in another town I LOVE) or actual event. Seem to be a lot friendlier/smarter/better folk at those.

I seem to hear the same three or four things too:

1- 'You have the wrong colour centre caps' - I know.. I like the blue caps on my blue car

2- 'I don't think thats a factory colour' - Yes, it is, even the respray is in the proper PPG silver Blue.

3- *random lowball offer* after I tell them its not for sale.

I also get told endlessly that their cousin/sister/aunt/brother had the EXACT same car except it was a GT etc.

So I totally feel ya on that one Armon. Come join me on power tour ;)
 
#5 ·
Yea I also encounter passive or even direct hostility towards my '66 much more often in recent years. I used to meet many people at the gas station, hardware store, etc. and have a friendly chat where they'd be interested in how I built my car, but that's mostly ceased nowadays. Obviously my '66 is a GT350 tribute which induces plenty of hate anyways but most of the time the criticism I receive is from those who don't even know what year Mustang they're looking at.

I guess it's because less and less people are seeing classics or owning them, since much of the hobby seems focused on modern vehicles, and the understanding of what it costs and the amount of labor involved to work on an older car just isn't there.

I try to remain pleasant with those inclined to force-feed me their feedback and explain why I went a particular route or how difficult/unnecessary a particular change is, but most of the time they don't care. Too many people just see cars on TV and think that everyone should be building their cars into $100k street machines.

The classic cars hobby has definitely lost some relevance in recent times.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Comments I have gotten/that were made:
Is a clone, not a real Shelby (he could tell by looking in the trunk).
Its not the right color red.
Its not a Hertz:
  • All Hertz cars were Black with Gold stripes.
  • They did not make Hertz cars in 1969.
  • It doe not have the "H" on it.
I had (cousin/sister/aunt/brother/father had) one just like it, only it was/had (insert something different).
I had a GT350, only it came with a Big Block from the factory.
That roll bar is not original / They did not come with roll bars.
Why did you put an automatic in it (thinking all Shelby's had 4 speeds).

The best one from a modern Mustang owner:
I didn't know they made Shelby's back then.
 
#9 ·
I blew this up, laminated it and usually leave it sitting on the passenger seat in plain view. >:)

John
 

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#10 ·
Etiquette in general has been left out of a lot of peoples life lessons, including my own. I had a nice older gentlemen give me a (thankfully gentle) lesson in proper etiquette once at a show. It stuck with me and I keep my trap shut as often as possible.

Also I quit telling anyone about my mustang build for some of the similar reasons. I should get rid of the coupe and build a fastback, I should put a boss motor in it, I should put it all back original, etc.... I have to really get to know someone before I say anything about cars. lol.
 
#11 ·
If I see a car I dont like, I keep going. Not my job to bust some guys nads over his car.

I saw a 65 at a cruise this past weekend. Really nice car. Lots of changes/upgrades not 65 correct but period and Mustang correct. Im looking under the hood and taking a couple pics when the owner says "I know its not original." I say "I know its not original as well, but Im interested in how you did a few things." That got us talking, nice guy, he bought the car from a friend and he is just maintaining it and enjoying it.

Im sure I will see it again.
 
#13 ·
I guess I used to care what people think.

I don't really now. I mean it's nice to hear compliments and enthusiasts, but like a lot of you, I built the car for myself.
Some decisions were made because of budget. Some because I lacked the skill at the time to do it differently. Some because something broke and I had to fix it.

I'm certain that it's the same for many people.

I think if you build your car trying to please people or be judged and win an award, that's a totally different ball game. I'm a non-conformist, so unlikely to be me.
 
#14 ·
I have had a few of these things happen to me. I also like when I am by my car and folks ask people if its there car but never ask me. I guess it doesn't look like I would own my car, would get that more often 15yrs ago as I was pretty young.
 
#18 ·
I was really not impressed by the show this year. I could see why you got those comments. Probably because you are younger than most people who own classics.

Sorry, I didn't catch you. I did see Mike.
 
#22 ·
I'll have to catch you next time I break down in SF LOL. To be honest, I don't know what I thought of the show this year. It has all the right ingredient to be an awesome show, but something about Knott's makes it that much more fun. :shrug:


I think the most memorable comment(s) I got at a show was with my '69 by the same person. First, he tried buying the thing off of me and gave me some rather insulting low ball offers. Granted this is after I told him how rare the car is and that it's not for sale.

He then started talking about 1/4 mile times and how he's got a stroker in his '65 coupe but could only run in the 14's. He didn't believe me when I told them I've got a 306 in mine and ran a 12.9 until I whipped out the time slip and showed him the video. I'm not sure he was convinced though, he kept asking if I had changed anything on the motor since then because "302's don't go that fast". Not my fault the guy doesn't know how to drive :shrug:.
 
#20 ·
When I got my car drivable I put it in a couple of local shows not that it's a show car but mostly for the "premium parking". It was interesting to witness the car show snobbery, one time I found some shade under a tree far enough away from my car as to not look like the owner but close enough to hear people talk about it.I went to enough local shows that it became boring ..
Then I discovered autox (all ready knew about it ,just learned how to get involved) It's the best of both worlds. Plenty of cool cars, people willing to help, and I get to drive my car during that 10 hour day in those 10 minutes or less I get behind the wheel I'm free
 
#21 ·
I havent had my hardtop out much but, from the few people who have seen it, my favorite comment so far is "I had one just like it".

To which my response was:
"Really?! You had a 66 with a fuel injected 408 that was Audi Scuba blue with 17" TT II wheels, a giant aluminum radiator made for a 71, AND electric fans?!?! What would be the chance of that?!"

I'm an a-hole :-(

While i give negative sh*ts what people think about my car, I am a little curious to hear some of the comments when i get it to it's first cruise / show.
 
#23 ·
I've had my '65 since May 2016 and haven't yet been to any shows. At first I wanted to fix the running gear ( shocks, springs, brakes, etc.), and I needed to replace the dash pad which was really ruined by all those years of sun. And then -- I just didn't feel the need to go to any shows and have people pick, pick, pick with their little snide comments about the paint job ( yes, I know it needs attention ) and so on. But lately when I'm out in town getting gas or at the store I've gotten some nice remarks and had a few really good conversations with other owners, even a Camaro and a GTO owner! So I guess this summer I'll bite the bullet and go to one or two. Not Carlisle, mind you -- she'll never be concours quality, at least from MY wallet!
 

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#24 ·
There is a lot of freedom in not giving a damn what other people think. I've heard the peanut gallery before, and it just makes me laugh. After 23 years, every decision on my car has been well thought out. There's things that budget or ability didn't allow for along the way, but it's part of this car's story.

A common sentiment from one of my greybeard hot rod buddy's is, "You'd do something different? Cool. Where's yours?".
 
#25 ·
I love this thread. Whenever we attend car shows (mostly local charity sponsored events), we bring my wife's 2 mustangs. One is a '65 coupe and the other is a early '65 convertible. I purposely put her name on both window placards, so I can sit back and be entertained. People ask me about the cars, and if my wife is nearby I tell them they need to ask her about them. I am only the mechanic. When she is not around, I will answer questions about the cars, or differences between early and late '65s, but only for people that are obviously car-people or seem generally interested. All the others (low-ball offer people, I had one, my whatever had one, I know more about your cars than you do), I tell them I don't really know anything about them, and they'll have to wait for her to come back. She is very knowledgeable about both her cars and the mods. that have been made to them, but it's really surprising the assumption is they are mine.
 
#27 ·
It's the same with us. The Mustang is really my wife's car and when we go someplace with it she's the one who answers the questions about it.



We were getting ready to leave one show and my wife was climbing in the driver seat as I was getting in the passenger seat when this guy comes up to me and says (loud enough for my wife to hear) "you let your wife drive this car?". I glanced at my wife out of the corner of my eye and could see the smoke coming out of her ears and told the guy "why not? it's HER car.". The guy shut up and walked away. I guess he didn't believe women are into classic cars too.
 
#26 · (Edited)
I hate car shows, never entered one, but have inadvertently parked near them, or cruise in nights in the process of just driving my car around.

My first issue is with so-called show "officials" trying to tell me where I am to park/what I am to do, as I accidentally drive through the traffic jam the show generates. An enraged self-important popinjay POS gets all huffy because I'm driving through the drive thru to place my order at the restaurant they've taken over, instead of parking where he wants me to. Or when I pointedly ignore their direction to turn off into the parking lot, when in reality I'm just trying to drive by on my way to somewhere else.



Second, when I have the misfortune to park near such a gathering, enduring the comments of people "who had one just like it" and they misidentify the year, or even the make.

My paint is original, and is flaking pretty good now, so there are the comments about putting a "real" paint job on it.

The interior and top are also original, and are in good enough shape to cause certain members of the car community to call b.s. on those, because "everyone knows" the interior/tops on these don't last very long. And "how would I know" unless I asked the original owner. Of course, I AM the original owner, thank you. So bite me.



When I'm driving with Lela, my foxhound/pitbull mix, which is most of the time, I also get the comments about how dumb I am to "allow the dog to ride with me" and mess up that nice interior. Well, since I like Lela more than most people, they can sit and spin.



My Mustang is my daily driver during the summer, so there are also the "you oughta clean the carpet" comments. Anyone who has lived with a black interior car knows how friggin' impossible that is and still actually use the car.
 
#30 ·
I agree with almost all the comments here, but the "I used to have one just like it" people don't bother me at all. Sure, they may not be as knowledgeable about our cars, but I get enjoyment out of hearing them reminisce about the old car they used to have and how much they miss it. I guess I don't get offended if someone sees my red '65 and says "I used to have one just like it but it was a blue '68". I can appreciate that they are making the connection between my car and I enjoy the fact that my car brings them some good memories.

Now, the hyper-critics, low-ballers, and rude people suck, absolutely.
 
#31 ·
I get asked a lot how come I never do shows, FFF in particular. I took mine to it I dunno like 3/4 years ago, right after I got it put together. Met some really nice folks but also had a lot of the same experience. Lots of sideways comments and one-upsmanship. Lots of people being like too bad you did that type of crap. All in all it reminded me of why I have never cared for car shows. Particularly the kind that have one make of car. I will still go to a random cars n coffee now and then because I like the variety. But in general I would rather be driving/wrenching on mine than staring at someone else's car.
 
#32 ·
Best comment I got at FFF was "man this looks so much nicer than the Rotten Bannana Yellow 68 down the row!"

Just kidding. of course.
 
#33 ·
Let them say what they want. It's my car and it's the way I want it, done factory or not. I am proud of it and am just amused with the strange comments. It get a lot of nice ones as well that do more to make up for the others.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 
#34 ·
I enjoy people, if they're my age or younger, repeating every dumb thing their uncle ever told them about cars. Or if they're older, saying dumb things that elderly/middle aged uncles say about cars. Especially irrelevant Chevy bull**** like, "is it numbers matching?" Or, "does it have a rev kit?" More people should probably learn to appreciate things in silence rather than feeling the need to blurt out something dumb. Could you imagine if Picasso had to stand next to his paintings in a museum?

You can chalk guys flexing on you up to jealousy. You're young and you have a car they may never have. People like to think they know what other people deserve to have based on appearances. If they see that you're young and have cool stuff, and they're old and have garbage, they think you didn't earn it. And if they can't have your car they're certainly going to tell how they'd build/restore it.
 
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