In reply to iansane :
Bingo! If I say it has an X-pipe, will they understand, or just think that all loud cars have one after that? Do I go into how I carefully selected aftermarket springs that match OEM GT350 rates plus a little extra because...reasons? How about the custom alignment and spherical joints sprinkled here and there? Ugh, I irritate myself...
In reply to P3PPY :aallmostlways. They get a "Thank you"
The Molvo makes this easy, and kind of fun, I say "Thank you for the compliment". Then I ask them if they have figured out what they are looking at.
"Thanks! You should get one"
I tend to have odd vehicles so half the time people ask me what they are looking at before they decide if they like it. On my bike, a BMW Sport Tourer I often get "BMW makes motorcycles???" or my uncle had an old one he brought home from Germany. The RX7 was good for a 20 minute conversation any place it stopped. Rotaries are a love/hate, most people loved seeing it but hated hearing it. When the car gets complimented, I'll say Thank you and will say something nice about their ride if applicable. With the Mustang, the color gets everyone talking and I just agree that it is an awesome color.
Usually just some variation of "Thanks! I appreciate it" unless they have specific questions.
Though on my 57 I do often add it was my dad's first car so it has a lot of sentimental meaning.
"Hey, I like your car"
"Hey, it likes you too!"
It's not rude, but it's just unusual enough to scramble their brain long enough for you to get away.
I do try to respond with humility.
I was leaving a cars and coffee in the Camaro and someone said "That thing sounds mean"
"Yeah, an exhaust leak will do that."
When stopping at the grocery store a simple "thanks, it is a fun car" will do. After all it is just a MGB with a nice paint job. At the C&Cs It gets no comments or even slow walk arounds until I open the hood.
Then the questions take more time.
"Thanks" mostly, if I am able. (The example of drivng to work and the guy yelling "Hell yeah!" didn't leave much of a chance to reply.
If we're somewhere like a C&C where we have a follow-up, I might add to it, like with the Abarth "it's not the fastest or best at anything, but it's a hoot to drive".
"Thanks! I really appreciate that. Its turned out better than I hoped" followed with a smile and a thumbs up
Tyler H said:I take the old M3 for granted as a somewhat anonymous car, but it seems like clean E36 M3s are starting to become noteworthy. I've started getting a lot more attention in it the last year or so.
I was at a military base in South Korea and a young soldier had an E36 M3 on his t-shirt. Said it was his dream car but he didn't think he could handle the upkeep of one. Made me feel old to realize that he was born after they went out of production.
VW/Audi guys check out my stock-appearing Sportwagen all the time. It's kind of funny, especially if I have a chance for a demonstration of speed. :)
Randomly, I encountered an is38-equipped Sportwagen on the highway one day. We both accelerated hard to [REDACTED] then eased off while next to each other. Windows down. "is38!" "me too!" <laughter>
Depends on the situation but it's usually "thanks". If it's somebody that looks and acts knowledgeable then I'll keep going. If it's the guy sitting in the passenger seat of a minivan with the testosterone getting sucked out of his body while looking at the Corvette and weakly saying "Nice car bro" it's just "thanks". Funny thing, I get almost as many compliments on the Ranger and it 's usually about the color (Chili Pepper Red).
Thank you very much!
Accompanied with a smile!
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