Personal car talk, is it good for the hobby?

[Bruce48D24]

The thread on the 39 Plymouth with a big block Chevy motor got me thinking about how us old car owners respond to questions from the general public about our cars. I own a 1929 Dodge DA, 1948 Dodge D24, and a 1970 Dodge Challenger.

When someone asks me a question about my car, if they seem genuinely interested and ask an intelligent question, I try to give them a good answer and encourage their interest.

However, lately I'm getting tired of one particular question, especially if it is the first thing they ask - "Wanna sell it?" It seems that I get asked that question 5 times a day, mostly when I'm driving the Challenger.

How about you? Do any questions get you annoyed?

Thanks,

Bruce

Edited May 6, 2011 by Bruce48D24

[Young Ed]

Yes I got annoyed with the neighbor who asked me everytime he saw my pickup what year it was. I don't think he ever caught on when I eventually got annoyed and started telling him whatever year I felt like.

[Jim Yergin]

I believe the most frequent question I get is "How much is it worth?" It is a whole other view of old cars than mine and I never know the correct response. I usually just say I don't know. If you were looking at someone's garden would your first question be, "How much value does it add to your house?"

Jim Yergin

[E.L Lane's 48]

That thing got a hemi?

[Don Coatney]

When anyone asks what my car is worth I give them a figure I can live with if they say "I will take it".

[Drdialtone]

So far, I am lucky in this regard. Most people are curious about the car, where do I get parts, is it reliable, how old is it, and a whole lot of "that is a very cool car!" I'm sort of used to the "delays" with curious passers by because of my Ural Motorcycle with sidecar. Affectionately other Ural owners refer to this as "UDF" - Ural Delay Factor. Like with the motorcycle, the P15 value for me is not monetary. I didn't buy it as an investment, I have not intention of selling it, I bought it to ENJOY. Drive it, research the car in a historical sense, have it be an escape from what has become a much too complicated world. Besides, it's the best therapy money can buy AND I'm keeping a reminder of times when design, reliability, function and form were important symbols of craftsmanship. Like Peabody and Sherman, they are my "wayback machines!"

[Roadkingcoupe]

I too am surprised that the first and most often question is "What's it worth?"

Actually it has become annoying and I answer "I dont know.....I've owned it for 21 years and its not for sale.

The statement I really like is.......WOW, that's a beautiful car! When the car effects people on a truly visual/sculptural way it is the reaction that I had the first time I saw it (25 years ago) and that still happens today (72 years after manufacture).

I always engage the person and suggest they guess the year. Before they ask it themselves. As they guess the year I drop hints to aid them towards the correct year. Like first year the headlights were in the fenders. Last year of pre sealed beam headlight bulbs. Pre-war etc. After two or three prompts they usually guess it within two or three years. Except the guy who thought the 1939 Plymouth Coupe was a 1965.........?

I believe the most frequent question I get is "How much is it worth?" It is a whole other view of old cars than mine and I never know the correct response. I usually just say I don't know. If you were looking at someone's garden would your first question be, "How much value does it add to your house?"

Jim Yergin

[austinsailor]

I get asked frequently what year both my '40 dodge four door and my rusty '48 b1b are. I've never been asked what they are worth, or what I paid for them.

But, the most unusual question was asked recently when I stopped at the light on the exit ramp on the way to home depot. I was driving my original rust barn find b1b when the bum at the corner with the homeless sign asked "Where'd you get that??" "About 30 miles from north of here" says I. After about 30 seconds of trying to figure out what to say next, he says "I recon I should give YOU a dollar, huh?"

I'm sure his new car was parked nearby. He must have thought it was all I could afford and had a bit of guilt.

[Scruffy49]

My standard response to "what is it worth" is $10 a pound. Be it my long deceased 49 project truck, my 69 D-100 farm truck (rusting out heap but it's a hard worker) or my full custom 1998 motorcycle. I know what they are actually worth (not for sale, period), but if somebody is dumb enough to bite the $10 a pound hook...

Blame the idiots who watch the high end auctions and see cars going for way more than they are actually worth. They see an older vehicle covered in dollar signs. Had a bike shop boss like that, he swapped a couple t-shirts for an early Yamaha XS650 that needed a fuel filter (total investment maybe $30) and sold it to the next wide eyed rube for $3500. Who proceeded to buy almost $8000 worth of dress up crap for it. We got it back a month later, I think we gave him $150 for it.

I don't go to mainstream car/truck/bike shows anymore. Too many trailer queens posers and wannabes, not enough grease monkeys.

[Young Ed]

I used to always get the whats it worth or what year is it. Now with the higher gas prices I frequently get asked whats it get to the gallon. They all seem so shocked when I tell them high teens.

[oldodge41]

The only question that truly bugs me are the "Why didn't you do ________? Usually followed by IF I had an old car I would ______.

[JBNeal]

The most annoying questions I get about the '48 or '49 B-1s had to do with money. I found that to be so tacky: "how much did you pay for it" or "how much did it cost to get running again".

My responses are usually something like "it was my great-grandfather's but was parked for 20yrs, I was told that if I could get it running again that it was mine, I could have bought a new truck for that amount (not really, but close)".

When the really annoying dudes ask "how much ya want fer it", I automatically say "one meeeellion dollars". To date, I have always gotten a very annoyed response and a follow-up offer well south of $500. I then revise my asking price to the north, and the low-baller usually slinks off...good riddance ya bums, I'm a-thinkin'...

But the most annoying of them all was the barber I had about 10 years ago. I had driven the old Dodge that Saturday morning to get the ears lowered, and that guy wanted to talk about my old beater. I was Mr. Diplomacy since the guy had easy access to a straight razor. Eventually, he began to criticize & berate the time & $$$ spent on such a thing. And within a few days, I learned to cut my own hair.

[Dan Hiebert]

I've never really been annoyed by any of the questions folks ask about our car. The one exception being if the FIRST question is "What's it worth?" I get a slew of different ones, many comical, most genuine, and just a few "stupid". When out and about in the ol' Dodge when I have to be somewhere, I too work in some delay time for questions an curiosity.

[Robert Horne]

The most asked question, and annoying, I get for my 38 Coupe is, "does it have a 350 Chevy motor?".........Since the hood is off or open most of the time, I have to reply, "does this look like any chevy engine?"..........

When ask, "what is it worth?", I reply with, "I paid $400 for it"........

My wife ask what is it worth, and when I told her my estimate, she says we should sell it. I told her, "I bought the 38 in 1986, and your daughter was born in 1988, would you sell your daughter?", she has not mentioned selling the 38 since..........

[Tom Skinner]

At my last car show (Lowe's Motor Speedway Charlotte, NC) a guy with his wife and son stood in front of me (I was sitting in a folding chair) and kept asking me "How Much" "How much would it take to sell my car to them"? I simply told them if they wanted my wife's phone number so that after I was dead they could talk to her about buying it I would give them that number. Otherwise if I out-lived her they would be back at square 1 again. I find some people (as my Grandpa used to say) have no broughton up. I'm sure their parents tried but never got through to them on the manners thing.

Tom Skinner

Huntersville, NC

[Young Ed]

You guys must have nicer vehicles than I do. I don't think anyone has ever tried to buy mine.

[Mark Haymond]

I am annoyed when the first thing out of their mouth is "How much is it worth?" I get the feeling they have been watching too many Barrett Jackson episodes on TV. Sometimes I'll say it's not a Ford or Chevy, it's a Plymouth and they were never popular. I'll say three or four thousand and I think it pops their fantasy bubble. It shut them up.

I like talking to the ones who say they learned to drive in one, or their father had one, you can see their eyes going back in wistfully in time.

[1950 Special Deluxe]

I have never had anything other than positive comments. Most people that look at it are older, the younger ones only look at the rodded ones. As my car aspires to be driver quality it doesn't turn a lot of heads. But, the people that do stop and look all have their own stories. My dad/uncle had a car like that or I learned to drive in car like that, etc.

[55 Fargo]

I have been asked many a question, somm intelligient and encouraged, some asinine and ridiculous.

I have had people open the doors, to have a look, those people were promptly informed by my favorite profanity.

The 1 that annoys me the most is, are you going to put a hemi or big *** V8 in there, hey Man, I love this flathead 6.

There are times, when I will not drive the car, if I am not in the mood, to encounter well intentioned people who want to chat about the car.

Or I do not stop anyhwere, just go for a cruise and then come home, I am a very private person by nature, especially in public......

[P-12 Tommy]

About three out of ten people get the year right. I like the older guys when they talk about their old Plymouth they used to have and their eyes light up. It brings back memories for them. I really don't have any complaints.

I'm glad to tell them about it.

Tom

[BobT-47P15]

I get about the same questions as already mentioned.

Some people are surprised when I tell them the mpg it gets.....I guess

they think the older cars with a six should get better mileage.

I never put a price on it because if you ever do, the guy who asked just

might have a pocket full of money. One guy who inquired if for sale

several years ago said he had just moved here from California after

selling his house and his airplane. He'd have had plenty left over if

I'd have told him anything within reason.

Sometimes I ask small kids if they'd like to sit in the car, and those that

do get behind the wheel and look at the dash...some ask questions....

and all seem tickled that they got to do it.

It's always neat to hear kids and young people holler at you as you

drive down the street....."nice car, mister". I usually honk the oogah

horn or hit the button for the siren for them.....they're really

surprised by that. All in all, the old Plymouth provides a lot of

fun and a little education for lookers.

[Scruffy49]

Could or should be classified as anything other than junkyard rejects. In the case of my Sweptline, literally, I bought it from the used car lot at a junkyard. Yet it still draws lots of attention (could be the mild V8 rumble I guess).

I had a 383/727/8.75 from a running 68 Newport for my Pilot House. So many people couldn't wait for it to get a "real" engine that I said to heck with it and kept it a flattie. It gets lots of compliments as well, can't understand why, it hasn't even been washed since sometime in the 70s when it was still being used as a potato storage bin in Grandpa's barn...

I get a kick out of the scrappers who come by with profit glinting in their eyes... Fire up the truck, raise my shirt tail enough for them to see I'm ALWAYS packing... I live on a working former plantation, in the mid-south, that has a couple acre pond. Lots of snakes.

[T120]

I have some friends and acquaintances that aren't into old cars .My wife and I have a couple of vehicles that aren't too old that are normally parked in the driveway.The older vehicles are usually tucked away in the garage except when I'm driving them or working on them in the driveway, enjoying the sunny weather.Some of course know I'm into old cars but really have have no interest and one of the questions that pops up is,"how many cars do you own?"..and that is about how technical it gets

[Charlie Olson]

Being as I am very shy and introverted; having people come up to me, when enjoying one of my rides, and start asking me questions, allows me to come out of my shell and answer all of their questions and encourage their own comments about old car family memories. Actually, I am very honored that non car people take the time to want to learn about the history of my car/truck and old cars, in general. I think it also a great PR idea to be cordial to the public with our cars because the damn politicians are always trying to pass laws to curb (pun intended) in the enjoyment of our collector car hobbies.

[Desotodav]

I was the person asking the questions when I turned up at this fella's place today. Look closer in the garage of the second photo. Yep, he's a Mopar guy!

Desotodav