Car Guys vs. Non-Car Guys, Observations Options

[pbanders]

Just a couple of observations. First, I am a Car Guy. I'm always noticing the cars around me in traffic, in the parking lot at work, in my neighborhood. When I see something out of the ordinary, I simply have to check it out.

I drove my 914 to work today, and went out to lunch. Like other Car Guys, I parked in a "safe" spot near the restaurant, and sat where I could keep an eye on it. Some guys walked out of the restaurant and walked right by it without a glance, giving it the same attention they would a Camry. Others, walked by with their heads swiveling as they passed. One guy almost walked into a sign.

Thing is, I just don't understand Non-Car Guys. Help me, what's wrong with those guys?

[Gint]

I don't know either, so I can't answer! Probably akin to the reason I can go to the annual Denver Stock Show yesterday afternoon instead of watching football. Football guys probably don't get that either.

[VaccaRabite]

For non-car guys, gear heads are just a nother set of Nerds, and we are in the minority. Car nerds are only *slightly* more socially acceptable then other nerds, but that is only because most people have at least a passing interest in cars.

Even for guys that "like" cars, or that want to like cars, you can see thier eyes start to glaze quickly when you start talking about ceramic lifters or setting bearing tolerances.

Most people, even people that profess to be "car people" just want to sit ina pretty car and drive it, and don't much care about what makes it go, or why it is pretty. Most of them will have a hard time describing why they like one car more then another.

And most of them, as they are in the vast majority, wonder what is wrong with us.

Zach

[bembry]

I don't get 'em either. We have a couple guys at work that drive bland, filthy door-dinged pieces of crap no-name sedans. They kind of get a minus in the "dude" column for that.

Even when I'm driving a beater sedan or whatever, I'll have something cool going on with it, to give it away as a gearhead's ride. You can have some pride in most anything.

[Slider]

some people tell me im just crazy owning a poor mans porsche.. except the car guys, they like the car and like it when i drive it to work..

[turboman808]

Eh we all have our own thing. I walk down the street in Manhattan and check out all the single speed steel lugged bicycles. Everyone else looks at me like I am crazy.


On the same note I just don't understand how others are so into sports. I really could care less who wins what game. Then to get fixated on one team because they are in your area. No one on that team is from your area, they don't live here. They just collect a paycheck here. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/screwy.gif)

[dr914@autoatlanta.com]

Just a couple of observations. First, I am a Car Guy. I'm always noticing the cars around me in traffic, in the parking lot at work, in my neighborhood. When I see something out of the ordinary, I simply have to check it out.

I drove my 914 to work today, and went out to lunch. Like other Car Guys, I parked in a "safe" spot near the restaurant, and sat where I could keep an eye on it. Some guys walked out of the restaurant and walked right by it without a glance, giving it the same attention they would a Camry. Others, walked by with their heads swiveling as they passed. One guy almost walked into a sign.

Thing is, I just don't understand Non-Car Guys. Help me, what's wrong with those guys?

MY TAKE ON IT

Just a couple of observations. First, I am a babe Guy. I'm always noticing the babes around me in traffic, in the parking lot at work, in my neighborhood. When I see something out of the ordinary, I simply have to check it out.

I drove my with my babe to work today, and went out to lunch. Like other babe Guys, I parked in a "safe" spot near the restaurant, and sat where I could keep an eye on mine as well as the rest of the babes in the restaurant. Some guys walked out of the restaurant and walked right by them without a glance, giving it the same attention they would a dog. Others, walked by with their heads swiveling as they passed. One guy almost walked into a sign.

Thing is, I just don't understand Non-babe Guys. Help me, what's wrong with those guys?

[zymurgist]

I don't get 'em either. We have a couple guys at work that drive bland, filthy door-dinged pieces of crap no-name sedans.

Don't knock 'em... these cars don't attract attention from the cops, and they allow the owner to spend his money on a much sweeter weekend ride. I'd still be driving my '94 Camry had it not been totaled.

[Sleepin]

I work with a lot of non-car guys. I honestly cannot see what makes them tick. I cannot imagine my life without looking at every type of car and seeing what is cool with it in it's own right.


Then again, I am not a football guy...sure I will watch and have a favorite team, but I don't watch every game and know all the stats...they don't get that about me.

[jhadler]

I don't get 'em either. We have a couple guys at work that drive bland, filthy door-dinged pieces of crap no-name sedans.

Don't knock 'em... these cars don't attract attention from the cops, and they allow the owner to spend his money on a much sweeter weekend ride. I'd still be driving my '94 Camry had it not been totaled.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

[carr914]

I think that the problem is that today's cars all look alike; a Camry looks like an Civic that looks like a Jetta that looks like a Fucus. When people drive these these things they lose appreciation of fine cars

T.C.

[tat2dphreak]

TC hit it, imo

new cars, for the most part have no personality, and the ones that do, are bad. and when a car comes out that does have something that is appealing... it's squashed by flooding the market with them. like the PT cruiser... it was different when it came out and that made it cool, then everyone and their dog got them and they ceased to be different, then they made bad copies... it's like bad music...

when I do see something that is different, or classic I have to drive around the parking lot or follow the car where ever it's going to get a better look...

I went to starbucks the other day just because there was a Lambo parked in front (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

cars now just are plain, and un-inspiring. most are coated in plastic, inside and out, and feel as antiseptic as a couch with the plastic kept on it...

either that or they are so used to seeing 1 million SUVs that they think THAT is what vehicles should look like...

bottom line, I feel sorry for non-car guys. the same way I feel sorry for people who never bothered to learn to drive a standard transmission... they missed out.

[codices]

Lots of folks just look at cars as transportation. Second most expensive purchase they make and once the "new" is gone they treat it like trash. Makes one wonder what their houses look like?

I got my first car in 1952 when I tiuned 16 but I was a "fanatic" about cars by then as were many American males of that generation.

A fair number of young folks today don't even want to get their driver's license when the time rolls around when they can.

When I was that age young American boys and girls were counting down the days to that special birthday.

With a generation or two of "non-car"guys around what is going to happen to cars and the laws that govern them? Already talk by the "green folks" of going back to the 55 mph limit.

Dave

[underthetire]

I don't understand the non-car guys, but they don't understand me. If it wasn't for them, Cptn and fellows like him would be out of business. I don't understand taxes, but my accountant does.

[rick 918-S]

I have yet another spin on this topic. When I was in my late teens I used to hang out with the muscle car guys. I drove a 500+ HP big block chevy, had a totally lifted 1960 chevy shorty fleet with a 454 ci engine and drag raced at BIR. Over time I developed other interests and have had just about every kind of "affordable sport type car or hot rod".

I drove the Alien to a hot rod show last summer and ran into my old crew. Most of them I haven't see in 25 + years. Now I'm standing is a crowd of muscle cars, street rods, rat rods and 4WD's, surrounded by "car guys". These old friends of mine couldn't figure out what the attraction was to this little mid-engine furren car. (where's the engine? what is it?)

I was standing there trying to tell these guys that this was just another form of hot rodding and I could most likely blow their doors off.

They walked away to check out some crap pile rust bucket rat rod that had no business being on the road or traveling anywhere near pedesterians. Now I happen to like that kind of car for arts sake. but where is the comparision..

The moral here is not all car guys are really car guys. Some of the "self professed car guys" may very well be single minded. I guess it will be another 25 years before I see these guys again..

[flipb]

I have a friend who is a "foodie" - even has a foodie blog.

I postulated this theory:

The ratio of
Foodies::People who eat
is approximately the same as the ration of
Car guys::People who drive

[6freak]

Y chromosome vs X chromosome.......

[1970 Neun vierzehn]

Car guyz, with many sub-species
a)sports cars
b)muscle cars
c)vintage cars
d)off-road vehicles
e)etc., etc.

Motorcyle dudes,
a)sport bikes
b)cruisers
c)tourers
d)Harley riders
e)off-road, trail, etc.

Airplane nutz
a)warbirds
b)civil aviation
c)commercial aviation
d)aerobatic & home builds
e)etc.

Railroad "foamers"
a)Steam
b)early diesel
c)passenger "buffs"
d)modern power
e)etc.

Computer wackos
a)program mavens
b)hardware gurus
c)vintage collectors (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)
d)etc.

Audiophiles
a)vinyl
b)hardware
c)vintage hardware

Modelers
a)railroads
b)armor
c)aviation
d)automobiles
e) etc.

Musicians,
Sports junkies,
Boat crazies,
Gun collectors
etc., etc., etc.

Some of it I participate in , some of it I appreciate but don't partake, and some of the above I don't understand the attraction at all.

I suppose what we are drawn to is part due to "nurture", natural inclination, and our exposure to the activity at a very impressionable age.

Paul

[hot_shoe914]

Thing is, I just don't understand Non-babe Guys. Help me, what's wrong with those guys?

THEY ARE GAY!

[zymurgist]

The moral here is not all car guys are really car guys. Some of the "self professed car guys" may very well be single minded.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) That's one of the reasons I left my old Corvette club. It's one thing to have a favorite car, but totally another to ignore the possibilities of everything else that has been built.