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?

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.

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

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.

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..

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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..

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

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

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
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

THEY ARE GAY!

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.

We get a the Vette club and Porsche club to come to our Autocrosses.
Our core group is 100% gear head, if it has 4 wheels and a motor we will race the snot out of it.

Vette guys all caravan to the site they line up the cars in a row as directed by the leader. all of them pop the hoods and talk about some different cleaning product while drinking a Starbucks.

Porsche guys are always late and huddle together away from the gear heads and only glance over to the vette guys.

Gear heads go check out all the cars and chat up everyone. then clean everyone's clock on course.

I would argue that technological progression is to blame for this. I'm 24 years old. My dad is 58. He and his brother grew up tearing engines out of 1960s Mustangs and rebuilding them - then wrecking them because they put a 450 engine into it. Today, 16 year olds put spoilers, audio systems, and HID lights on their car and consider that a mod and themselves "car guys".

Plus, it is way more difficult to do simple maintenance on an engine and car these days than it was 20 30 40 years ago. And as mentioned before - modern looks look like crap. They all look the same.

I wouldn't consider myself a "car guy". I've never taken a transmission out or anything advanced - I've never had the opportunity (and quite frankly, I don't want to screw up my 914). But I can appreciate a good looking car.

I think it's what you grew up with - if your dad was a car guy good chance you are too. On the other hand if dad watched football or some other ball sport all weekend instead of wrenching on something you probably are the same.
One thing I have noticed lately is that sports-guys (and gals) seem to think they have the right to change TV channels while another person is watching something other than THE GAME. Happened at my house while I was watching a touring car race last weekend. My wife's friends came over and promptly grabbed the remote and put on THE GAME I changed it back and told them to go watch it at home. They have done this 50+ times over the last few years and I finally had enough (I don't really like them in the first place.)

I think that they are born that way. Live and let live! More babes for us!!!!!!

Some people are passionate about stamp or coin collecting, not me, but I have a few tastful pieces of art that I like but it hardly makes me an art collector. I think most people are passionate about something, one of mine and obviously members here are "car nuts" I am glad to be part of the group!

Ian Stott
Moncton
Canada

I am a car guy from birth. My father had old chevy's from the time I was 4 years old, and still does. I got the bug, but not exactly the same way as my dad. He is a restoration nut. He wants them exactly the way they were when new. I want to modify them to go faster. I think that made me more open to different views on car stuff. I have a friend who is into Jeeps, and we can talk cars. I appreciate everything from a low rider to a 4x4 pickup if nicely done.


Frankly, I can't figure out what non car guys do with their weekends.

There was a comment upstream that I take a very slight exception to... x chromosome vs y chromosome... sheesh. Not all car guys are "guys".

I asked my car (yes, we talk to each other), a looooong time ago if he cared if I was a girl. All he would say (in his German accented English) was "Boobs or balls, I couldn't care less... I just want to turn".

I've been enjoying ALL types of car related stuff since I was about 16 (I even dragged Clay to a monster truck event once because I'd never been to one before). Somebody else's baby might not be my cup of tea - but I can SURE appreciate the time, money, effort and love it took to turn their automotive choice into their "dream" machine. Have you ever SEEN a real low rider with hydraulics up close? That's some serious dedication!

I guess you'll just have to call me a "car guy" too... or how about a "car person"... or how about a "car utero-american"... or whatever. Just don't forget to call me when you've found a cool car we can ooh and aah over together.

... And yeah, I'm the exact same way. I see a wonderful car sitting in a parking lot (parked in a "safe" spot of course) and other people just walking past it without even a glance. Kind of makes me feel sorry for them and their inability to appreciate it.

Betty, Your our kind of gurl!

So are the girls at formula 1 hotter than NASCAR chicks?

I find that car guys like motorcycles and guns and anything that is machined well, fine tools and machines.

Absolutely, NASCAR chicks have hair on the chests

Sooooo, Danica..?

Didn't we get enough of her in the sandbox?

That's the bottom line.

good point. new cars may not appeal to me much on an aesthetic or unique level, but their engineering subtleties are still fascinating.

and yes, I love 'cycles and guns too

Let me tell you about my Mauser.

Her and her sack.

I am a car guy and love pretty women, both works of art in my eyes. I can watch Barret Jackson all day long if it's not too cold to work on the cars. I don't get the sports team groupies. They don't own the team, pick the players, or coach. but when their team looses, you find them in the corner curled up in the fetal position. They don't know which end of a screw driver to pick up or what a box wrench is. When it comes to fixing something around the house they are usless. But they can tell you all the stats about the teams and the players, also useless.

Lets talk about racing. Road racing, F1, Rollex series, This is real racing. The drivers have to memorize the track and every turn, shift, break, accelerate, and decelerate. Real skill and consentration.

NASCAR on the other hand is BULLSHIT racing. It's like combining a soap opera with demolition derby. Every 4th lap there is a wreck "cause rubbin is racing" BULLSHIT! The majority of the fans are inbread hill billys that drink Budwiser which smells and tastes like skunk piss. If you want to see what inbreading does, just watch the guys on the pre race show. No wonder the South lost the war! The reason NASCAR tracks are oval is so they don't have to retrain the drivers after the pit stops. "Just get it in 4th gear Billy Bob, and keep turnin left." Put those guys in an F1 car and they would be stopping to change their shorts and asking directions after the 4th turn! "Want to watch NASCAR? NO, just shoot me in the head."

That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it

I do love football. BUT a perfect example of going too far is a co worker... he skipped this monday because the Vikes lost... he said he was too depressed to work that day... probably a good thing I'm not his supervisor.




it's very unfortunate it does not get the air time... basketball, golf, baseball, hockey and especially NASCAR all get air time, but road races and others are shown late night, in non-HD on a channel DEDICATED to cars...

I'm a simple guy. I want to engineer it, build it, use it like I own it, fine-tune it and do it again. That goes for any machine I own; mechanical, electrical, electronic or any combination of the above. I like women that want to be there while that happens.

Anyone watching the 'big game' today? I just pissed off my wifes friends by refusing to go their silly party. Finally told them that I don't just not like football (or any ball sports) I detest it. Now I get a nice afternoon of me time! Unfortunately it will be spent reloading an f'ed up PC that got whacked in a power failure - oh well still better than football.
Steve

I'm not a sports fan either... And I live in Indianapolis, we went skiing and snowboarding today at Perfect North slopes near Cincinnati,, We had a blast, only bad thing people kept updating us on the lift about the game even though we could care less, Now we are back home and sore as hell, I finally did a good rail grind in their terrain park, and I was the old man the "kids" ( people under 21)kept giving the old guy advise and I finally got in a couple of good ones, By the way I'm in my middle 30's, but I'm old as dirt to them. but again we had so much fun... I have skied for years, but took the last 2 years off because my knees could not take it anymore, I was a decent skier, so I decided to try snowboarding this year, and it is a whole different animal, I am not so good at it, but it is so much easier on my knees, but it takes its toll on my ass when I fall which is all the time. It was funny in their parking lot there are alot of craptastic cars with ski racks that are worth as much as the car, let alone the gear.

I need to try out snowboarding as I can't ski anymore after 4 ACL reconstructions. I was oblivious to the game - still am and don't care wife came home and she didn't tell me who won. I don't even know who was playing.
Steve

If you like girls with all their teeth, then yes...