Jermo

Last weekend a local insurance company had a Cars & Coffee event, I drove down there my 71 LT1 and my Father n law drove my 62 (used to be his), as I was walking through, looking at all the cars I noticed this guy leaning his butt against my 71, talking to some lady! Really WTF I walked up and asked him (as nice as I could) can you Please not lean against my car. He looks at me like I'm putting him out! and just stands there. So I walk off and about 5 minutes later I see this guy leaning against my car again this time with his hand against the car!!(Ok I'm Pissed off now) as I walk up to him, he see's me coming and walks off. Frick it i'm out, started up and left. I can't believe it, people have no respect for others belongings. Sure, my cars are no show cars, but they are very nice drivers and I take pride and care for my cars. I sure would like to have a conversation with that Jack ***!

ricks327

I haven't had your experience but the jackasses of the world continue to reproduce. Any scuffs on the paint from him leaning on the car?

wraplock

I attended a very large cruise night here in NY a few years ago with my 60. A guy pulled in next to me with a C3, he and his friend got out and walked away. A short time later I saw two guys get in the car and go through it. At the time I didn't realize it was not the owner and his pal. When they returned I told them what had happened. They where pretty pi$$ed off and immediately left. I rarely leave my car when I'm at these types of events.

Jermo

no, thank god, but where his hands was, there was a dime sized smudge of something that took some time to get off. At first I thought it was a chip in my paint.

Mikado463

as Rick stated, it's unfortunate that certain individuals are allow to propagate .....

SpiritOf76

My buddy Joe bought my '69 Charger project car off me in 2009. He made a General Lee replica out of it. Last year at a local cruise night, some Jack *** had the ***** (stupidity) to slide across the hood. The rivets in his jeans gouged the 2-month old paint job down to the metal. Turning a decent '69 Charger into ANOTHER General Lee replica may be frowned upon, but he did a nice job on it. No one deserves their hard work disrespected like that.

Gary's '66

You sound like a nice guy. Sorry to say it but, it just doesn't pay to be nice sometimes. Personally, I would have been all over that guy inquiring as to what the hell he's thinking.

I don't like being an A-hole but, unfortunately due to the lack of respect some of people, I find it to be a "necessary evil"!

I always place this sign in plain sight on my windshield when at shows. I snipped off the top and bottom of the sign which said "Please" and "Thank you", highlighted the "Don't", added the eyes and exclamation point.

Trimming made it easier to carry (It fits in my glove box now) and hasn't failed me, so far.

Gary




Anti-idiot signage!

fyreline

It's becoming more and more apparent as the years go by that both common sense and common courtesy are not only no longer common, but damned near non-existent. People today just do what they want, with no regard for others or their property. I don't like to generalize, but when boorish, discourteous behavior becomes the norm rather than the exception - to the point where taking your Corvette to a car show becomes less and less and less about having fun and more and more about getting the car home without damage - it's time to re-assess a bit. In my own case, my 1962 is enough of a driver that I don't worry all THAT much about people touching it or leaning on it (within reason), but there are always going to be those oblivious bottom-feeders who drag their snotty-nosed kid's stroller down the side of your car or think it's OK to just jump right in and start moving levers and pushing buttons. There used to be a fairly high standard of etiquette at car shows, and people respected one another's vehicles. Now, don't get me wrong - some shows are still like that, although they seem to be fewer and farther between.

And I know full well I'm preaching to the choir here. We have all seen this bad behavior, and too many have had their cars damaged by it. I try not to leave my car unattended, which seems to be the best deterrent. Even then, sometimes you need to speak up. I've had some of these cretins respond with "If you don't want people to touch your car, you shouldn't bring it to car shows." They don't seem to be able to understand what "car SHOW" means. Oh, well. Rant over, I feel better now.

ricks327

The problem is that too many people either can't read or refuse to acknowledge what "Don't Touch" means.

SpiritOf76

Signage would help if people actually could read things. If there was a sign that said "CAUTION: this sign has sharp edges!" Someone would get cut on it.

Plasticman

Have posted the below previously:

Several years ago (before everyone had digital cameras), came back to the car and found a dad showing his son how to change the film in the camera, using my fender as a table........

A few years ago, was at a show at a local speciality car dealer, where they were grilling burgers, all just upwind from our cars. Spent several hours afterwards removing burger grease and rewaxing the Vette.

Plasticman

OC-1

Two teen girls eating a bag of potato chips while sitting on the front fender of my 62 caused me some consternation.

If a leaner didn't immediately get his butt off my vette I'd be in his face with real scary eyes and a smile turned upside down.

DansYellow66

Yep - that's why no one typically sees my Corvette or Cobra rep at car shows/cruise nights. I usually take my GTX which could stand new paint anyway. Fortunately no one has stolen the 440 hood ornament or the engine compartment data plate. I've seen some real goobers at car shows - a gal sitting on the fender of a Cobra replica to have her picture taken. I followed one mother and her 4 or 5 year old through an entire cruise night one night after watching him climb on to the painted running boards of a hot rod and jump up and down. Every car they approached I said something to her about watching her son. Probably lucky she didn't call the cops and report stalking. She finally gathered him up and ran off looking back over her shoulder to see if I was following.

Our car club is folding up shop this year (Hell - most of us died already anyway). A lot of us just got tired of being asked to organize or participate in car shows oriented towards families and non-car people. Standard response from the group was - sounds like it will attract a bunch of kids - count me out.

SupremeDeluxe

This is why I haven't taken any of my cars to a cruise night or show in 15+ years, and I have no plans to do so ever again.

SDVette

I find that most culprits are OBLIVIOUS more than malicious...

We here are all "car people", and know that that touching them (or using them as table tops!) can cause damage. The average guy driving a honda civic really has no concept that a car is something to respect.

I have been to several shows lately where the ORGANIZERS have signs and make PA announcements to "NOT TOUCH" any of the cars on display. Sadly, this is needed.

csherman

I was in ISCA for many years
I was in Cinci for a show....big show 3 days I think.
Car was up on blocks, roped off with stantions. light and mirrors etc....
I was sitting across from the car
Guy climbs across the ropes - swings the door all the open and gets in the car
He is sitting in the car (I had tweed covered swivel seats)
Needless to saw he got a real rude awakening after I jerked him out of the car.....

tubman

Yeah, and in this neck of the woods, they charge you $10.00 to subject your car to this type of behavior! (And they let the ******** in for free!)

Frankie the Fink

I've been to Old Town Florida once since June and I drove my Tundra that day just to meet the new owner of my '61. About over it. Earlier in the year, I had my car puked on -- yes somebody puked on my PS split window fender while I ate dinner and a spectator told me about it when I returned to the car.

Next a Latino lady whose umpteen dozen kids were laying all over the headlight buckets got mad when I asked her to get them under control and said in a heavy accent that if I didn't want my car touched I shouldn't bring it there and made a big show of laying across the hood of the E-type Jaguar next to me (owner was absent) just to show her disdain for my attitude.

Foreigners are the worst - sorry about being PC but they just flat don't understand the muscle car era and the cars are just pretty extensions to the Florida theme park scene to be touched, leaned on and I even had one lady try to get in my '61.

Exceptions are the British, New Zealanders, Ozzies, Scandanavians, Germans and a few others. These countrymen seem to be true car people..

my63vette

I agree with Fyreline. Its just crazy how people are now days and quite frankly I'm tired of it. I recently had a guy open his car door into my car at a club car show event, and put a huge gouge all the way down to the primer. When I called him on it, he denied it and told me to pound sand. I explained to him that I had a witness and he still denied it. So, i sued him in court and he was ordered to pay for the repair. It took three months to get my money but I got it. My point is, these are the type of people out there and sometimes they are the very people in our own clubs.

I've got to the point where I keep my vehicle in my sight and I'm not nice when I catch people sitting against or touching my car. It just doesn't pay to be nice anymore.

Mike Terry

You just can not fix STUPID PEOPLE