after listening to that crap for too any years,i have 2 standard replys,it depends on my mood
reply #1: as soon as you start paying the bills your opinion counts
reply #2 : gee i didn't know about (whatever flaw) lets go look at yours so i can see how it should be.so far nobody has had one to compare

 

People always ask "Are you going to paint that car"? To which I point to the window sticker that reads "IT IS PAINTED!"

 

I left the Corvette hobby in the mid 80s for over 20 years because of the negative comments I would continually hear from people "picking apart" the Corvettes on display at shows (mind you not my car - the cars that were in attendence). I guess I became so bothered and sensitive to it that the bobby just wasn't fun any more. So I became a "street rodder" which wasn't a reach for me since I was always a hot rod guy to start with not a NCRS type (info only - to each his own). That was fun because people would comment on what was "right" or "cool" with the cars. Then along came the 6 figure "street rod" with a new breed of "street rodder" and then that turned into "mine is better than yours" too. Well as you get older you mellow and learn to not let things that you can't do anything about bother you. So a few years ago I came back to the Corvette hobby which was always my #1 passion and I don't let any of that dampen my enjoyment of Corvettes. I think those people that only see negative are really not happy with where they are in life and they get their satisfaction trying to find negativity in other peoples lives. That's their loss. There is a lot of fun in this hobby if you know where to find it.

 

Things are turning our way. My 68 BG SURVIVOR, I was told that I should enter it in the Wash & Shine category because it doesn't look too good. Three years later, the same guys sees me on the street and say's " We were talking about you last night at our club meeting, we were thinking of having a category for original cars for our next show".

2008 NCRS Top Flight
2009 Bloomington Gold SURVIVOR
2011 NCRS Top Flight

 

I see this a lot as I go to a lot of car events. I also went to a lot of car events before I had anything to enter. I think that people that go to car shows (who don't have cars) want to feel connected to the cars and the only tenuous connection that they do have is whatever knowledge they may have about the cars. I remember before I had my car, I'd notice things like... Hey, why is that guy running a x-year nose on that y-year car?, and I'd point them out to the friends that I was there with. This made me feel like I belonged there a little bit. That I was a little more than just a spectator.

...So now when I hear those folks I just kind of feel a bit sad for them because they love the cars so much but can't put together the cash/time/dedication that it takes to keep one running.

My $.02

 

I love to tell them. "It's almost as old as you, what do you expect?"
They shut right up.

 

Since the day I bought my first Corvette in 1977, to today, every Corvette Ive owned, whether a rolling project or a 100 point expensive vintage show car, has ALWAYS resulted in people somewhere, someplace, finding the need to point out perceived "flaws."

I'm not willing to write them off as jealous. I think they are just ignorant, and are trying to 'be in the cool club" by acting like they know something. It's part of owning a Corvette.

On the other hand, there's a lot of Corvette owners that think they are pretty cool that I can't stand, either.

 

i just tell them i know my car inside and out because i rebuilt it.and its definately faster and safer than their toyota.my vette appreciates in value everyday even with the flaws while their car lost half its value as soon as they drove it off the lot.ask them what their car is going to look like in 35 years if it makes it that far.one final note, a woman once asked me what the purpose of the blower sticking thru the hood was.i said id have to take you for a ride to explain it to you.she jumped in and i nailed it for about two blocks,she exited and i said hey, my pass seat is wet, did you pee yourself and she said no i had an orgasm.what other kind of car can make that happen.

 

Frances: Talk about pissing your money away. I hope you kids see what a silly waste of resources this was.
Audrey: He worked really hard, Grandma.
Art: So do washing machines.

Great Effing movie...

As far as the negative comments go...even if you have an absolute perfect in every way Vette....someone will have something negative to say. Many people find it impossible to say "looks great" rather than "this, that, the other thing needs to be fixed, painted, re-done, etc"

Enjoy it..regardless of nitpicking....not many can be in the same position we are.

Andy

 

People give out what they feel inside. A person that is always bitching and complaining feels horrible inside and that comes out. I used to be the one that saw the flaws in someone else s car instead of sharing the joy they had in it. I was young and not mature.

As a man I leaned that when I built others up I feel better about myself and as I tear others down I feel worse about myself. It took a little willingness to look at myself and see that I was a jerk. I didn't know until then so that's why I always give the nitpickers a break, they just don't know better yet or they wouldn't do it like I don't now.

 

Life is good George

 

it is still mainly the corvette hobby in that the car needs to be original and not deviate from original.. try nitpicking a 69 camaro, there are so many that have some degree of customization that there are no nitpickers..

we keep hearing about someone looking at a corvette to buy and they ask what is wrong with it and here are the pics.. then we point out the shifter isn't right or the hoses are incorrect..

the 1st thing that they usually say is it is all original, until we ask them to clarify and finally only the block is maybe original, and nothing else is.. it is the perceived need to have an original corvette and you are in a different class if it is not.

you can't sell for top dollar if the wrong hood, or wrong color, or your wiper blades are 2 inches too long.... only true for corvettes.. if its a camaro then who cares..

and then i think we base all this on the fact that a corvette just HAS to be original. any deviation from original is a freak.. only true in corvettes.

 

Amen

 

"Your stingray has too many gills." Yes, I heard that one!

 

I get way more "nice car" and thumbs up than nitpicks. I don't pay much attention to those anyway as i know it will alway be a work in progress.

At the end of the day i get to drive my dream car and it really only matters what makes me happy.

 

Ask them to see their car, then go from there ...

Frank

 

Well, the polite thing to do is just smile and say "Yes, this car is a 'work-in-progress' and I enjoy trying to make it better. Thanks for pointing that out." Or, if you are not in a polite mood, just smile and ignore them. But, if you are really incensed by their comment, look them over and say, "Yes, and I noticed you could stand to lose about 30 pounds", or "How long ago did you lose your hair", or "That color doesn't really look very good on you," etc., etc. They will get the point very quickly.

 

I reply " bring yours over and we can work on the little things together"

most often reply is "OH UH I don't have one".

I reply "Well maybe someday"

 

You just can't hurt my feelings about my car. It's a big pile of spare parts that was bolted together. Just keeping it running is a challenge. Since it IS so many different cars stuck together, the question I can't really answer is "What year is it?" To which I reply, "Which part are you looking at?"

It's mine, it's fun to drive, it looks good, ...now go away.

 

I have 2 responses: Pointing out the obvious is simple, it's simple minded and it's good enough for the girls I ****. BTW, the girls I do are extrodinary and beyond a common approach.