Stupid things non petrolheads say....
Discussion
busta said:
Talking to a friend's dad the other day, who has had a 911 amongst other things so is a petrol head of sorts. He's a great chap but comes out with some classics:
He: "One thing that makes me laugh is when people fit those weird clutches to Imprezas"
Me: -a litte confused- "You mean paddle clutches? Clutches are a bit of a weak point on Imprezas"
He: "No, those air-assisted ones. Pneumatic or something"
Me: -very confused- "Oh right, never heard of that before"
He: "Yeah, loads of them have them. You can hear them whoosh every time they change gear"
Tell him it's called a 'whoosh parrot'.He: "One thing that makes me laugh is when people fit those weird clutches to Imprezas"
Me: -a litte confused- "You mean paddle clutches? Clutches are a bit of a weak point on Imprezas"
He: "No, those air-assisted ones. Pneumatic or something"
Me: -very confused- "Oh right, never heard of that before"
He: "Yeah, loads of them have them. You can hear them whoosh every time they change gear"
PHmember said:
busta said:
Talking to a friend's dad the other day, who has had a 911 amongst other things so is a petrol head of sorts. He's a great chap but comes out with some classics:
He: "One thing that makes me laugh is when people fit those weird clutches to Imprezas"
Me: -a litte confused- "You mean paddle clutches? Clutches are a bit of a weak point on Imprezas"
He: "No, those air-assisted ones. Pneumatic or something"
Me: -very confused- "Oh right, never heard of that before"
He: "Yeah, loads of them have them. You can hear them whoosh every time they change gear"
Tell him it's called a 'whoosh parrot'.He: "One thing that makes me laugh is when people fit those weird clutches to Imprezas"
Me: -a litte confused- "You mean paddle clutches? Clutches are a bit of a weak point on Imprezas"
He: "No, those air-assisted ones. Pneumatic or something"
Me: -very confused- "Oh right, never heard of that before"
He: "Yeah, loads of them have them. You can hear them whoosh every time they change gear"
Every time he sees me he gives a cuckoo impression....his mates ask why....and then laugh..!!!!!
Bit like a whoosh parrot but with sound effects ..!
Triumph Man said:
I think what irritates me is the way non-petrolheads state things blindly as if they are fact and are so cocksure about it. If I don't know about a subject, I will not make statements, I will ask questions. Also somebody once told me that the "TC" in Rover 2200 TC stood for Twin Cam. I just bit my tongue.
ETA: I think what I'm trying to say is that it's ok if you don't know about cars, but for god's sake, don't look like a t
t and spout nonsense about a subject that you know nothing about.
Snap, talking about my car (golf r32) in work with someone and he says I should make sure I get the belts changed at 50k. I correct him and say its chain driven which should never need to be changed but rarely they do snap, but i've had the tensioners checked and they're fine.ETA: I think what I'm trying to say is that it's ok if you don't know about cars, but for god's sake, don't look like a t
t and spout nonsense about a subject that you know nothing about. Edited by Triumph Man on Monday 22 October 13:56
No no no he insists, his mate had a mk4 (also chain driven) and the engine went as the belts snapped as he forgot to get them changed at 50k. I dont talk cars with him now!
Aghhh...
Last week, I sold my clean but dull modernish Passat tdi and bought a rusty old E430 wagon for £500 - partly for the extra family/crap-hauling ability, but mainly and simply that I want another v8 Merc in my life. I have an LPG kit kicking around from one of my old cars that I will throw in next weekend so I can afford to use the bloody thing as a daily. Otherwise it is cheapish tax and very cheap (£140, yay!) to insure. It should actually cost less to run that the Passat (or at least that is what I told my good lady wife
).
Anyway, at work I am an IT geek and generally keep myself to myself. I have now been quizzed twice this week by people I hardly know about where I got the money to buy such a big expensive car, and one of them suggested that I'll never be able to afford to run it.
Externally I just smile, agree and awkwardly shuffle off, but inside I boil, wanting to yell at them to just fk the fk right off. wkers. Not that it is any of their business, but how do I explain that it is just a 15 year old worthless snotter that no one else wanted?
It does drive well though, and sounds lovely
Last week, I sold my clean but dull modernish Passat tdi and bought a rusty old E430 wagon for £500 - partly for the extra family/crap-hauling ability, but mainly and simply that I want another v8 Merc in my life. I have an LPG kit kicking around from one of my old cars that I will throw in next weekend so I can afford to use the bloody thing as a daily. Otherwise it is cheapish tax and very cheap (£140, yay!) to insure. It should actually cost less to run that the Passat (or at least that is what I told my good lady wife
).Anyway, at work I am an IT geek and generally keep myself to myself. I have now been quizzed twice this week by people I hardly know about where I got the money to buy such a big expensive car, and one of them suggested that I'll never be able to afford to run it.
Externally I just smile, agree and awkwardly shuffle off, but inside I boil, wanting to yell at them to just f
k the fk right off. wkers. Not that it is any of their business, but how do I explain that it is just a 15 year old worthless snotter that no one else wanted?It does drive well though, and sounds lovely
Utterpiffle said:
Anyway, at work I am an IT geek and generally keep myself to myself. I have now been quizzed twice this week by people I hardly know about where I got the money to buy such a big expensive car, and one of them suggested that I'll never be able to afford to run it.
Either1) Be honest, tell them big cars cost peanuts to run as depreciation is the biggest part of running costs and only those with more money than sense buy new cars. Tell them how relaxing it is to drive and that life is too short to be stuck in a diesel or small hatchback.
2) Tell them you have other "income streams" and that running a big Merc is pretty standard in the other circles you mix in. Imply that the IT job is just something you do to have an "official" job and to keep HMRC off your back. Mention that you're meeting the Russians this weekend and it might turn out messy. Drop in that the last person who asked you how to sort out his operating system had his floppy removed and no longer has a hard drive but is under one somewhere out near Chingford.
3) Ask them what they were planning to spend their bonuses on.
bicycleshorts said:
Dracoro said:
I don't understand, why not just tell thm you paid £500?
Because then it's not only old, but also a very unreliable banger.GBB said:
Either
1) Be honest, tell them big cars cost peanuts to run as depreciation is the biggest part of running costs and only those with more money than sense buy new cars. Tell them how relaxing it is to drive and that life is too short to be stuck in a diesel or small hatchback.
2) Tell them you have other "income streams" and that running a big Merc is pretty standard in the other circles you mix in. Imply that the IT job is just something you do to have an "official" job and to keep HMRC off your back. Mention that you're meeting the Russians this weekend and it might turn out messy. Drop in that the last person who asked you how to sort out his operating system had his floppy removed and no longer has a hard drive but is under one somewhere out near Chingford.
3) Ask them what they were planning to spend their bonuses on.
< Makes mental note of point 2 > 1) Be honest, tell them big cars cost peanuts to run as depreciation is the biggest part of running costs and only those with more money than sense buy new cars. Tell them how relaxing it is to drive and that life is too short to be stuck in a diesel or small hatchback.
2) Tell them you have other "income streams" and that running a big Merc is pretty standard in the other circles you mix in. Imply that the IT job is just something you do to have an "official" job and to keep HMRC off your back. Mention that you're meeting the Russians this weekend and it might turn out messy. Drop in that the last person who asked you how to sort out his operating system had his floppy removed and no longer has a hard drive but is under one somewhere out near Chingford.
3) Ask them what they were planning to spend their bonuses on.
Utterpiffle said:
Aghhh...
Last week, I sold my clean but dull modernish Passat tdi and bought a rusty old E430 wagon for £500 - partly for the extra family/crap-hauling ability, but mainly and simply that I want another v8 Merc in my life. I have an LPG kit kicking around from one of my old cars that I will throw in next weekend so I can afford to use the bloody thing as a daily. Otherwise it is cheapish tax and very cheap (£140, yay!) to insure. It should actually cost less to run that the Passat (or at least that is what I told my good lady wife ).
Anyway, at work I am an IT geek and generally keep myself to myself. I have now been quizzed twice this week by people I hardly know about where I got the money to buy such a big expensive car, and one of them suggested that I'll never be able to afford to run it.
Externally I just smile, agree and awkwardly shuffle off, but inside I boil, wanting to yell at them to just fk the fk right off. wkers. Not that it is any of their business, but how do I explain that it is just a 15 year old worthless snotter that no one else wanted?
It does drive well though, and sounds lovely
All my cars are old. Not so much now, I used to get asked all the time what the story was. I had a Nissan 300ZX TT for fun, a Mitsubishi Pajero, a Shogun, a VW Sharan VR6, a Renault Laguna for snotter duties and occassionally used my Wife's Sharan. I also had a Monza too but never used that.Last week, I sold my clean but dull modernish Passat tdi and bought a rusty old E430 wagon for £500 - partly for the extra family/crap-hauling ability, but mainly and simply that I want another v8 Merc in my life. I have an LPG kit kicking around from one of my old cars that I will throw in next weekend so I can afford to use the bloody thing as a daily. Otherwise it is cheapish tax and very cheap (£140, yay!) to insure. It should actually cost less to run that the Passat (or at least that is what I told my good lady wife
).Anyway, at work I am an IT geek and generally keep myself to myself. I have now been quizzed twice this week by people I hardly know about where I got the money to buy such a big expensive car, and one of them suggested that I'll never be able to afford to run it.
Externally I just smile, agree and awkwardly shuffle off, but inside I boil, wanting to yell at them to just f
k the fk right off. wkers. Not that it is any of their business, but how do I explain that it is just a 15 year old worthless snotter that no one else wanted?It does drive well though, and sounds lovely
Everyone else had brand new cars and couldn't understand why I chose to be seen in something more than 3 years old.
They couldn't get that I had a car for every occassion and nearly every day of the week and if one did fail, even terminally I had backup. And even then the fallen one failed terminally, it wasn't the end of the world. And what's more, I get to indulge in one of my favourite things quite often, car shopping!
Now I've got an old XJR Jag and for all it's not the tidiest example, it does look the piece. I've spent quite a bit getting it fit for purpose but it's sound now and an absolute pleasure to drive. Now everyone thinks I'm loaded.
.
AJS- said:
Surprised no one has mentioned this yet but "it's a penis extension"
No it fking isn't. It's a car I enjoy driving, that's all. If I wanted a car to pull in it would either be expensive or cute. I've never known any girls go weak at the knees for a car that's 10 years old and blows up regularly.
Well I might just be that girl :-DNo it f
king isn't. It's a car I enjoy driving, that's all. If I wanted a car to pull in it would either be expensive or cute. I've never known any girls go weak at the knees for a car that's 10 years old and blows up regularly. Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff