"So how much did that set you back m8?"

[VladD]

I guess people have different limits when it comes to revealing personal information. Personally if someone asked me what I'd paid I wouldn't tell them. That information is of no use to them. If they ask about the MPG, or speed etc., then that's fine as it's relevant for a car enthusiast.

For those that don't mind divulging, are there questions you wouldn't answer? If you were at the petrol station and a bloke walked up to your wife/girlfriend and said, "nice tits, what size bra do you wear?", would you think that was OK?

[Countdown]

johnwilliams77 said:

Not too smart are you.

The irony…..

johnwilliams77 said:

What people are saying is that if someone acts like a knob with a rude approach (often the case) then that's the type of response they get.

At no point has anybody said it’s a rude approach. Why you’d assume that I don’t know (but I can hazard a guess). If it was a rude approach they’d get a rude response.

[johnwilliams77]

Countdown said:

At no point has anybody said it’s a rude approach. Why you’d assume that I don’t know (but I can hazard a guess). If it was a rude approach they’d get a rude response.

Wow - slow of thinking or what!

My experience is that many ask this in a rude/condescending manner/as an opening line, hence why many people don't answer, not because they are 'insecure'!

[Gallons Per Mile]

I went to my bank to pay in some money from the sale of a car. The woman on the other side of the glass asked me what I was buying next. I told her it was an Audi estate. She made a big thing of this and sounded very envious that I'd be buying such a car. She didn't know it was 20 years old, had done 250k, been used quite literally as a shed by the previous owner and contained slugs under the carpet... I left her looking jealous and smiled to myself!

[ClockworkCupcake]

Countdown said:

At no point has anybody said it’s a rude approach. Why you’d assume that I don’t know (but I can hazard a guess). If it was a rude approach they’d get a rude response.

You mean apart from when I did. And the other few people who did too.

[Shnozz]

I cannot ever remember being asked that question, other than once when a gypsy lad asked me how much I'd paid for my MGF when I was about 19. When I told him I'd paid £18k for it he then said he could buy it off me for cash there and then. Despite being about 12 years old, I believed him.

Had various other comments over the years, but not as to value. The two favourites that stand out are:-

"You should keep the box for that, it'll be worth something one day" - to one of the Elises.

and

"You'd never have a girl that hot if you didn't have a car like that" - shouted by some fat slag.

Other than that, and the usual bunch of AA/RAC/Green flag related "jokes" about my TVR's, cant ever recall all that much commentary. One car that did seem to generally irritate the fook out of everyone in terms of negative comments was the Porsche.

[ClockworkCupcake]

Shnozz said:

I cannot ever remember being asked that question

In fairness, though, you are a great tall stallion of a man and people are probably scared to approach you.

How you ever folded yourself up into that Elise, I will never know.

[Shnozz]

ClockworkCupcake said:

Shnozz said:

I cannot ever remember being asked that question

In fairness, though, you are a great tall stallion of a man and people are probably scared to approach you.

How you ever folded yourself up into that Elise, I will never know.

When others studied karate, I studied origami. That and some lubrication on my arse and the sills...

[coppice]

Shnozz said:

i. That and some lubrication on my arse ...

True what they say about Lotus drivers then....?

[Loose_Cannon]

Speaking of Lotus, I often get that "Lots of Trouble..." ste flung at me as an opening gambit in a conversation.

According to some replies here I must be insecure/abnormal or whatever. But surely even they must admit that someone out of nowhere inferring your car is ste whilst simultaneously gurning a cheshire grin is almost certainly going to push a few buttons. I have yet to recprocate with a comment about the attractiveness of their spouses but it's only a matter of time.

[Countdown]

ClockworkCupcake said:

You mean apart from when I did. And the other few people who did too.

If they're rude there are two responses.

1. What TF has it got to do with you; OR
2. Go and F yourself.

However, on the rare occasion that I've been asked, it's been in a friendly casual manner.

Actually, if they're being rude or obnoxious, i don't know why you would even bother engaging in conversation? :confusing:

[sutts]

johnwilliams77 said:

Wow - slow of thinking or what!

My experience is that many ask this in a rude/condescending manner/as an opening line, hence why many people don't answer, not because they are 'insecure'!

Approximately how many times have you been asked this question (in order to gain the experience), and in relation to which of your cars?

[Limpet]

Shnozz said:

I cannot ever remember being asked that question, other than once when a gypsy lad asked me how much I'd paid for my MGF when I was about 19. When I told him I'd paid £18k for it he then said he could buy it off me for cash there and then. Despite being about 12 years old, I believed him.

I had the exact same thing with my mk4 Golf GTI at a petrol station except the oik actually got a roll of cash out and started counting it out. Offered me £600 (car was worth about £1500) and when I politely declined, said it's a sound offer, and he'd be back here tomorrow at the same time if I changed my mind.

There was nothing special about it whatsoever. Dark blue, no mods whatsoever, usual minor battle scars. What prompted it, I have no idea, but he was actually very polite and I couldn't help but admire his balls for doing it. I wouldn't have the nerve.

I did think to myself how that conver sation would have gone with the missus if I'd taken him up on it. "So, you took the car out to get fuel, a pint of milk and a loaf of bread, and came back late, on foot, with a wad of cash. Explain!"

[InitialDave]

Limpet said:

I had the exact same thing with my mk4 Golf GTI at a petrol station except the oik actually got a roll of cash out and started counting it out. Offered me £600 (car was worth about £1500) and when I politely declined, said it's a sound offer, and he'd be back here tomorrow at the same time if I changed my mind.

If John Wick were set in the west midlands...

[ClockworkCupcake]

InitialDave said:

If John Wick were set in the west midlands...

I was just thinking that.

[chow pan toon]

VladD said:

For those that don't mind divulging, are there questions you wouldn't answer? If you were at the petrol station and a bloke walked up to your wife/girlfriend and said, "nice tits, what size bra do you wear?", would you think that was OK?

Because that is literally exactly the same as asking what your car cost

[VladD]

chow pan toon said:

VladD said:

For those that don't mind divulging, are there questions you wouldn't answer? If you were at the petrol station and a bloke walked up to your wife/girlfriend and said, "nice tits, what size bra do you wear?", would you think that was OK?

Because that is literally exactly the same as asking what your car cost

Reread my initial post and try again. The point is that it isn't the same.

Actually I'll spell it out for the hard of thinking.

Three questions.

1) What did you car cost?
2) How much do you earn?
3) How big are your wife's tits?

I wouldn't answer any. Some on this thread are happy to answer 1, one chap is happy to answer 2 (so far), I don't know how many, if any, would be happy answering 3.

My point being people have different levels of what they're comfortable answering, so there is no right or wrong answer to question 1. People just need to respect and understand other peoples stand point without getting all arsey about it.

And yes, I've just spotted the irony in me telling people they shouldn't get arsey when I've referred to "the hard of thinking". I'll get me coat.

Edited by VladD on Thursday 27th July 12:18

[alpha channel]

I've only ever been approached/talked to by someone four times, non in a petrol station funnily enough, and non asking how much I paid for them barring one (the XK) and that was because he was looking for one for the soon to be live in partner, always just a general interest in the car itself, which I'm happy to talk about.

The oddest would have to be the guy sat in a Zafira at the traffic lights behind where I park my car (the Alfa 159 I had at the time), as I put my laptop in the boot he had rolled the window down and shouted nice car (I waived and shouted thanks as he pulled away, after the surprise had worn off anyway).

The other was a bus driver that I had let into the road I was on (narrow affair) just after I had picked my Rover up from it's MOT, he stopped next to me, pulled open his window and said he wants a word with me about the car (in a 'I've always had a thing for those/wouldn't mind taking it off your hands' kind of way), I replied that it's going in for a restoration after I've sorted out the mechanicals which seemed to make him happy.

The closest thing that's happened on the forecourt was a guy pulled up to a pump opposite me with his late teens daughter in the passenger seat. I was beginning to fill the car up and looked up briefly to see said daughter looking my way with a calculating look on her face and unbuckling her seatbelt when said father rather forcefully told her no, a bit like how you'd order a dog to not do something.

It could be a regional thing I suppose or even inter-reigonal, there doesn't appear to be the same kind of 'how much did it cost?' thing in my little part of the world (or at least I've never encountered it anyway).

Edited by alpha channel on Thursday 27th July 12:11

Edited by alpha channel on Thursday 27th July 12:13

[StottyGTR]

Terminator X said:

StottyGTR said:

I tell them how much I paid for it and continue the conversation, maybe take interest in their car and ask a couple of questions.

You know, just be normal really.

None of their business though is it + they really shouldn't even ask^

TX.

^manners innit.

Its just someone striking up conversation about something they are interested in, they might not know what to say and how much did it cost is the first thing that springs to many's minds.

[ClockworkCupcake]

StottyGTR said:

Its just someone striking up conversation about something they are interested in, they might not know what to say and how much did it cost is the first thing that springs to many's minds.

It's generally pretty easy to tell if someone is striking up a conversation or not, Captain Obvious.

As conversation openers go, it's a pretty rude and clumsy one. But if it's clearly just a conversation opener then replying "too much" with a disarming laugh is a reasonable response. You don't actually have to say the figure, just like you don't need to give an accurate meteorological weather forecast if someone says "nice weather we're having, don't you think?"