Unexpected conversations about your car with unlikely people
Discussion
Since buying a bright orange Porsche, I've become quite used to people gawping and very often want to chat about it. I'm not talking about car meets - supermarket car parks and petrol stations seem to be favourite locations for random car chats.
This evening I was at Sainsbury's in the car I bought as a shopping shed but is far too good to be a shed so I'm just calling it "the barge". I bought it a few months ago after looking at the "best looking 4-door cars" thread and getting all wistful about the original E23 7-series. While not quite as cool, I found myself a 1993 730i which has surprisingly little wrong with it. But I'm surprised at how much interest this thing generates.
This evening I came back to the car to see an old chap of about 90 standing next to it and staring. I put my groceries in the car and returned my trolley to the trolley return area, and when I got back the chap was still standing there staring at it. I smiled at him and got into the driver's seat, when he finally pipes up with "Lovely BMW!".
I thanked him and told him I hadn't had it for too long, but I really love driving it. With his voice cracking, he told me that he'd had to give up driving, but he'd had a long string of BMWs which he'd travelled the world in. At that point, his granddaughter in the Discovery two spaces away started laughing and saying "come on", clearly worried that he was bugging me. But I said "Hey, another BMW fan!". I recounted how I'd also had lots of BMWs consecutively and had used my cars to travel to practically every country in Europe. I got my phone out and showed him the photos of my 330Ci in front of the VierZylinder in Munich, The Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, on the streets of Copenhagen and in the Pyrenees. He seemed fascinated and started asking me about my cars, but his grand daughter was half chuckling and half hurrying him. He relented and got into her car, but before they left, he thanked me for our little chat and gave me a wave as they reversed out of the space. It felt like a bit of a J.R. Hartley moment!
What unexpected encounters with unlikely people have people had over their cars? A supercar is bound to generate conversation, but has anyone had anything interesting happen due to something more mundane?
Here's the car that sparked the conversation...
This evening I was at Sainsbury's in the car I bought as a shopping shed but is far too good to be a shed so I'm just calling it "the barge". I bought it a few months ago after looking at the "best looking 4-door cars" thread and getting all wistful about the original E23 7-series. While not quite as cool, I found myself a 1993 730i which has surprisingly little wrong with it. But I'm surprised at how much interest this thing generates.
This evening I came back to the car to see an old chap of about 90 standing next to it and staring. I put my groceries in the car and returned my trolley to the trolley return area, and when I got back the chap was still standing there staring at it. I smiled at him and got into the driver's seat, when he finally pipes up with "Lovely BMW!".
I thanked him and told him I hadn't had it for too long, but I really love driving it. With his voice cracking, he told me that he'd had to give up driving, but he'd had a long string of BMWs which he'd travelled the world in. At that point, his granddaughter in the Discovery two spaces away started laughing and saying "come on", clearly worried that he was bugging me. But I said "Hey, another BMW fan!". I recounted how I'd also had lots of BMWs consecutively and had used my cars to travel to practically every country in Europe. I got my phone out and showed him the photos of my 330Ci in front of the VierZylinder in Munich, The Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, on the streets of Copenhagen and in the Pyrenees. He seemed fascinated and started asking me about my cars, but his grand daughter was half chuckling and half hurrying him. He relented and got into her car, but before they left, he thanked me for our little chat and gave me a wave as they reversed out of the space. It felt like a bit of a J.R. Hartley moment!
What unexpected encounters with unlikely people have people had over their cars? A supercar is bound to generate conversation, but has anyone had anything interesting happen due to something more mundane?
Here's the car that sparked the conversation...
I found a lady stroking my car once and she told me she loved the car. It is the only time a "chick" has dug my car. She was in her 80's, but it still counts. Apparently, she had been one of the founders of the local marque related club. I suspect she was the founder because she was alive when the car was invented.
I had a few issues with an Amber EML on my Z4 in late 2016 with fault codes for post-cat O2 sensors on both banks, and the battery died when my Indy was running diagnostics on it. But random electrical issues on BMWs of that era seem pretty common.
Still after a new battery my Indy gave me some Cataclean and recommended using a tank or two of Shell V-Plus with it so in early 2017 I went to treat it to that and there was some sort of event at the filling station with Shell staff in a minibus.
One of them came over to chat about my Z4 Coupe as he had owned one in the States!
Interesting chat, but I didn't get any discount or freebies.
Still after a new battery my Indy gave me some Cataclean and recommended using a tank or two of Shell V-Plus with it so in early 2017 I went to treat it to that and there was some sort of event at the filling station with Shell staff in a minibus.
One of them came over to chat about my Z4 Coupe as he had owned one in the States!
Interesting chat, but I didn't get any discount or freebies.
Before I put my XJ coupe in for restoration I used to dread going to fuel stations because it would always end with some crusty old geezer trying to talk to me about it. There were a number of times I didnt bother filling the second tank just to get away from people.
Had a really fun encounter one night though. I was at a fuel station with it virtually empty and it holds about 24 gallons between the two tanks so takes some time to fill up. Just as I got out the car a young girl pulled up behind me in a convertible Fiat 500 and was on the phone to someone. i heard her say "this bloke infront is taking ages with a crappy old car" and then about a minute later the pump clicked, tank full. I lifted the nozzle out and heard her say "thank god for that he has finished im in such a rush". The look on her face and her language when i walked round to the other side, opened the flap and started filling was hilarious
Had a really fun encounter one night though. I was at a fuel station with it virtually empty and it holds about 24 gallons between the two tanks so takes some time to fill up. Just as I got out the car a young girl pulled up behind me in a convertible Fiat 500 and was on the phone to someone. i heard her say "this bloke infront is taking ages with a crappy old car" and then about a minute later the pump clicked, tank full. I lifted the nozzle out and heard her say "thank god for that he has finished im in such a rush". The look on her face and her language when i walked round to the other side, opened the flap and started filling was hilarious
FazerBoy said:
To be fair that 730i is absolutely stunning and no doubt quite rare nowadays, so I’m not surprised it’s a conversation starter…
Coatesy351 said:
I really like that!
Speed addicted said:
Still the best looking 7 series. From the time that BMWs were subtle, sleek things.
(I’ve had 9 BMWs, not so keen on the styling of the newer ones)
(I’ve had 9 BMWs, not so keen on the styling of the newer ones)
MrGTI6 said:
That 7-Series is stunning. I know it gets said far too often, but that really show up just how poor BMW's current offerings are in terms of styling.
Thank you all so much for your approval and appreciation. I really like it and have been looking out for a nice E30 and an E31 850Ci too. I also still have my E46 330Ci which is sadly off road due to engine issues. But the late '70s to late '80s was my favourite decade for BMW by far. I think it's beautiful but my sister thinks my 7 is absolutely hideous, but then she's always disliked BMWs. And yet she's just ordered a new X5 Sport as her new company car.Over lockdown I've been working part time as a freelance computer consultant, and I've been volunteering for the NHS, mostly doing shopping, prescription collection and that kind of thing, but also doing patient transport for vulnerable people. This one one of my additional rationales for getting this car. My Boxster S really isn't suitable and we have an estate car which is either full of boxes or used to transport mum in her wheelchair, so I don't use it for NHS duties apart from once when I took a cat lady's cats to the vet for her.
Anyway, several weeks ago I went to collect someone from their house to take to a medical appointment. As she got to the road outside her house, she said "Wow, I must be going up in the world!". "How do you mean?", I asked. "Well they've sent me a limousine!". I laughed and explained that it was my own car which I was using to transport people because it's spacious, comfortable and very easy for people to get in and out of.
It gets quite a lot of attention from youngsters driving modified BMWs if varying ages too. It always gets a nod or a smile or a shout out of some sort. Who'd have thought an old executive car could be appreciated by the car cruising crowd as much as by pensioners?
That E32 looks lovely (and isn’t calypso red a great colour? 
)
I get thumbs up occasionally when in my E34, or “lovely BMW” haven’t had any long conversations about it though.
My old Triumph 2000 was the best one though for people talking - the nicest story was one guy who wanted to look at it as his parents had one when he was a boy and was in fact the car they brought him home from hospital in.
It did used to attract the odd nutter though…
) I get thumbs up occasionally when in my E34, or “lovely BMW” haven’t had any long conversations about it though.
My old Triumph 2000 was the best one though for people talking - the nicest story was one guy who wanted to look at it as his parents had one when he was a boy and was in fact the car they brought him home from hospital in.
It did used to attract the odd nutter though…
I recall being at red lights in Cheltenham, on Montepellier in my S2000 when a police car pulled up next to me.
I glanced over and the PC was looking at me. Uh-oh!
He put his passenger window down and said "nice car - good to see you using it with the roof down, that's as it should be."
I said cheers, he told me he always had the roof down on his MG Midget, the lights changed and off we went with a wave.
Really nice little interaction.
I glanced over and the PC was looking at me. Uh-oh!
He put his passenger window down and said "nice car - good to see you using it with the roof down, that's as it should be."
I said cheers, he told me he always had the roof down on his MG Midget, the lights changed and off we went with a wave.
Really nice little interaction.
I've had more questions about my current car from strangers than anything else I've driven (although most of my car history is a little unremarkable to be fair). Most people seem to like it, can see it's a BMW but have no idea which one - there aren't many locally, I've only ever seen a couple of convertible variants and one other Gran Coupé in all the time I've had mine.
ScoobyChris said:
Not quite in the same ballpark but my ex (non car person) got accosted at Tesco by some chap who was hell bent on telling her his brother had a Focus ST just like ours and it was awesome.
Impressed she was not
Chris
Somewhat reminds me of when I was 12 I was sat in my Mum's Skoda Fabia (1st gen) and a guy came up to the window and started telling me about how great the old rear engined Skodas were. Creepy. Impressed she was not
Chris
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