The rules don't apply when you own a Vette

[protege]

I once knew a guy who talked about his Corvette constantly. That is, how much he paid for it, how much it cost to run, insure, etc. In other words, he's trying to impress me. I'm sure if I told him how much it's cost to restore the MG so far, his mind would explode. (Not trying to impress anyone, folks!)

But seriously, even though the car was free, I've had to sink a bit into it to fix it up--money that I'll *never* get back if I have to sell it. I'm sure I could have picked up a good first or second-generation Mazda Miata for about the same amount. In other words, I don't care about the cash!

However, for most restorers, it's not about the money. It's about bringing a car back from the dead, or because "my father had one." Some of us just enjoy working with our hands, and an old car was also an opportunity to not only bond with my father, but learn quite a bit too. Most of the hard work we did ourselves...with only the paint, bodywork, and engine rebuild done by a shop.

But, what annoys the hell out of me are the "checkbook restorations" done by snooty people. Some are simply because a person doesn't have the time, or techniques..but the vast majority are done by idiots with too much cash. It's annoying because they don't do any of the work, and usually have that "I'm better than you" attitude because of it.

[MadRocketScientist]

I have a friend who used to see guys who were a little too impressed with their cars, go up to them, and in a pitying tone, say "Sorry about the penis." She was a lady who rode fast motorcycles and jumped out of perfectly good airplanes, cars impressed her little.

As for the handicapped spot, I call the police or tell the store manager whenever I see a car in a handicap spot without a permit. In a small store, I will loudly tell the management about it.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I never saw those vertical handicapped spots anywhere but at Walmart. At first I didn't understand the point but then I realized that they would make things a lot easier, especially for vans with wheelchair lifts.

I used to go out with a guy who drove a Corvette (his mom had one, too. So did his sister; oddly enough it was his dad who really loved the cars but he didn't actually drive one). Yeah, that didn't last long...

A while back I saw, twice in one week, a Lamborghini in my area...a bright yellow one at that. (I'm not a car person, but something like that, even I'd notice and you don't see them much around here.) First time it was driving down the highway. Second time was in the parking lot at TGI Fridays.