Would you describe yourself as a Motoring Enthusiast?

[sierraman]

As above. If the other half introduces you in one of these dreadful situations where you’ve to meet their pals husband, do they go ‘Mikes into Cars’ then you end up in a really awkward, protracted conversation about the Nova with a Cosworth in it that he never had or about the BIK figures on a 330e? 

[Matty]

Nah. She introduces me with "Matts a grumpy cunt". They leave me alone then

[eddyramrod]

That happened to me!  It was my birthday too, in 2002, and we went for a meal at a little restaurant, which I hadn't realised was on its last week before closing for good.  Across the aisle was a young couple, the female being one who used to work with MrsR, so by the time desserts were due we had migrated to their table while the girls talked shop.  Which left me and Damien.  So we talked about cars, and we'd only been at it less than ten minutes when the immortal question passed his lips: "Would you like a Daimler?"

Er, just a bit!  

What he had was a 1978 Sovereign 4.2 LWB in Squadron Blue:

I paid him £100 and took it away.  A few weeks of fettling and it got a new ticket, and I drove it (mostly like I stole it) for about 8 months.  And sold it for £1000, most of which I had spent on it already.

Also, one of the old dears at my Tuesday yoga class is threatening me with a big box of diecasts that apparently lurks in her loft.  I do hope her son appreciates that they'll be going to a good home!  (Probably several good homes, as I'm sure some will turn up on here...)

In Cyprus I got my hands on not one but two free cars because I was the local Brit car nut: 1971 Viva and 1991 323f; and one ridiculously cheap one: 1987 X1/9 for 200 euros. 

It pays to be the local car nut!

 

[Shite Ron]

I understand the point about awkward conversations, I would not introduce myself as a car enthusiast. I am very enthusiastic about cars but my taste is not exactly mainstream and I am certainly not a Top Gear viewer. I have very little interest in modern cars. When people ask what cars I like and I tell them Cortina’s  they mostly say you must have a Lotus Cortina! I have never had any interest in owning one and much prefer 4 door saloons or estates, another common assumption is that everyone must want a mk1 or 2 Escort, again conversation gets difficult, I much prefer a Cortina, Granada, XJ6 or SD1. The other one I get from so called car enthusiasts is why don’t you sell all your cars and buy a Porsche? I have never been interested in owning a Porsche (although a 924 with Pasha interior is increasingly appealing). I like cars that impress me and don’t really care about impressing others.

Because of the above I would be cautious about describing myself as a car enthusiast.

Discussions about BIK I don’t mind so much as I am still working and not yet retired so keeping as much of my wages as I can is of interest to me.

[sutty2006]

I’ve told the wife not to tell people I mess around with cars anymore. Sick of peoples first sentence being “hey you know cars right? Last week this light came on, is it serious?”

 

Just fuck off. Twice. 

[eddyramrod]

My default answer to that is "Yes, get it booked in NOW"

[MiniMinorMk3]

It's just as bad as letting people know you dabble in a bit of photography. The world and it's fiancee think you'll be happy snapping their big day. No I won't as I hate weddings so much I have never had one of my own.

[meggersdog]

@sutty2006 the engineer at a boatyard I used to visit was great for this. People would ask him to look at their car so he would go along get them to open the bonnet. He would hold the bonnet up and ask them to start the car. "yeah rev it up"  he'd then drop the bonnet say "it's fucked" and walk off. Even boat owners were treated the same. The boatyard owner would tell them he could get the engineer to have a look "but I know what he will say" 

[cobblers]

in about 2007 my ex girlfriends slightly more buxom twin sister sent me a message on facebook to say that the dash lights didn't work on her car, she only lived round the corner so I popped round and it turned out she had just turned them down all the way with the dimmer, I'm not sure if she had done it on purpose or not but we ended up having a brief fling so I guess you could say that yes, I am a motoring enthusiast.

[Split_Pin]

The only balanced car chats I have had are with people who are whimsical and non judgemental, or who can recall funny stories about their mum or dad's hopeless old wreck in 1983. Something with humility which a lot of hobbyists sadly lack, in my experience. Technical matters make for an excruciatingly dull conversation. I can look up You Tube on my own for that.

In short, unless I know the person to have decent craic,  I'll talk about the weather.

[HMC]

I tend to keep quiet about it although that’s hard to do when you thunder past in a bright yellow Chevrolet pickup.

[grogee]

It's painful, I try to avoid talking about cars in polite company as I find it excruciatingly embarrassing. I don't want to be that dull car bore, although obviously I am underneath.

BiL tries to engage me in conversation about cars but I tend to avoid if at all possible. He's been 'educated' on a diet of Top Gear and occasional Autocar reads. I find his pub facts 'knowledge' severely lacking and annoying to listen to so I tend to just clam up and let him drivel on. It often ends with a story about the latest scratch on his Toyota Auris, by which time I'm dying inside.

@Cluffy and I have an understanding that it's OK to talk about camshafts and torque wrenches when it's only us, there's no embarrassment factor there. But we'll switch back to schools and television when the wives are around. 

[HMC]

2 minutes ago, grogee said:

It's painful, I try to avoid talking about cars in polite company as I find it excruciatingly embarrassing. I don't want to be that dull car bore, although obviously I am underneath.

BiL tries to engage me in conversation about cars but I tend to avoid if at all possible. He's been 'educated' on a diet of Top Gear and occasional Autocar reads. I find his pub facts 'knowledge' severely lacking and annoying to listen to so I tend to just clam up and let him drivel on. It often ends with a story about the latest scratch on his Toyota Auris, by which time I'm dying inside.

@Cluffy and I have an understanding that it's OK to talk about camshafts and torque wrenches when it's only us, there's no embarrassment factor there. But we'll switch back to schools and television when the wives are around. 

Me too- I find it a bit cringey and most people are mystified what I see in a lot of what I buy- it’s easier not to go there.

[Dave_Q]

The problem is the difference between us and "motoring enthusiasts", someone who described themselves as such either has an MG in the garage that goes to shows no more than 3 times a year and only if it's sunny, or a financed Fiesta ST with big wheels and a remap.

There is no way those people can appreciate the artistry and thrill of digesting, monitoring, and purchasing the absolute bottom of the depreciation curve and trying to explain it to them is a waste of time. Add in the risk of being asked to fix something for someone and I would err on the side of not declaring as a "car person" until I knew who I was talking to and whether we had any common ground.

[Cluffy]

16 minutes ago, grogee said:

It's painful, I try to avoid talking about cars in polite company as I find it excruciatingly embarrassing. I don't want to be that dull car bore, although obviously I am underneath.

BiL tries to engage me in conversation about cars but I tend to avoid if at all possible. He's been 'educated' on a diet of Top Gear and occasional Autocar reads. I find his pub facts 'knowledge' severely lacking and annoying to listen to so I tend to just clam up and let him drivel on. It often ends with a story about the latest scratch on his Toyota Auris, by which time I'm dying inside.

@Cluffy and I have an understanding that it's OK to talk about camshafts and torque wrenches when it's only us, there's no embarrassment factor there. But we'll switch back to schools and television when the wives are around. 

Amen, brother. I just can’t bring myself to whittle on about car woes/thoughts/problems to other people, However, I’m more than happy to have the conversation several times in my own head / with George. Particularly after a beer or three as this is when the best thinking / plans are made...

We all know those people who do not have sufficient social filtering. My BIL is terrible with it. Not only does he always know best for Car / house DIY (especially after you’ve already fixed whatever problem you had), he also thinks everyone is as enthralled with the latest Dr Who / Star Trek / sci-fi  type thing  when we go round for the day and wants to sit and watch with you... Sorry mate, just get us a beer and I’ll happy talk to you about pies instead. 

[Mally]

We lived on a main road.

When my wife explained where to someone they always said.

Oh! he's the one with the funny cars outside,

No one talks to me much. I often can't hear them.

I did get one guy, who when it was mentioned I was deaf, broke into fluent sign language. Unfortunately I can't understand that either.

[Shedking]

4 hours ago, sutty2006 said:

I’ve told the wife not to tell people I mess around with cars anymore. Sick of peoples first sentence being “hey you know cars right? Last week this light came on, is it serious?”

 

Just fuck off. Twice. 

Exactly this. My kids bring their cars around and have for years, I don't mind that but they've got mates who also have cars and you get the "do you want my dad to have a look at it for you " no dad doesn't want to look at it for you,  dad's 60, dad works full time, dad's tired, fuck off 20 times over. 

[Justin Case]

Mrs C and I are apparently car fanatics on the level of Jeremy Clarkson to everyone that we know, and neither of us even watch Top Gear. To the great unwashed who we know, two of us owning three cars is either sheer fanaticism or complete lunacy. It is good to come on here where no doubt the reaction would be 'only three cars for both of you' 😮

[iainrcz]

My Mrs probably just tells people I'm either "silly" or a "grumpy cunt"

Apparently the husband of her manager at work also has a "childish sense of humour" 

[cobblers]

Actually I seem to get tarred with the brush as a "big VW fanatic" because I've owned a few and fairly often get invited by VW people to VW "meets". I'll usually be quite polite but I'm sure they can see in my eyes that what I'm really saying is that I'd really rather hammer a flourescent tube up my arse than hang around somewhere surrounded by a group of other VW T6 owners.

[gm]

i’m very lucky as my neighbour two doors along is known as the local car guy so ends up helping the rest of the street with their motoring woes  i suspect my reputation is more of a cack handed bodger as i rarely get asked 

[alcyonecorporation]

No.
I'd sooner not go anywhere. 

Inevitably they like lowered Volkswagens or some boring shit I couldn't give a fuck about. 

[Pete-M]

I'm a "car guy". I'm the person who often only hears from people when their car has an issue. 

Would I describe myself as a motoring enthusiast? Er, probably not, even though I went to a cars and coffee this morning.

I like driving, love going on mad road trips across continents. I like that cars can enable me to do that. 

Do I want to spend a day chatting about the infinite reliability of the 'misunderstood' K. Series with a bloke who thinks everybody else is wrong because he's got one he inherited from his Aunt Mabel and it has never let him down "and it has only done 33000 miles". No. I'll tolerate him politely for 5 minutes and then go and entertain myself watching wallpaper fade while his engine slowly mixes oil and coolant. 

Lots of my pals are mechanics. We get on great, we don't talk cars other than "this is playing up", "it'll be the doofer valve manipulator behind the glove box, arse to get to", "cheers".

[EyesWeldedShut]

If by motoring enthusiast you mean a consumer of Top Gear/Grand Tour/Car Magazines/You Tube frenzied stuff  - then, no.

If you mean a tight arsed git who has not taken a car into a garage for anything other than an MoT in over a decade - then, yes.
Like Pete-M I enjoy a drive, would happily take my Nova 1200 all the way back to Nice on a whim but it's not 1986 anymore and my back's probably not up to it either. Went over to Dudley (whoo) yesterday and managed to spot a few decent motors amongst what must be millions of pounds of really BORING looking MB, Audi, BMW, low-profiled Range Rovers etc etc

I like looking at old cars, especially daily runners, I detest the 'classic' market that talks up Lady Di's old escort into £££££££. I enjoy an auction now and then and may* bring home something.

I never do anything social other than with a teeny, tiny group of friends so my wife never has to introduce me 'in company' - if she did then she would probably tell them I'm a grumpy bastard that makes Victor Meldrew seem like the ArchAngel Gabriel

[UltraWomble]

7 hours ago, sierraman said:

 ‘Mikes into Cars’ then you end up in a really awkward, protracted conversation about the Nova with a Cosworth in it that he never had 

No, I get "Martins a nurse and he works in a prison" then end up listening to fucking hours of "so what do you think this rash is?" etc etc or "have you met Ian Brady?"

[Rightnider]

I can relate to many of the testimonials here. I like cars, but I don't like to be confused with most people who are into cars. 

'Oh, so you have a Jaguar! You should talk to this guy!'

No, I don't think so, he likes them because he thinks it makes him look like a gentleman when he drives to a club meeting.

'Oh, so you like cars! But why do you have a semi-old Ford? They're for drug addicts and criminals.' (This is Sweden, remember).

I can't explain, and I don't want to. I never go to meetings, just for someone to tell me that my 'Granada is a Taunus, and it's got the English engine'.

I exercise my car interest with a few carefully selected friends with whom I have shared values, i.e. the worse a car is, the more interesting. And frequent this forum, of course. I also like cars because they epitomise the insanity of our society, but that's another story. 

[EyesWeldedShut]

3 minutes ago, UltraWomble said:

No, I get "Martins a nurse and he works in a prison" then end up listening to fucking hours of "so what do you think this rash is?" etc etc or "have you met Ian Brady?"

My ex-father in law was a surgeon - he never told anybody and we had to introduce him as an accountant. 
He did like cars though

[vulgalour]

Others might, I would not.  Life is easier that way.  Unfortunately, people always introduce me as an artist, which I am.  To answer the usual questions: No.  Mostly digital these days. A bit of everything. No. Yes. The pay is terrible. No. We've never met. That's not how that works. No, and definitely not.

[MJK 24]

1 hour ago, alcyonecorporation said:

No.
I'd sooner not go anywhere. 

Inevitably they like lowered Volkswagens or some boring shit I couldn't give a fuck about. 

If you message me your address, I’ll send you a photo of my lowered Scirocco?  You could either put it on your mantle piece, above the toilet cistern or in your memory box.

[Bren]

I used to be. But not now.

The spiralling cost coupled with the government making it as difficult as possible means my mojo has gone.

And I cannot see it coming back.