We all have our opinion on which group of car owners we think are …less than ideal, when you need to interact with them. On the flip side though, which group of car owners do you think are a pleasure?
You may be tempted to talk about Miata owners, but maybe a the cult of Mazda’s diminutive sports car rubs you the wrong way. Perhaps vintage VW Beetle people are a joy to talk to, but in reality they may get tiresome quite quickly.
We could find a person that has an issue with any car ownership group out there, but I want to read about great encounters that you’ve had, or heard about.
Sound off below.
Hooniverse Asks: Which group of car owners is the friendliest?
By Jeff Glucker
May 10, 2018
By Jeff Glucker
Jeff Glucker is the co-founder and Executive Editor of Hooniverse.com. He’s often seen getting passed as he hustles a 1991 Mitsubishi Montero up the 405 Freeway. IG: @HooniverseJeff
Probably the odder/rarer the car the nicer the owners. If you went to a 1950s American car show, the guy with the Hudson would be much friendlier than the guy with the 1957 Chevy. Also owners of “cute” cars tend to be friendly, see: Microcars, Metropolitans, Minis, AH Sprites, etc.
Also the newer and/or more expensive the car the less friendly the owner usually.
So, going by the first several suggestions, maybe someone with oddball cars, microcars, cheap cars, obscure Fords, scarce lower end British stuff, vintage racers with $500 Lemon Saabs, who also have International Harvesters.
Yes, it’s all fun and games until someone insults geologists. Then the good doctor turns into Mr. Hyde.
I had no idea my automotive choices were doing such a poor job of communicating my fundamental misanthropy.
Yes, I’m puzzled too. In nature it’s the spider, snake, or fish with the brightest colors, the most unusual shape, and which makes the weirdest hissing, spitting, or rattling noises that is, generally speaking, the most poisonous.
Proceeding from this premise the guy in the bright orange Trablant who wears ‘copperhead’ patterned argyle socks and a sporty cap should Mr. Misanthrope, Esq.
However, humans are weird and often, this guy will be the most friendly guy at the show; the kind of well-met fellow who says he’d generously help you jump-start your car if his wasn’t running on some kind of Withworth electrical system.
It’s obvious to the observant. You hate yourself.
There’s no point in being misanthropic if one starts making exceptions.
That’s always been my view. What do I know, though. I’m a dumbass
I met a few members of a Packard club a few years back. They seemed to be jerks, but not as much as a typical Corvette owner
I tend to agree. Generally, the oddball cars have the least amount of following and support, so anyone taking interest is probably a welcome sight to the owner. I’ve been most put-off by the attitudes of the owners of Tri-5 Chevys and Corvettes. Fortunately, when I’m walking the shows, these particular cars are so ubiquitous (and therefore boring to me) that I don’t even see them. (Disclaimer: my dad and I enthusiastically restored his ’50 Chevy Sport Coupe, so I have no inherent bias against GM cars.)
On the flip side, the AMC guys will talk your ears off.
That would be Ford owners , they are friendly and happy because they have vehicles that are reliable and fun to drive.
I have to agree. My Fords are hands down the easiest to wrench on and live with. Instinctive engineering and construction. My current DD is a reclaimed Mark VIII that I have put 50k miles on in five years and other than the usual maintenance I have had no extra expense. From a now 20 year old car.
As a kid I was dragged to more Ford Model A car club meets and events than I could count. Seemed like a friendly and fun group of people. My favorite event was the potato race. Dive slow but without stopping and spear as many potatoes as you can while riding on the running board.
For the most part, vintage racers in the lower end of the spectrum.
I’ve never met an owner who didn’t talk your ear off about the car and offer a kid to get pics from the driver’s seat.
The local vintage series is racing at MSR this summer… I need to catch up!
What’s the date for that Jason?
Corinthians is running MSR with Chevy v Ford June 1-3.
I’ve not been to that event, should be good.
http://www.corinthianvintagerace.com/2018-race-schedule/
LeMons. It’s tough to look down on other “$500” race cars from the seat of your own “$500” race car.
You’re doing it wrong. Look down on “$500” race cars from the observation deck of your $250,000 transporter rig.
Not a hard and fast rule but often the more oddball the car the friendly the owner. Also the cheaper the classic/sports car the more friendly the owner. I’ve always found the guys with the lower end British stuff very inviting – Spitfires and MGBs. The British saloons even more so.
I think you’re right about this. When I drive my Alfa (cheap sports car) or old Ford (oddball), people often approach me with the clear expectation that I am a super friendly guy up for a long conversation about how Uncle Fred drove one just like it.
On the other hand, I only rarely encounter people who will admit that they, or any member of their family, ever drove anything like mine.
That’s because the mortality rate is rather high.
Saab people are usually pretty cuddly so long as you don’t bring up GM, though they might get to it first.
And if you meet a fellow random Saab owner, they’ll offer you (okay, beg you to take) parts and bits from the 27 96s/99s/900s/9000s (or maybe a couple cars) that they’ve hoarded over the years, so you can add to your own hoard of Saab parts.
International Harvester owners. I’ve really only met a couple of jerks.
I don’t know that I’ve ever met a single owner of one or seen one up close in real life,…
The Neon cult was founded on Hi tech.
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s–fbBqUEYw–/17c1lnj58d6oejpg.jpg
Hard to decide which is worse from that time period, Neon or Saturn. The Saturn was arguably a better car, but Neon had the ACR and threw lots of support at the SCCA.
With the cute little “Hi.” musical note.
Subaru owners. They don’t know shit about cars (or they would drive something else) but they’re all about sharing the love.
Maybe that’s where all the Neon and Saturn owners went. (See OA5599 above.)
I think Saab owners are the new Subaru owners. Have you been to a Subaru dealer recently? More like a trendy boutique with clothes for your dog. My dead beat brother in law has paid msrp for his last two Subarus and brags about how safe they are. This is the same guy who has had more new cars repossessed than I’ve ever owned.
Ouch.
Sorry. I don’t normally rant and I like Subarus just fine. In fact they’re the most popular brand in my little burg. Several of my best buddies own them. It’s just my bro-in-law that ticks me off.
Marty & Moog immediately come to mind.
It’s been a while since I watched. Is Marty still a Subie guy?
Primarily – that and Daihatsu, oddly enough.
Then everything else on the planet.
Those two are awesome.
Subaru owner checking in. About 12-13 years experience in professional automotive repair business.
I suppose I don’t know anything about cars after all those years ,…
No, being a mechanic who works on Subarus is a smart choice. You’ll never go wanting for work.
I’ve found that if I’m open-minded about and interested in her/his car, the owner typically responds by being friendly. I have my preferences at every show (I usually like atypical cars), but I approach every vehicle as if it were my own: appreciative, respectful, and interested. I always strike up amiable conversations.
I can talk about cars with pretty much anyone that actually likes cars, with the exception of people that are in to car clubs. Those people always come across like a homeowners association.
You know, those turnsignal bulbs aren’t the correct type, don’t you? The filaments coil in the wrong direction. What? You only have an (X) because it’s fun to drive? Oh, of course. Excuse me, I think I heard someone calling me.
There’s a subset of Corvette owners that look to replicate the perfection that was created right after it exited from an assembly line in St. Louis sometime before the fall of ignition points but before radial tires. The obsessiveness is almost impressive, but it has nothing at all to do with anything I get out of cars.
The Corvette club comes to our burg once a year for a weeklong shindig and show. What I find interesting is they are snobs to other Corvette owners, especially to C4 owners who get no respect at all. If I were interested in buying a used Corvette it would probably be a low mileage last 2 years of the model run. Cheap and good handlers.
I’m just spitballing here, but I’ve found owners of old 2-strokers like Dkws and Saabs and air-coolers like Panhards and 2CVs very amiable. Off the top of my head I can’t recall an air-cooled 2-stroke car brand but I’m sure the owner of such a machine would be quite affable.
I see I have failed utterly.
You’re such a cute villain, aaww!
I forgot to mention owners of friction drive cars, which, if they are air-cooled (the cars, not the owners) and or 2-stroke the owners of which would be happiest, friendliest people in the world.
We Hillman Imp owners are renowned for being friendly. Just don’t mention Chr*sl*r. Or suggest they’re prone to head gasket failure. Or ask if it’s an NSU Prinz.
I had one on display recently, got the full gamut of responses from “what is that?” to “I/a family member or friend had one” and even “I used to race one” – the latter was Norm Beechey!
Way better than those stuck up Mini owners..
the friendlier are the ones with which you share your view of the cars. I find people who loves cars and not the status of having a nice/expensive/exclusive car friendlier (because that how I like to think I view it)
Probably the nicest regular at our local Cars and Coffee is the guy who drives the Morgan and MG TD (I think). Or the organizer who has an E36 3 series convertible, a CTS-V and a Mark IV. Or the guy with the late 70s Vette
Actually, anyone who frequents a casual, bring whatever kind of gathering is likely to be pretty friendly and easy going.
Rover owners. When I was back in the UK about twenty years ago, I was in a white transit van, on an A road in Scotland when going the other way I saw a mint condition Rover P6 V8 S1 on (the very rare in the UK), Rostyles. I turned around and followed the man and his car. He pulled over and I stopped and engaged in conversation about his and my P6s. I’d had to leave mine in NZ and was missing driving one. He and his wife were really nice and ended up asking me to their house for dinner. He was in the local club and I got to meet some of the other members when he invited them round. I ended up staying overnight. It was one of my most memorable meetings ever and based on a completely chance encounter. They were already quite old then and are now sadly deceased. R.I.P Charles and Marian.
Rover owners includes Land Rover owners.
http://derby.graphics/images/928.jpg
They’ll inevitably need to be a tow/jump start at some point, so they can’t afford to offend anyone. 😉
Lol, that’s what’s I was going to say.
They sounded like a sweet couple. Yes, RIP, Charles and Marian.
I don’t get to talk to so many people on cars, but the 911-people in the local P-chapter are really nice, whereas the 944-people are a mixed experience. It’s probably because 911s are so expensive that the owners don’t have time and nerves bsing others, so they’re earning money instead.
I’m in the local Corvair club (North Texas Corvair Assn.), and I’d put Corvair owners up there. I haven’t owned a ‘vair in awhile, but I’ve made some long lasting friendships in the club, and watched as older members have passed on, and younger ones joined. Corvair owners are generally friendly, and unpretentious.
I’d love to have a second-generation Corsa. Such a beautiful design.
So right. Corvair owners I know are some of the nicest folks I know.
Looking at the photo of Vincenzo Lancia above I think of friendly Lancia owners, who as of late have become more and more irate at Marchionne and the Agneli clan for what’s become of their beloved brand..