Wednesday, June 23, 2010



Believe it or not, there are some people who identify their entire world according to automobiles. I actually know such a person and he is not a car salesman.

This person can’t remember your name but he’ll know the make, model, color and horse power of the car (cars) you drive. When this guy goes shopping, he can scope out your car in the parking lot from 1000 feet away. This is fine if you want everyone to know where you are. If your car shows up for sale up in a roadside, used-lot, he will know before your husband or wife does.

If you are coming toward him on a highway at seventy miles an hour and he’s coming the other way, he will know it’s you. And, If you have a blond in the car instead of your brunette wife, he might wonder who you’re with but more likely will notice if you’ve been to the car wash recently or if you’re using high performance tires (like his) that will only last 14,000 miles.

If Ford, Honda, Chevy or any other manufacturer changes so much as a rear-view mirror on the newest model, it’s the first topic on his list of conversation. Which models are being discontinued? Added? Hybrided?

He’s not a very good reader but he can quickly scan every line of the latest Car and Driver Magazine. He may not be able to remember what day of the week it is but just ask him about hemis, engine compression ratios, turbos, super chargers, intakes, exhausts, gear ratios and he’s yours for another two or three hours.

Show him a picture just of the dashboard of any antique car and he will know the make, year and model. Got a little rattle, buzz or clink in your engine? He’ll probably know what’s causing it.

And, of course, he will know exactly how many seconds it will take your car to go from a dead stop to 60 miles an hour on a highway entrance ramp, and in fact, will not buy any car that does it in more than 6 seconds.

Do you know such a person?
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