People tend to know better then yourself

7173Mustangs.com

Help Support 7173Mustangs.com:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

mozesmedia

Member
Joined
May 12, 2013
Messages
23
Reaction score
0
Location
Belgium
My Car
1972 Mustang Fastback 250 6 Cyl.
It's been a while since I've been here but I had to get this of my chest.

I've been a proud 1972 Mustang Fastback 250ci 6cyl for about 3 years now. I live in Beernem Belgium Europe, so as it is my daily driver, I see a lot of jaw-dropping and pointing in the streets.

I don't know how it is in the states, but when people talk to me about the Mustang, not owning one themselves, most of them act like the know a lot about it. I always find this kind of strange, because I don't encourage them in doing so. Some of them even talk about owning one themselves but I know when they are lying almost after one question.

I don't pretend to know everything about them, but in this three years, and some years prior owning my car, I have done a lot of research about classic Mustangs, so I figure, if you don't know anything about it why pretending you do to someone who owns one??? It amazes me every time.

So I had to share some of the best baloney I've heard in those three years. All happend for real and by different persons. Here they come.

A=me B=other person.

B: "I owned one myself back in the days"

A: "Cool, what model was it"

B: "1958"

A: "I bet it was an unique piece" (walks away)

_

B (not knowing I had a mustang)= "I own a 1973 mustang"

A: "Cool what engine does it have?"

B: "A V8"

A: "Nice, what size of V8"

B: "euh... 3.5 liter"

A: "Strange, my 6 cylinder has 4.1 liter..."

B: "yeah, but Mustangs have different engines"

A= (Facepalm)

_

B: "Is it a Mach 1 or a Mach 2?

A: "Just a fastback"

B: "No man, its definitely a Mach 2, you should look it up."

_

B: "Nice car, I had one some time ago"

A: "Cool, what model was it"

B: "oh, it was the one from 1972"

A: "What a coincidence, as is this one!

B: (turns around and walks away)

_

B: (A salesman) "Nice Mustang you have there on your driveway.

A: "thanks!"

B: "I've had an earlier model myself back in the days"

A: "that's cool, what model"

B: "a 1982 Hemi"

A: "Interesting..." (didn't buy anything just because he lied about that)

_

B: "A V6?"

A: "No a straight 6"

B: "They got you by the balls man, thats not an original engine then. They only sold them with V engines"

A: "If you say so"

_

B: "Man, that car isn't a Mustang man, a real Mustang has a V8"

A: "Is that so? So I assume you drive a V8 Mustang?"

B: "No"

A: "So How do you know then how one feels like?"

_

Those were the most akward conversations I had about Mustangs. Sometimes I think I must be looking stupid or something.

I had a lot of passionate conversations with real ex-owners too, you can feel the energy when they talk about it. Also a lot of people just appreciating the car and giving the thumbs up, or asking questions. I don't brag about my car, I really don't, so I really really hate it when people try to belittle me with lies.

Anyone can relate to this, or am I really looking stupid? :)

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Usually I just play along semi laughing inside, to be honest with you I didn't know anything about these cars and I've been a Ford fanitic for over 30 years. These are awesome cars with alot of mystery surrounding them with so many combinations that were offered. I like it that way.

 
rofl

No joke, I get the same 2 questions every time somebody asks about the mustang.

Usually in this order too.

Question 1: "what year?"

Question 2: "Is it a stick?"

I appreciate your enjoyment of it, but literally every time? Come on.

 
Hi There,

You will find that you will get this baloney element to some extent, from certain people, from any country of the world as such. I think it comes down to human nature, because we do know for sure that our cars have a big wow factor to them as we get around on the streets, so you will get some people for example who approach you, who are impressed with your car, but want to feel important themselves as well, and so will invent stories to bring themselves up to your stardom level too as such. Some people also want to bathe in and share you glory as well, and so bullshit on to bring themselves into your arena so to speak. As frustrating as this can be, i would try not to react to it too much if you can. Run with the good feelings you get by owning a lovely car, soak up the admiration when it does come along,genuine or not, and focus on enjoying talking to people who genuinely know about our cars.

So remember, when your driving around in our '7173 Stangs, think of Iggy Pop, and see yourself as a VIP!!dancebanana:p:p:p

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AElqmoO3gt0

Just my two cents worth!:)

Cheers,

Greg.:)

 
Last edited by a moderator:
What annoys me in the UK is the first question people ask is always "how many miles to the gallon does it do?"

They NEVER ask if it's fun to drive and rarely ask if it's fast. Sometimes I tell them its "30 smiles to the gallon" but they often mis-hear. So now I say it's adjustable. When they stop going "Errr...?" I point out that pushing the pedal on the right down a long way makes it do less. Then I usually tell them that I didn't buy it to drive like a granny.

Also there are people who tell you that you should convert it to right hand drive as you can't possibly drive from the left on our roads. These people have NEVER owned a LH drive car.

 
Good advice Greg.

It's been a while but I've heard everything from "Nice Camaro" to "that is not a real Boss". I engage them for just a quick minute to see if they are really knowledgable but mistaken OR a complete ignoramus. The latter I try hard to walk away from asap. The others are usually willing to listen. One has to be careful to not sound like a know-it-all. People can take you that way when you are confident in your answers. I try to always say - proof's in the documents but even those are not perfect. We do our best to keep it real.

You know and learn because you have researched and studied so much!

Enjoy your cars!

Ray

 
Hi There,

You will find that you will get this baloney element to some extent, from certain people, from any country of the world as such. I think it comes down to human nature, because we do know for sure that our cars have a big wow factor to them as we get around on the streets, so you will get some people for example who approach you, who are impressed with your car, but want to feel important themselves as well, and so will invent stories to bring themselves up to you stardom level too as such. Some people also want to bathe in and share you glory as well, and so bullshit on to bring themselves into your arena so to speak. As frustrating as this can be, i would try not to react to it too much if you can. Run with the good feelings you get by owning a lovely car, soak up the admiration when it does come along,genuine or not, and focus on enjoying talking to people who genuinely know about our cars.

Just my two cents worth!:)

Cheers,

Greg.:)
That is a very philosophic but understandable way to put it. I do remain polite most of the time. But they don't know that by lying or pretending to know better than someone who actually owns a Mustang, they put a wall between me and them never to be removed again. If they were curious, and would like to learn about the car, they would stand more chance feeling the shine of my stardom rofl

No seriously, a lady came to my house the other day, a bit shaky saying here husband really loved my car and it was his birthday shortly. That husband had talked to me before about how he really genuinly loved my car, no other bullshit.

So I surprised him on his birthday at his home and did a roadtrip with him and his wife to Bruges, the nearby town where I dropped them off for a drink. The lady asked what she had to pay. I said it was my pleasure. So, him being a chef at a restaurant, invited me and my wife for a dinner at their place soon.

Thats how interesting relationships start, not by lying or being a know-it-all.

 
Many people are just low on information. I try so hard to ignore them but sometimes the temptation is too great.

Had a guy interested in the car and asks " what engine is in it?" I say " a 302" " oh a BOSS my buddy had one.....etc...etc."

For such a limited number ford must have made a crapton of boss 302 engines and handed them out at Halloween like candy for people to put them in mustangs, trucks, and boats.

Last year I witnessed a real rarity, a car show snob had a super elite rare boss 351 in his fox. He had a very interesting story (so much I didn't pay attention) about the engine. Was obviously a Windsor 351.

Most times I just shake my head and find a escape clause when the B.S. Starts spewing.

 
One of my biggest peeves, and it really shouldn't bother me, is the fact that every Mustang and Maverick somebodies someone had, once upon a time, had a Boss 302 in it.
I definitely feel your pain on that one!

I could not begin to tell you how many times over the years that somebody with a Ford vehicle (take your pick) with a 302 claimed it was a "BOSS 302". When called on it not being available in anything other than a Mustang or Cougar...they always respond with the "Oh no, it was special ordered that way."

A smogged-out late 70's 302 with an aftermarket 4-barrel on it is NOT a "BOSS 302"...

 
This is funny. I went for a run with a few blokes I know a 34 3wcoupe a 32 5w coupe and a 39 chev sedan delivery my Stock 73 H code Mach. We stopped at a local club for lunch after I ordered my meal I went back outside and a bloke was looking at my car. I stopped next to him and he started too give me the history of the car where,what,how, the spoilers hav been taken off but it's still got the mighty BOSS 351 you know the Windsor engine with clevo heads etc etc BS BS. So I said is it your car then he gave a bit of a non committal nod then I asked him well can you move so I can get my phone out of it :D. Jumped in it got my phone turn to him and Said enjoy the rest of your day old mate. The other guys where very excited for me having the only Boss 351 73 in town. Sometimes I feel like having a couple of big red noses so I can politely hand it to 1 of these clowns and leave. Most people are cool but we don't remember them:) just the occasional penis head that hot cars attract to them.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
This is funny. I went for a run with a few blokes I know a 34 3wcoupe a 32 5w coupe and a 39 chev sedan delivery my Stock 73 H code Mach. We stopped at a local club for lunch after I ordered my meal I went back outside and a bloke was looking at my car. I stopped next to him and he started too give me the history of the car where,what,how, the spoilers hav been taken off but it's still got the mighty BOSS 351 you know the Windsor engine with clevo heads etc etc BS BS. So I said is it your car then he gave a bit of a non committal nod then I asked him well can you move so I can get my phone out of it :D. Jumped in it got my phone turn to him and Said enjoy the rest of your day old mate. The other guys where very excited for me having the only Boss 351 73 in town. Sometimes I feel like having a couple of big red noses so I can politely hand it to 1 of these clowns and leave. Most people are cool but we don't remember them:) just the occasional penis head that hot cars attract to them.
Geeez Luke! you're getting soft in your old age! I remember a time when you woulda dropped that bloke on the spot!:D:D:D:D:D

Greg.:p

 
Last edited by a moderator:
When I was selling new Fords back in the late-80s, jokers would come in all the time crowing about how they had "on order" a brand-new Mustang GT, but with a special orderded 351 "police Interceptor" engine from a Crown Vic.

The 5.0 HO engine in the GT was rated at 225 horse at the time (Really? We thought that was a lot?), and the 351 Windsor "police interceptor" was rated at...180 Horsepower. Don't remember the torque, but it was lower than the 5.0 HO by a bunch.

There was only one reason the 351 "PI" motor was popular amongst municipalities back then: It was CHEAP.

It had Ford's ludicrously-engineered and horrifically problematic new invention at the time: The "VV" carburetor. The "Variable Venturi" idea looked good on paper...worked like ass in the real world. But...it was much less expensive to produce than the EFI used on all other Fords at the time.

I sold plenty of "PI" equipped Crown Vics back then, and they were dogs...to put it mildly. The only real advantages they had over standard "consumer" level drivetrains was a serioiusly upgraded cooling system, and a much beefed-up electrical system for mthe whole vehicle. A lot of other stuff was mildly upgraded, but low price was word of the day when selling those.

Nobody in thier right mind would EVER want that drivetrain in any car, much less in place of a 5.0 HO engine.

Fastest Ford in 89? The Taurus SHO (3.0 liter Yamaha V-6). Ford didn't point that out too much, but it was pretty quick for the era...once you got used to the terrible shifters in 'em.

 
Ah, your dragging me down memory lane Kit. I briefly worked at a GM dealer in the '80's and encountered the the 351 VV in a Bronco and it was having "issues." Although I can't recall the details I'm positive at least one of my gray hairs is dedicated to it and the memory of it has stuck with me all these years. As for the 225 5.0. It was like a breathe of fresh air, lol, and look at it now. wow!

Addendum: I flogged a lot of 5.0's with my "old" Mach back then because everybody thought they had something. The SVO Mustangs could give me a better run.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I always get two standard questions:

1, (the typical European question) is about gas mileage. This question comes 8 times out of ten.

I mean, ok, the 70s gas crisis struck Europe even harder given that our fuel prices were 4 times the American ones and nobody could afford driving a V8 back then and most of the American cars were used for demolition derbies, even quite new ones. People would literally give 1969 Chargers away!

Since then it's a given that each and every American car is solely capable of guzzling fuel. That stupid idea is so deeply embedded in the European mind that I get the question from people who weren't even born back then.

I usually reply:" you got that wrong. The question is what can it do. Fuel consumption comes into play much later."

Or when my mood is not that good it's something like " If you have to ask, you won't understand it anyway. "

The second question is if it's a Mach1. I have stated in several previous posts that to the general public somehow a 123 Mustang is always a Mach1 here in Europe.

I usually say yes because it's too hard to explanation the details and the one asking the question is happy because he knew something.

 
Back
Top