You’ve just pulled into a parking space at the mall and as I notice you get out of your Cadillac CTS-V, or your Chevelle SS; you start rolling your eyes in annoyance that, God forbid, someone should compliment you on the fine vehicle you’re driving.
This is something I’ve never understood. I mean sure, if I was to ask you to drive the thing then, yeah, I’d understand your annoyance. But the simple fact is I’m not going to ask that, or even ask to sit in it.
I would just like to give you a compliment as we pass, ask a few questions about how it handles or what the acceleration is like, maybe even get a little technical; but you don’t want to talk about it for some reason. Like you’re ashamed of the fact you own a sedan that does the Nürburgring in under eight minutes.
I have two theories why people might snub someone asking about their car.
Number one, it’s not theirs. This happens when maybe the husband or wife of a car-lover has somehow gained the opportunity to drive their spouse’s much superior vehicle.
Possibly it’s a teenage male trying to impress girls at his high school with his dad’s Camaro and really doesn’t want to talk to some other guy about it when he could be trolling for ladies instead.
Number two, they bought it because it’s cool. It’s fine if they’ve bought a car for this reason. That means that the designers at the respective auto maker have done their job.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m usually wishing I had enough money to buy something like that, but if you don’t know anything about the car except for the fact that you like the look of it, then just say so. Maybe you’ll learn something about that pretty thing that you go to work in.
To avoid this sounding like a rant, I will assure you that there are very nice people out there with very nice cars.
Recently I had a fantastic experience with a really nice lady, through simple conversation.
I had been talking to her for about a year as she frequented my Starbucks drive through in a silver Dodge Durango. The only conversation I’d really had with her is between when she paid and was waiting for her order, but I could tell by her opinions that she was into American Muscle. I had no idea how much she actually was, though. That is, until she roared into the parking lot in a gleaming bright yellow 1970 Mach 1 Mustang. Naturally, I had to run outside and immediately express my complete admiration for it.
I always wished I could just sit in it, see how well the interior was done, because I had never been in a vintage Mustang before. That is until, one day she walked in just before I was done shift and dangled the keys in front of me. “Want to go for a drive?” she asked, already knowing the answer. That right there, made my week.
 Now I’m totally not suggesting that people let complete strangers in their cars; but if you take a few seconds to acknowledge the interest, or talk with them for a bit, you’ll probably make someone’s day.