I went to get some new tires on my car yesterday at a Discount Tire center. The guy who was helping me was extremely nice and very helpful. We had a nice discussion about different tires and what makes an AMG special. He originally thought an AMG was just a body kit and some sport options. That is when I opened the hood and exposed him to the BEAST. He then learned what Kompressor stood for and was amazed that this car put out almost 500 hp. I threw him the keys and told him to take it for a spin and if he wanted to, finish off the almost bald Conti's. I jumped in the passenger seat and off we went. One good stab of the throttle and he was giggling like a schoolgirl. I really enjoyed seeing this guy's reaction. He was more than surprised and thanked me for the opportunity. So I tell him "anytime". He drops me off and pulls my car into the bay.

So, as I am waiting this guy pulls up in a new C6 (not a Z06) with a very loud exhaust, rims etc. Nice car. Of course he blips the throttle a few times and everyone comes to check it out. When the guy gets out of the vette he tells people not to touch the car and walks in to the waiting room (I'm outside on my cell phone). I end my call and go inside. The vette guy is talking to the guy who was helping me and I over hear him say that he will pull it into the bay himself because the car has too much power. The tire guy asks how much hp does it have? 450hp he says. My guy tells him that their insurance requires an employee to enter a car into the bay. That is when the vette guy starts getting into this guys kitchen (if you know what I mean.) The tire guy was calm and professional and told him that if something went wrong he could lose his job. The vette guy could care less and proceeded telling the guy how expensive his car was and would be too much power for a shop guy to handle. The tire guy says you are welcome to watch a tech or me pull the car in or you can take your business elsewhere. The vette guy finally throws the guy his keys and says congratulations this will not only be the fastest car you have ever driven but the most expensive one too. The tire guy says to him actually "his car (points finger to me) is the fastest most expensive car I've ever driven". The vette guy looks over at me and I nod my head and say, "it's true"! Several people in the waiting area chuckled.

I can’t stand people with the vette guys attitude. It is such a turn off. I have always been open to letting people experience any of my cars within reason unless I’m driving. For me, I get more out of seeing someone’s reaction and big grin driving the car than I do sometimes. Hopefully, my tire guy might have a new respect (we are not a bunch of aholes) for the car and for those who drive them.

 

great karma for letting the guy drive your car!!!

 

nice post..

thanks for sharing...

In my book, there is only one true Corvette C6 Z06...

 

Funny story!!

 

Great post....I share your sentiments. I have owned 3: Corvettes, a '65 327/340 HP convertible 4 speed, a '67 427/390 HP convertible 4 speed w/air and a '88 convertible with a 500 HP Lingenfelter 383 with a "built" 700-R4. I have had faster cars (1970 Challenger Hemi 4speed) but with all my cars I have gotten the biggest kick out of sharing the driving experience with some one else. That tire store guy will talk about driving your car for years to come.

 

New set of tires - $1000

E55 ///AMG - $100,000

Tire guy putting vette guy in his place - Priceless



Wish I was there.

 

haha, great post...

 

Great story. I sometimes reflect how giddy I was one I first got my AMG. Now I live that all over again when I take someone for a spin. It's a cool feeling for sure!

 

Great story.

 

you sure put him in his place lol. it must have been a good experience just shut him up. did he ask what car you drove or did you tell him afterwards?

 

The tire guy pulled my car around when it was finished and instead of pulling it into a stall he parked right in front of the shop. He walked in the waiting room and said, "Thanks again". We shook hands and I was on my way. I never looked to see if the vette guy was watching (really didn't care). I think there is a lot to be said by showing everyone a little common courtesy regardless of his or her "status" or "job position". There is no need for some portentous ahole to treat a person they don't even know like crap.

I had the same experience when i was working construction during the summer in high school. I worked in Palm Beach on some amazing homes. To say the least a lot of the owners there are snobs. One day the owner (oil executive) of a house we were working on asked me to help him pull out an atv that was stuck on his property by Moroso. I told him I could follow him in my car (69 vw bug). He would have nothing to do with it. He said have you ever flown before? I said yep several times. He said "not in an airplane". Confused, I said, "What do you mean?" That is when he opened his garage and there sat my dream a 911 turbo. I said, " I love Porsches!" He says "this is not a Porsche... it's a Ruf BTR" Never heard of one. Looks like a Porsche to me. He explained in detail what the difference was. The guy oozed passion for this car, it was his dream too. I jump in and we head out to his property. Heaven. We get to B-line hwy and he hits the loud pedal. Holy crap, this car flew. He got quite a kick out of my reaction. Long story short, here is a multi millionaire taking a kid that made $9 an hour working as a laborer for a ride in his $180,000 sports car. I'll never forget it and will be a great story to tell my kids when they are old enough to understand. It changed my life.

 

Awesome story. I love having people drive my cars too... watch their reaction... like WTF??? What the hell is this??? The reactions are, quite possibly, the most enjoyable thing about our rides. To watch some giggle uncontrollably ... which is a very very common reaction... is just priceless.



Loren

 

I once drove my friend's father's mid-80's BMW 7 series (? year) when I was around 18. I will never forget the feeling I had driving such a nice car. He just gave us the keys and let us each take it out on the highway for a cruise. I will never forget feeling like the king of the road. I really enjoy taking the opportunity to let friends take the E55 for a rip to have that same feeling. It truly was a lifechanging experience for me. Nothing worse than snobby, pretentious A-holes that think they are above everyone else because of "status" or the car that they drive.

 

was that my nieghbor - LOL.... Great story.

 

This story is one of the reasons that I dumped my 2005 C6. That crowd seems to select for a large number of 'peckerhedz'!
We were at our local dragstrip and there was some cool dude in his black conv. C6 last spring. We were all yakking in line waiting to go and he looks at me when I tried to make small talk like 'go away' with his black leather jacket and moussed hair .Soooo I made it a point to line up next to him and it was priceless. He hit the rev limiter so bad during the run with each shift that it was laffable and was looking over at me as in total disbelief as I spanked his stinky real good. He immediately left the track and never even said goodbye- Joker

 

L8Apex,

Thanks for two great stories. It might sound lame, but they inspire me to take more people out for rides in my car. I've felt they might believe I am just showing off. However, after reading your posts, I realize that is probably not the case. In my youth, I would love to take a ride in a fast car and would care less if the owner was 'bragging' about his ride. Thanks for reminding me of that.

Here's one for ya,

Several months ago, a C6 owner popped into an electronics store that I manage. I almost avoid this guy cuz everytime he comes in, he wants a deal regardless of the item. For example, $200 tv or $10 pack of photo paper. Beyond that, I call him a 'time bandit' as he steals my valuable time telling worthless information. On a recent visit, he asked for a discount because he was buying gifts for his associates because they couldn't afford anything. Shrugging his shoulders, he made statements like, "Yeah, I'll just buy this cheap stuff. These kids won't know the difference. They're far from bright. One of my gals, sheez, has like 2 kids and she's under 20! Man, she needs to get a life." Of course, I stand giving no reaction since I could care less what HE thinks of people. He's far from the best judge of character. Even with my emotionless face, he continues on like I'm interested.

Well, he comes in again and urges me to step outside. He takes me over to his brand new C6. As a car enthusiast, I comment, "Nice ride." It was far from over. He has me sit inside. He shows me OPTIONS that HE states are things Chevy made only for less than 50 models! Those special things were the HUD, paddle shifting, etc. I wanted to call BS, but it was interesting hearing all his lies. Since I didn't argue any of his claims, he went further. He then pops the hood and shows "her" to me. I had enough when he told me the car had a special "turbine" that sucked air in the front and pushed it thru the rear! WTF? Does he think it's a jet?! After that comment, I finally said, So you're saying this has a Turbo or a Supercharger? I knew it had neither. He had no clue what those were. He looked at me and dodged the question stating, "She's awesome." He also mentioned it cost over 100k. What a fool.

I never called him on it. I was close to pointing out my SLK55 in the parking lot. I never did. In his mind, I was just another young buck that didn't know much. I left him knowing he'll continue feeding this BS to others. Real enthusiasts will know the difference.

Leaving work about 1 hr later, I found him STILL outside. Now showing his ride to another 'ignorant' youngster. HAHA. That guy made my day!

 

Wow man thats so cool! I wish more nice people like you were where I live. And not all corvette guys are like that !

 

Classic... great story, enjoyed the read!!!

 

Finally...a feel good thread. Thanks for such a great post, this is what true fanatics do with their machines, share and bring smiles to what I am sure a future MB owner/fanatic. Great job.

 

True they aren't all 60 or jackasses. It's the non-car guys that really make you laugh. Probably best to stay away from those types on the street since they really can't handle the car anyway........when I first got my AMG I brought it to work and there is this really cool gal that works in the building with an Acura...she saw my car and said it was beautiful and she never drove a Benz before...I threw her the keys and told her to go and take it for a spin....she nearly fainted...but I let her have a go and told her to be careful....when she got back she was all smiles...and really loved the car. Also have a BEAUTIFUL Puerto Rican honey at work and her and i went for a ride....she drove and we got on the tollway ramp and after she paid I told her to nail it ! She did pretty good and took it to about 100 and got out of it...most people don't get the chance to drive something this awsum and the looks on their faces is priceless....plus I dig PR women !!!

 

Great post. I am glad we can still be humble as AMG owners.

 

lol good stuff, that tire guy will prob go thru the whole experience you had when you were younger

my mom have taught me to be kind and courteous of others. its more beneficial to be helpful then not (ie helping someone change a flat and a few days later you have a flat yourself but don't have a spare to use. so a car pulls over because that person remembers your car and woohoo a spare that fits your car). that didn't happen to me but it did happen to a close friend of mine.

 

That's awesome. I only have an old M3 and a G35 sedan, but even when I let people drive those, they are all smiles. I can only imagine the reactions you all must get.