<VV> the crazy things people say about Vairs'

[Tony Underwood]

At 01:25 PM 6/10/2007, Stephen Upham wrote:
>When I was purchasing the compressor last night, the old boy who was
>trying to answer my questions about the compressor (not very well, I
>might add) saw my North Texas Corvair Society t-shirt and commented
>that he owned one before.  I asked him how he liked it, and he stated
>that he hated it.  He told me that the engine had dropped out of it
>twice.  I told him that who ever had worked on it had probably
>forgotten to install the cotter pin in the nut that supported the
>rear of the engine (I'm not entirely versed on the earlies and so I
>was winging it - how'd I do?).  Anyway, he had owned it so many years
>ago that I had to point out which version he had by pointing to the
>examples printed on the shirt.  Besides, if he had it fall out TWICE,
>that speaks volumes to the owner / driver.


Yep.


Typical...  previous owners who were either incompetent or just 
didn't care, complaining about trials and tribulations as regards the 
car, most of which were their own fault to begin with.     I really 
like the complaints from people who never even owned one.


Most typical is the guy who starts in on how much he despised them 
and when asked why, he simply parrots the standard rhetoric that 
we've all heard before... usually there's no talking to them; their 
mind is made up.



**********  One nitwit (and I use the term generously) had an ad in 
the paper for a Corvair parts car...  I went to look since it was 
only a few blocks from my house.   The '65 4-door was smacked in the 
front pretty bad, needed the whole front clip and was generally beat 
and tired, scuffed and dented, rust in the usual places, rear cove 
all greasy...   and sooty around the tail pipe etc.

The guy said that Corvairs were dangerous and that he "...never 
should have bought that one".     I asked why he thought they were 
dangerous, and he said that they go out of control without warning, 
which was why he'd wrecked the 4-door.      ;)

Irony runs deep; there were 3-4 other cars in the back yard, various 
makes, all wrecked in the front... a couple of which had already had 
different color front sheet metal installed, which were re-wrecked 
etc...   the car he was evidently driving (rough and scuffed, parked 
out front, mostly gold in color) had a white front clip on it which 
was also freshly banged up on one corner.         (I vaguely recall 
wondering how this guy kept a drivers license)

The whole time I was there he was down on Corvairs...  which slapped 
the face of logic seeing as how I'd assumed he was trying to *Sell* 
me one, and he'd seen me drive up in a Corvair as well.

It actually all made sense, in a strange sort of way.    I never even 
asked what he wanted for the wrecked 4-door, I simply said thanks and 
I'd think about it and get back to him.    He said OK...  never even 
occurred to him that he'd not told me how much, or that I hadn't 
asked.




**********   My favorite was the woman at the convenience store where 
I bought gas, who looked out at the Corsa ragtop and started in on me...

"Those cars are illegal to drive in Georgia and I thought they'd been 
banned from the roads everywhere."

         -- "Uh, they're certainly *not* illegal to drive 
anywhere.   They're DOT compliant and unless Georgia has succeeded 
from the Union again, they're legal to drive there too."

"Listen, I'm *from* Georgia and I know what I'm talking about.   Them 
cars (sic) got banned from the roads in Georgia, 
mister!"    (surprised me, couldn't recall the last time I'd been 
called "mister")

        -- "I bet all those guys in the Georgia Corvair clubs would 
be really interested in hearing about that."


...before she could say anything else I whipped the ten spot onto the 
counter for the fuel, smiled and said "Have a good day now" and 
left.     I even waved to her as I drove past the front of the 
store.   She didn't wave back...

You just can't save everyone...  all you can do is try to be not too 
close when they go off.




tony..