Is this considered rude?

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USCG CHARGER

USCG CHARGER

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I have been taking my car to a ton of cruise ins the last two wks, and have gotten a ton of attention with the Dart. One of the questions I keep getting asked is how much do I have invested in the car, or how much did my engine cost? I always just blow it off or smile and say too much..lol... It kinda makes me feel like it's a question that is irrelevant.. what are your thoughts?
 
well i have been around some snobs and there deal is how much it cost... even if its them getting there A** handed to them by a shop they dont care... they just brag about how much it cost to there bud...

but on the other hand it can be a direct question for their build...
 
Well it certainly is your business what you have invested. I do think 805 touched on something there about someone wanting an idea of funds needed to do something like you have.

I guess you really have to get a feel for what their looking for. You never can tell what someones motivation is though when you don't know them.
 
If these guys were asking b/c they were wanting to do something similar it would be something else.. but hell half the time they don't even know what engine it is.
 
Your being very nice by saying it that way,first of all it ain't none of their busness and if they knew anything about classic cars they would know the answer and would not ask a question like that, Or you could say nun'ya-nun'ya g-ddam busness [that would be rude].
 
USCG CHARGER said:
If these guys were asking b/c they were wanting to do something similar it would be something else.. but hell half the time they don't even know what engine it is.
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That's kinda what I meant about getting a feel for what they are looking for. If they can talk intelligently with you about the car then it might be OK. If not then just keep smilin'.
 
USCG CHARGER said:
I have been taking my car to a ton of cruise ins the last two wks, and have gotten a ton of attention with the Dart. One of the questions I keep getting asked is how much do I have invested in the car, or how much did my engine cost? I always just blow it off or smile and say too much..lol... It kinda makes me feel like it's a question that is irrelevant.. what are your thoughts?
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I think you're handling it about right. If it's someone that seems knowledgable and they ask about a specific part of the car i wouldn't mind giving them a approx. range. But if the're talking total build i would probably blow them off..........Probably been watching too much Barrett/Jackson :icon_smi:.
 
ok so my gut was right, it is kinda rude... I told my wife it was rude and she said why.... I didn't answer her either b/c she doesn't know what it cost either...lol
 
USCG CHARGER said:
ok so my gut was right, it is kinda rude... I told my wife it was rude and she said why.... I didn't answer her either b/c she doesn't know what it cost either...lol
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I wouldn't say it is rude, it really is no ones business. Most people are just looking for a number, why I don't know. Maybe they see a car as a number, the higher the number the nicer the car, which isn't always true. There may be, once in a while, a true interested party that is considering something along the same lines.
 
I just came in from a cruise. Everybody wants to talk about their cars non-stop. They just want to know what it costs, and now you don't want to talk about your car anymore. Heck, anyone with a brain knows that more than likely it is somewhere between 0 and 75 grand. Just tell them. There may be a car just like yours down the street they want to buy and make it similar to yours. That is flattery. I get involved in a lot of stuff. When doing doors one day a guy walked into the store and said his neighbor just paid 8 grand for a new front door. Show me what you have that's double that. Great for the economy. Isn't it easier to to just tell a person you have $5200 in an engine, than to have to break it down into a hundred different parts?
 
Ask them how much money they made last year, what their religious beliefs are, or who they voted for and they'd probably get offended. It's pretty much the same thing. There are ways to ask without being rude. You could also just tell them that it costs about the same as building any other small or big block or that a used 318 costs about $200-400 etc.
 
I find that they are asking b/c they know it wasn't cheap... I almost feel like they are asking me how much money I make or something?
 
USCG CHARGER said:
I have been taking my car to a ton of cruise ins the last two wks, and have gotten a ton of attention with the Dart. One of the questions I keep getting asked is how much do I have invested in the car, or how much did my engine cost? I always just blow it off or smile and say too much..lol... It kinda makes me feel like it's a question that is irrelevant.. what are your thoughts?
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I think the way you're handling is the way it should be handled. No matter what amount you give them, the majority of the people are either going to think you spent way to much and you're a dumbass that got ripped off, OR you spent too little and probably used cheap/junk parts/workmanship. Bottom line is the only one that needs to know what you spent is you, and you probably don't want to think about it yourself.
 
It cracks me up when people don't even have a running car, but yet they put a different car down for it's defects.
You should ask them what they are driving and kick their *** in your six 805.
 
You go to work and all you talk about with your fellow workers is how much money you make, or don't make. You go to church and all you do is talk about how you interpret certain aspects of your religion. You go to a political ralley and all you talk about is who you think the best man for the job is. You drive a Jeep, Traverse, Cobra, Impala, F-150, I know how much your car costs. You go to a car show, and show up in a highly customized Dart I might have to ask, if I'm thinking about duplicating parts of it. When I decided to do a '68 Charger the first thing my wife asked is...well duh... I guess most people could guess.
 
Usually guys with a ton of $$ in their car love to tell you what they spent. I just looked at my neighbors 68 Nova SS and the first thing he told me was what he had into it. Beautiful car, and one heck of a motor, but he paid to have everything done and was handed the keys!! Nice car but no fun doing it that way IMO!!

Be proud of what you've done, and even more proud if you did it yourself on a budget and are getting asked that question!! Tell them whatever you want, you'll never see them again anyway!! Geof
 
USCG CHARGER said:
ok so my gut was right, it is kinda rude... I told my wife it was rude and she said why.... I didn't answer her either b/c she doesn't know what it cost either...lol
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SHE is the one you need to worry about asking that question lol.

I frequently get "How much is that worth?" at stop lights. My reply is always "How Much you got?"
 
i still, to this day ,do not understand why the hell it matters how much money is in anyones car. just like you guys say, i can understand wanting a rough estimate if someone is seriously considering a similar build or a certian part, but outside of that , what damn difference does it really make? why cant people just enjoy it for what it is instead of trying to judge a ride by the amount of money someone has into it? those are the kind of people that suck the life out this hobby. those are the same kind of people that made me decide to get out of the whole "numbers matching" game. it became all about money and numbers and blah blah blah and they just couldnt shut up and admire them for what they are....my 2 pennies
 
could be a legit question from some people....my answer would be alot of hard work.
 
Someone I know I will tell them .Anyone else I just say i,m afraid to add it up. I could have bought a new car. Rude possibly, overstepping certainly.
 
USCG CHARGER said:
I find that they are asking b/c they know it wasn't cheap... I almost feel like they are asking me how much money I make or something?
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I doubt they really care how much you make any more than I do. For all I know you won the lottery and don't make any money at all, or you got your car as a gift. Try this next time for an experiment. When someone asks you how much blah, blah, blah is, get as specific as you can with him and tell him exactly what it costs. Then engage them in conversation and ask them why they wanted to know. Tell them how much of a sacrifice it was to save the money for that new Dana or whatever. Tell them that the shop wanted $X to put a whatever on it, and even though you could pay, you did it yourself for free in a blizzard. So far it sounds like many have asked you but you have given no answer. All the things you are worried about are just projections. They have only happened in your mind, so untill you test your pre-suppositions you won't know.
 
I don't mind the question.
I assess each person that asks it. If they are a NON car guy, I'll make a joke about it. If it is a fellow enthusiast, I'll be truthful. I figure that stonewalling a person that is starting a similar project isn't cool. There are surprises and hidden costs to most projects, so any help that I can give, I do it.
 
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