I know there was a post about this a few months ago, but I couldn't find it and need to vent. We went to a cook out this past Saturday at my stepson's house. My wife took the truck to bring some tables and chairs, I took the Camaro and met her there about an hour later. Mostly a middle aged and older crowd. A couple that we know fairly well were there (my wife went to high school with her and the girls see each other about once every couple of months). We get together as couples about once a year and the fact that I have the Camaro never came up during our past visits. Me and him happen to walk out to the front of the house and he says "nice Camaro, who owns that?" I said it was mine. Without even walking over to the car and looking at it, the first thing out of his mouth was "what'd you pay for that?"

His question caught me off guard, and not wanting to be a snot, I told him. I am so po'd at myself for telling him cause that was the most important question or comment he could make about my car. The more I think about it, the more po'd I get. I mean you can tell a stanger most anything when they ask, cause you'll never see them again, but the women are pretty close and I see this guy occaisionally as a foursome.

I know it's not a big deal, but I wish I could have had a come back for him, without coming off like an a**hole. This has been eating at me for four days now. I'm po'd at him for having the gonads to ask and I'm po'd at myself for taking the whimpy route and telling him. Thanks for reading my rant, I feel a little better......

Next time you see him ask him about something he has. most times guys that dont appreciate car culture still collect star wars figures. There are a few exceptions tho.....

Ask him what kind of collector car he has at home and what did he pay for it :D

I'm with the other 2. Start asking him what he paid for all of his stuff.

ask him what he paid for his wife's boob job (weather she had one or not) lol

I think a lot of people ask that question when they see something of value. Maybe it's human nature. I don't take it personally, and usually tell them the truth; I paid $3900 for it! Of course it looked a little different then...

For about one second, I did think of making some wise a** remark, like "how much do you make a year?", but instead I just blurted out the price. I didn't want to be a jerk cause the wives are friends. I know he was being rude and a jerk for asking, but I don't even think he realized it. I guess maybe I could've just made a price up.....but I didn't have time to think.

I agree, don't take it personal, the guy doesn't have a clue about cars but wanted to converse with you about it. Asking how much is all he could come up with keep the conversation going... A lot of my daughters friends (15-17 in age) are star struck with our '72 Nova, they all want it or one like it for their 1st car. I hear "Dude it's Sic", "I gotta have it" and "How much did it cost"...

They say the majority of human communications takes place at an 8th grade level, your friend is maturing and beyond the "Dude it's Sic" and "I gotta have it"... :D

Take it as a compliment , he must have been impressed with it and figured it takes big bucks to get your hands on one of those.

I wish someone would ask me that , I would get a kick out of telling them it cost $950. they would think I was making it up. But like sleepsinshed said it looked different then.

Originally posted by DJD:
I agree, don't take it personal, the guy doesn't have a clue about cars but wanted to converse with you about it.

Dennis, I see where you're coming from, but he could have asked to look at it closer, open the hood, take me for a ride, is it original? There were many things he could have said to converse about the car, instead he asked "how much?" Even if you're not into classic cars and you have any common sense at all, you just don't ask people how much they pay for things, how much they make, etc. etc. I'm just more po'd at myself now for not having a non insulting come back for the question.

PPL see my 41 Chevy 2 door and ask that I am honest when I say I have 100 bux in it.

Guy,

You are beating yourself up for NOTHING!!

I let my car go in '73 for basically $500 and bought it back in '81 to '82 for about what I paid new for it in Oct., '66 AND was I ever tickled to even to have been able to buy it back!! $1200 optioned car too!

Most guys don't have a clue and if they do watch them closely b/c usually they will try to sucker you into selling it to them for less than it's worth AND they know it!! Had it happen ONCE and that was enough!!

You really wanna get back at him, then ask him who taught his wife how ta do such a great BJ and then turn and walk off!!

But you'd better be able to pound him to a pulp!!

Boy, can we be mean or what!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

pdq67

It's funny, but unless they are a real enthusiast, the price won't mean anything to them anyway, and a real enthusiast usually won't just blurt out something like that (we have more class than that).

So I've got in the habit of telling them the price that is on my bill of sale (waaaay less than I paid) then watch their reaction. It makes it kind of fun. The guys that have absolutely no clue about cars have no reaction at all, even when it's 5% of the actual value, they just go "huh" and are probably thinking, gee $3,000 is a lot for an old car like that, I could get a nice set of lawn furniture for $3,000. Then there's the guys that know just a little about cars and like 'em but never had enough balls to go out and get one. They don't know enough about muscle cars to know that you're bs'ing them but the price is low enough to get them thinking, "hey, maybe I could get one of those if I kept it over at my buddies house and I didn't tell my wife". It's really great if they go and start looking for one, then they come back to you at the next BBQ and call you a liar (education is a worthy goal). My favorites are the guys that kind open their eyes real wide 'cause they suddenly think they can afford one. LOL!

It's all part of the fun, enjoy the ride!

I had a neighbor like that. I came home with a new lawn tractor.First thing was how much you pay for that? Everything i owned he would ask how much i paid for it.I had new gutters installed.How much you pay? New floor.How much? He had the balls to ask my wife how much money she made a year.He aslo asked us who we were voting for. When some one asks how much i make, i say not enough. When they ask how much i paid i say fair market value.

As everyone else has said, I don't think it's personal. It was probably just him being rude without evening knowing it.

Whenever people ask me that I give them a range for what cars like mine are worth. That way I depersonalize the topic a bit. Or, I do what others have suggested and tell what I paid for it 13 years ago.

Don't beat yourself up for being a nice guy. I don't think not having a smart aleck answer roll off your tongue is such a bad thing.

I think the next time someone asks me what I paid for my camaro Im going to the other end of the spectrum and tell them something like 55k, that should make there jaw drop:hurray:

Ha. Don't be hard on yourself. After that last thread, I decided I would tell people I paid $1.83.
I bet I've been asked 10 times since then how much I paid...I reply with a big smile "One dollar and eighty three cents!" At that point, they know I'm not telling them, and I don't think I'm being rude...although I do hope they get the point gently that if Ms. Manners was around, she might not have approved of their question. They all just smile back.

Scott - $1.83

When someone asks how much, I'll usually throw out "35" or "45", or whatever number ending in 5 comes to mind.

Then I watch the face (of those who dont know about these cars) while they try to figure out if I'm speaking in hundreds or thousands. You'd be surprised how many think a restored musclecar has a value of less than $5K. :)

Weather he was being a smart a@$ or just trying to make conversation, it doesn't matter. What makes you mad is you told him and you really didn't want to. I have done the same thing in the past. Now when someone asks I just laugh and say I can't tell you that . I might want to sell it to you one day. They usually laugh too and don't ask again. No one is offended when you joke about it. But he gets the message.

At least he knew it was a Camaro! :beers:

I always cringe when i get that question as well. I used to blurt it out as well cause i didnt know what else to say. Now i always say the same thing... When someone asks how much i paid..or what did you pay for that..my response.... "enough"

When someone asks how much, I'll usually throw out "35" or "45", or whatever number ending in 5 comes to mind.

Then I watch the face (of those who dont know about these cars) while they try to figure out if I'm speaking in hundreds or thousands. You'd be surprised how many think a restored musclecar has a value of less than $5K. :)

Yeah, these are the guys that just amaze me. Same planet, different world.

I usually get asked how much do you have into it, I respond with more blood, sweat and skin than you can lose in a UFC fight.

You should simply say "It's worth about _____."

People have asked me too.
Mostly my relatives who are only interested in the monetary value of everything. Turning it around on them doesn't work, if you aske them what they paid, they will happily brag on and on about their stuff.
They have a very low level of emotional intelligence.

So now, when asked, I just say, "I dunno".
Then I continue with, "Nickels here, dimes there after a few years, I've lost track how much I have in it".
They couldn't give a crap how fast it is or what motor or parts or whatever, they just want to know the price.

One thing that does get to me a little is when someone says that I have the wrong this or that for this year Camaro. This car is so far from stock and was that way when I first got it, that returning it to stock would be life project.

I took my DeTomaso Pantera over to Ft. Worth, Texas a couple weeks ago. I have never had so many people pull up and ask what kind of car it was! -I had one guy pull up beside me as we went through Roswell and ask what it was, I told him and he follows up with "probably cost about $40,000 eh?" I just said "Not even close" and left it at that. --Keep him wondering if I meant MORE or LESS than that!! :D

Because the question is out on context (as noted, they probably ask how much it cost because they don't know anything else about cars), but what I usually say is: "It's Expensive", and that my friends is as close to the truth as you will get! Charlie 69 RS

People who don't have a clue, ask: "What did you pay."
People who are sincere will ask. "What is it worth."

Everyone's answer will be different, but my standard answer to these questions are:
What did I pay? $2000.00
What is it worth? $100,000.00 (to me!)
What do I have into it? My blood, sweat and tears.

Steve...
I had a friend like that (he now has passed) who needed to know what I paid for everything. If I bought something..he went and bought one bigger and better. I fixed him one day...all I had was a 32" regular tv so I rented a BIG screen 50" tv for a week.

He came over and asked "How Much" so I said just three grand. He went out the next day and bought a 60" projection tv for 5 grand :) . I asked him why and he said...its because. When I told him mine went back because it was only rented, his face turned bright red and he was steaming! I said..you never asked if I bought it..you only asked "How Much" I laughed, he laughed and never asked how much again. :)

Kev

here you go Buddy ............! http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=107128&highlight=mad+paid

I had started that Thread .. I did'nt know that so many members get mad when that happens to them ..... .. I dont think I have ever started one that went 5 pages ... maybe except for the one I started about , banging my head on the vent window every now and then geting in the car . !! Please dont bring that one up .. I changed to the original seats and I dont have that problem anymore... it had 78 Camaro seats.. But luckly a fellow member here sold me his original 67 seats and they work Perfect.

about people asking how much you paid .... I think I've changed my mind on what I originaly said when I posted in the link above. Im tired of people finding out thru there brothers , cousins , sisters neighbor how much I paid for my 71 Camaro and then I get these LOW Ball Statements. " I'll give you 3K for it " .............. " I'll give you 3K , you still profiting 3 hundred bucks " .......... I mean where do they come up with this crap ... yeah I paid 2,700 bucks for my 71 , but I have a new 350 motor in there .. a rebuilt muncie , a nice paint job, redone interior all Black , and alot , ALOT of " Misc " things. where do they come up with this , " Your still profiting 200 bucks " Crap !!!. :mad:

Truthfully, I don't a have problem talking to most of the guys like "us" who know what stuff costs and have clue about pricing, performance and restorations. I have a buddy of mine that got his mother's '73 Vette and totally restored the car back to better then new condition. We talk all the time what we spend/spent for stuff. Truthfully, I have many times more into my car then what it was bought for brand new in 1969. But hey, it is what is ... While you all here might get that and understand it, Joe neighbor or the noisy guy on the street (even some of our own wifes, girlfriends, etc.) won't have clue and franky just wouldn't get it. So why blow their minds ... If they really want to know what I paid for it ... I'll give them the price I paid 14 + years ago, before muscle madness took over. But that says nothing about what I have into it or what is worth now. If a relative asks, I'll tell them "several thousand dollars" and leave it at that.