Am I a weirdo for talking to other 02 strangers?

[JHouser]

Hey all. I need a temp check here. I live in seattle. A famously stand-offish city. Tonight I saw an Agave Roundie in my neighborhood. I too own an agave roundie. I wasn’t driving at the time (deep in a restoration) but I thought hey, I wanna just say hi and cool car. So I rolled up next to him rolled my window down a waved. 
he was parked, stared at me. Then reluctantly rolled his window down. 
me- “hey sorry for bothering you. Cool agave 2002. Is that a ‘73?

him - “no”

me- oh “72”? (At this point I should have just given up) 

him - “no”

me- pause. “Oh well I have an agave 73, do you live around here?

him- no, “ it’s a ‘71 BYE” 

rolls up his window. ?

 

So yea there are a handful of 02’s in seattle fewer roundies and I’ve never seen another agave. Ordinarily if I see an 02 I just smile as it rolls by. But seeing as they are damn near 50 years old and a pain to drive / maintain I felt ok with saying hi. Am I weirdo? 
 

jonathan-

[Mike Self]

Not at all--you have a standoffish neighbor/fellow citizen.  I can't remember the last time I encountered a 2002 "in the wild"--not at a BMW event or car show, and not one whose owner I know--but I hardly ever drive the car without someone asking me about it--in parking lots, gas stations, even at traffic lights.  

 

Maybe Seattle is a standoffish town, but there are a bunch of Seattle folks on the FAQ--obviously you ran into one who isn't as we're all friendly here.  ?  If you were in the South (or Midwest, for that matter) that wouldn't have happened.

 

mike

 

 

[John76]

Maybe this was the 2002 stolen in Idaho....The guy was clueless and didn't know what to say.

[xavier296]

As a Navy guy, we move all the time, and our last tour was in Marysville north of Seattle. I didn't understand how standoffish people can be there! We broke through our neighbors ice wall through our 4 year old since he has never met a stranger. But it wasn't easy. And the neighbor on the other side managed to only say about 4 words to us in 2 years despite being exactly our age and in to cars. The husband would wear full size head phones 100% of the time when outside, effectively eliminating any interaction with anyone. Never got used to that.

 

I talk to people all the time about cars, but am constantly disappointed by the one upping, especially from older folks. I just need to remember that as I continue to mature. 

 

I have waved at a few vintage BMWs here in Tampa, and none have waved back yet. Perseverance!

[Conserv]

Oh, well. I suppose I'd be really pissed, too, if you mistook my '73 for a '71! I mean... WTF! ?

 

People are strange. I know I am! ?

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

 

 

[NYNick]

It's not you. I do stuff like that with cars all the time. The guy was a jerk.

[gary32]

9 hours ago, JHouser said:

I rolled up next to him rolled my window down a waved. 
he was parked, stared at me. Then reluctantly rolled his window down. 
“ it’s a ‘71 BYE” rolls up his window. ?

Am I weirdo? 
jonathan-

In CA you could have either been shot or found a new lover depending on the neighborhood.

Sounds like it went well and you are not super weird.

Now your next meeting may be weird.

 

 

[adawil2002]

License plate VERN 73

I get "Beautiful, what year is it?"

 

 

[saaron]

You are normal...that person was a nut.  I had one experience like that, in all my years of having my 2002.  When my wife had her Mini we went on some sort of Mini tour - I think it was to the car show in Cincinnati - started at the Mini dealer, and ended in a car corral at the car show, if I’m remembering correctly.  It was back when Minis were new, and novel, and people were enthusiastic about them.  They also were mini-sized, at that point.

 

We were lined up with about 50 other Minis.  An Agave roundie randomly pulled up next to me.  I rolled down the window and tried to engage the two people in the 02 and they were totally giving me the “our old BMW is so much better than your new fake Mini...” vibe.  Like, “we don’t want to talk to you and listen to how you are some sort of 02 wannabe fanboy.”

 

I wanted to go nuts on them and be like, “I have a 2002 also that is WAY BETTER than yours”.   But, because I am a cool 02 person (like we all are) I just let it slide and rolled up my window and shrugged my shoulders.  My wife was like, “what was their deal” and I just said, “I think they might be dipshits”.  

 

I mean, 02s are cool and great and iconic and all that, but they aren’t E Types or Ferrari GTOs or whatever.  

 

Scott

[jp5Touring]

You live in Seattle, you have my sympathies.  

[zinz]

18 minutes ago, saaron said:

and I just said, “I think they might be dipshits”.  

LMAO...!!!!

 

Quote of the day and so apropos to the conversation 
 

Ed Z

[jimk]

10 hours ago, JHouser said:

me- pause. “Oh well I have an agave 73, do you live around here?

him- no, “ it’s a ‘71 BYE” 

Or he thought you had intentions to steal it and wanted to know where he lived!

[ray_]

55 minutes ago, adawil2002 said:

License plate VERN 73

I get "Beautiful, what year is it?"

 

 

I have been known to say "2021, february now!"

 

?

Edited February 27, 2021 by ray_

[bavariaboy]

First, I had no idea Seattle was hostile territory. We spent four days there, arriving by train from Chicago travelling in a Compartment with a shower. The trip of a life time. All the natives, except a cab driver who stiffed us delivering us to our hotel, were friendly and welcoming.

 

Second, I have been driving 2002s, Bavaria's and Coupes since 1971. I have never, ever had an experience like yours. All, and I mean ALL, my experiences have gone down one of three ways:  1. I own one like yours or a....  2. I owned one and sold it and regret it to this day. 3. I have been lusting after a(fill in the blank) since I was 16.

 

I could fill screens with stories like the one where I gave my phone number to a guy in a gas station who was driving a '76Si. Years later he called and said come and get it. It had been sitting in his barn for years, but it was by then a running parts car.  He gave it to me, I used some of the parts for my 76Si and sold the rest.

 

end of story

 

steve

 

 

[chargin]

Strangers stop by my house regularly, 02 and not, the way I look at it anyone with so much passion for 02’s that wants to talk about them I’d be rude not to, not everyone can have one so if they get joy from them that’s great.

 

As to speaking to strangers with 02’s I always do, everywhere, some even talk down towards mine since it’s just a 76 ? Almost everyone is happy to talk about their 02