Word games: Latest rant about shopping for a car

[impactbumper]

Wanted to post this on Porsche vehicle discussion section but this is more general. I have been looking for an e28 m5. There are some out there. However I am beyond irritated of hearing these two over and over:

"It has certain PATINA to it".

and

"Driver's Condition".

First of all, let me tell you something. The car is either clean or piece of ****. No need to sugar coat with words like patina. Do these people even know what the word patina means?

Second, what in the ****ing world driver's condition is? I guess they are trying say not a museum piece?

I hate when people try to hide behind trendy words to mask the true condition.

[KNS]

If you're looking for mint or showroom condition (few and far between) then simply look past those ads. Reality is that most cars that old are probably "driver" condition.

My car is a really, nice (and clean) driver condition, I wouldn't know how else to describe it.

"Patina" probably does get thrown around too much these days.

[stomachmonkey]

Blame patina on the Rat Rod crowd.

[widebody911]

Another one that bugs me is "collectible" - if you have to say that something is collectible, it probably isn't; kind of the same way that if you have to label yourself "a man of wealth and taste", you probably aren't.

[pwd72s]

"this car is a great investment"....

I have trouble stifling a laugh when I hear this one...

[Tervuren]

"Up for sale is a"

I read the title already....

[LakeCleElum]

Patina = Neglect

[Amail]

Originally Posted by widebody911

Another one that bugs me is "collectible" - if you have to say that something is collectible, it probably isn't; kind of the same way that if you have to label yourself "a man of wealth and taste", you probably aren't.

I got a giggle from that one, thanks!

[aschen]

It seems perfectly reasonable and upfront to list a car as in drivers condition, the context is known by pretty much all car people. If you want a mint one, search for a mint one. It should be straightforward to weed these out without getting you BP elevated.

I like "the paint looks good from about xx ft" as a benchmark.

[recycled sixtie]

Blame the Brits for the "patina" nomenclature. Same with "well sorted" and "POA".
It's all marketing and a bit of snobbery. Petrolhead enlighten me here and tell me it is not so......

[widebody911]

Originally Posted by Tervuren

"Up for sale is a"

I read the title already....

Even better: "Up for grabs is [...]"

[mistertate]

Dillhole Motors is proud to present this example

[ckelly78z]

Patina to me means that they clearcoated over the rust, and called it artsy.

[1990C4S]

'Rare'=they were not able to sell very many. And many of those they did build fell apart.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Blame patina on the Rat Rod crowd.

If I had a daughter I would love to name her Patina.
Too bad I'm not going to have any more kids. I have a much better sense of humor about names anymore. I could name my girls:

Patina
Saliva
Florada
Sizzlene
Conneticut

The list of cool names for a little girl is endless...

[sc_rufctr]

The nicest cars change hands without being advertised. If you want the best with zero BS join the relevant car club.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by impactbumper

Wanted to post this on Porsche vehicle discussion section but this is more general. I have been looking for an e28 m5. There are some out there. However I am beyond irritated of hearing these two over and over:

"It has certain PATINA to it".

I haven't bought a car from a private seller in a while, but I would take the above comment to say that it's been around the block a few times (like a hooker in Vegas).

This barn find ferrari has patina


This is just a POS

"Driver's Condition".

First of all, let me tell you something. The car is either clean or piece of ****. No need to sugar coat with words like patina. Do these people even know what the word patina means?

Second, what in the ****ing world driver's condition is? I guess they are trying say not a museum piece?

I hate when people try to hide behind trendy words to mask the true condition.

OK, I know what "Driver's condition" is to me. It's a nice car, but due to age and miles, it may have a few door dings, a small oil leak (drops here and there) and some worn upholstery in spots, maybe discolored plastic trim on the bumpers, but mostly, in good serviceable order.

I understand where your rant is coming from, you're looking at cars described as "driver's condition" and when you see them, they look like the rust bucket that I posted above.

[dentist90]

To me 'patina' is the wear and tear you'd expect from a car used for it's intended purpose on a regular basis. If it's 50 yrs old there should be a lot of paint chips on the front end, the steering wheel should be worn as well as the drivers' seat . 'Patina' signifies wear from normal use.
Rusty brake lines, leaky seals and blue smoke on startup are not 'patina', IMHO.

[Sarc]

It might be worth your time to contact Ron Perry ("RonP" on mye28.com). He's got a small shop in SoCal (Vintage Motorsport Group?) that cranks out some amazing E28 restorations and (tasteful) restomods. He also has his pulse on where the good cars are that might be available even though they're technically not for sale.

[Arizona_928]

I love the word RARE... Especially when describing a Targa. lol

Buying a used car sucks. You have to filter a lot of BS...

Here's what happens when you take a close up pick of a toy car, and put it on craigslist for 40 grand...