Do you notice a difference.

When you a drive a newer or more practical vehicle vs. an older hot rod/custom etc. as far how other drivers react towards you? Why I ask is it just seems every time I drive anything old, my 50 shoebox, my 59 elco, my 57 F100 or my 62 Comet or anything unusual for that matter, people do not hesitate to tailgate me, flash their high beams (and its never women with d cups), cut me off deliberately to the point the rear of their vehicle comes within a couple of feet of my front fenders (too close for comfort) flip me off, brake check me, etc.
But when I drive my 98 Crown Vic it RARELY happens?
Keep in mind I have a class A commercial drivers license, therefore I am EXTRA careful when I drive not to provoke anybody in any way or break any laws because it is my livelihood at risk I CAN NOT go to traffic school if I get a ticket! I know the thread is slightly O/T,but I just want to if anybody else notices the same thing or if its just me...

 

I have seen it differently.
I thought that driver in Los Angeles were pretty courteous for a while. I was always driving my flat black and low 54 Buick. People let me in, never honked, etc..
Until one day I drove an old Volks Bug and people were flicking me off, cutting me off, etc...
It is amazing how much nicer people are then they either dig your car, or think you might ram them.
Wil
www.sakowskimotors.com

 

I find the opposite when I drive my elky. People stay away, they just stair and watch.

 

Hmm I had the ocassinally tailgater testing to see what was under the hood.
AFA cutoffs I drive to defensively.
With your cars these people must be looking to die.

 

many people still remember that you dont mess with Buicks! specially them straight 8,s

 

I dont think many people these days could tell the difference beetween a Buick with a I-8 or a Honda Accord with V-6 we are living in some sad times..

 

I chalked it up to the enviro-mental movement making old cars less appealing to people here in California. I had driven old cars on a daily basis for about 15 years. The attitudes of people have changed. I get a lot more people cutting me MUCH less slack in an old car than my '03 Chevy truck. I think my being located in a "newer & younger" community doesnt help because these people havent grown up with old cars... To them I am some A-hole destroying the planet. Which is fine with me, but one day I am going to ram 2 tons of Cadillac up someone's ass becuase they assume my brakes work like thiers and they can just cut out in front of me.

 

Im 26 now and I have never drove anything newer than a 72 till a couple years ago when I got my 96 Caprice, I drove old cars for thousands of miles, I got sick of all the "close calls" and that feeling of adrenaline of near accidents due to other people's ignorance and impatience. I understand what you mean HyFire, dam treehuggers! Its good to know im not the only one who feels like an outkast out there.

 

Yeah, I notice a difference....in the late models, I just blend in with the crowd, but in the old cars folks point, smile, wave, say "nice car!" and stuff. But I llive in a small city, and cars are not the evil that they are in socal.

 

I do get cut off and tailgated more often in something custom, or unusual as you put it. But...

A Crown Vic looks like a cop car. I have an 01 Crown Vic in the shop right now for suspension work, and the owner says people drive really slow around him and are very cautious. But if he is hauling ass on the freeway, everyone moves!

It does have a push bumper though.

 

Your pretty funny Squirrel

 

Then again...So asshat tried to play bumper cars with the wife a few weeks ago. He went to cut her off....She was driving the F-150 and he was driving a corolla.
he did the ole....Swerve into her fakie move. Second time she did'nt flench.
Minor scratches to the F-150 ...corolla...all f'd up.
Insurance co denied the claim...next time I told her to just put them into the wall.

 

I buzzed a couple Priuses in Tucson traffic yesterday....driving my 55....fun!

 

I agree, my crown vic does look like a detective's car and actually was, BUT it just seems to me driving an old car invites people to be A-holes, maybe they think I cant catch up, and no I dont have a pushbar on the Crown Vic, good point though!

 

Ya insurance companies are just as evil as drivers, sorry to hear that, coulda been worse huh?

 

Yeah...she could have not taken her happy pills that day. Now that would have been bad for him.

 

I've noticed two things: The first is people tend to almost sideswipe me as they're drifting into my lane while checking out the sedan.

The second: Every jackoff in my town with a 1/2 ton Chevy pickup with a K&N sticker in the window has to gun their engine next to me or do the tailgate and fly by.

 

I agree with Lucky77 every thing tries to either races our 2 ton tank or tries to show off some how execpt my concern is due to the fact my car is LH drive so everyone tries to get close to talk to you when your at opposite sides of the cars.

 

Ya it doesnt surprise me, uneducated people mistake flashy with racy,but I think driving the "Space Coke" I wouldnt mind that one bit.

 

I was carefully passing a semi with my 32 on a two lane highway and the moron trucker looked down at me and gassed it.I heard his engine whine as he tried to out run me,I backed off ,so did he,I gassed it to end this ,so did he,the cars coming the other way flashing there headlights were getting too close for comfort,I hit the gas and went over a 100 mph just to get past him.That bastard had a fast truck. I had a flash back of the movie DUEL! Scared the shit out of me. My buds in there rods travailing with me were stunned also. The jerk trucker stopped in the next town ,sat there looking at us,Yikes. Aggressive drivers SUCK!

 

I was going to say what evryone has already said-either people are extremely nice to you, or extremely stupid, pulling out in front me, cutting me off, etc. Seems there's no middle ground.

 

In my daily driver I just have to put up with the idiot drivers Queensland produces. It seemed that every time I drove my Hot Rod every second person had to show me how fast their car was.
Doc.

 

I don't seem to get much agressive driving towards me when I'm in my truck. Guess maybe they think I may run them over or do the monster truck car crush on them. There are advantages to the truck being over 7' in the air with plow brackets and a few dings and dents on the running boards, that happen to be about the top of their door high. Must be something about looking out your window and not being able to see the top of that old truck sitting next to you that causes them to give a little extra room.

 

I could definately agree with that!

 

With my variance in cars/bikes over the years, I've definitely noticed a difference. Had a '75 Bronco with a 3" lift and 4x4 with a Boss 302 in it, a brush guard on the front and drilling stem tubing for a bumper on the back, everyone stayed outta my way.
With my '67 Camaro or '72 Vega (had a 350 in it), everyone wanted to race. With my bikes though...dude..., every dimwit in the world pulls out in front of ya. And I know it's cuz they aren't afraid of you. They'll just get a dent while I'm being scraped up off the road with a shovel.
I'm excited and concerned at the same time about getting my '50 Dodge on the road when I'm done with it.
Like PunkAssGearhead88, I have a Class A as well, so the livelihood thing is pretty damn important to me. They get in a wreck and it's just an insurance issue, I get in a wreck and I could possibly lose my job and may not be able to get another because of it.
Then again, maybe we're just watchin extra close because of that fact.
I dunno. I just know I dont like it. Worries the shit outta me.

Oh, and here's my bike.......choppers don't exactly stop on a dime....

 

I seem to piss people off in everything I drive.

 

You should get some brakes on that

 

i have had people tailgate me tryin to look at my ride , they are a bit surprised when i decide to stop and ask them "whats your fuckin problem?" but in the most part from my experiances of driving in scenic and friendy new orleans and im very sure most large citys are the same , folks will more than glady kill you in the attempt to get to their destination 1 minute to 30 seconds faster..

 

Biggest problem I get over here is English turn signals are amber and people just dont get the red ones on my effie. I mean for fucks sake ITS A RED FLASHING LIGHT ON ONE SIDE OF THE VEHICLE, shouldnt that tell them something? It's a hell of a job pulling into the passing lane, so much so that when I change the tail lights this winter I'm gonna put clear turn signal lenses with amber bulbs on her.

 

I'm the pokie guy in the right lane doin' 60mph in a 70. I also manage 25mpg with my Caprice wagon. HAven't had the Caddy long enuff to be bothered....'cept for some locals tryin' to buy it.