Bonus Episode: When is a car spot not suitable for social media? Car Spotting Etiquette

[00:00:00] Welcome to My Dads Car, enjoy!

[00:00:12] Welcome to My Dads Car, a podcast discussing our personal relationship with automotive nostalgia.

[00:00:18] And you know what? It doesn't even have to be about your dad's car.

[00:00:21] It can be your mum's, your grand's, your parents, guardians or even a neighbour's.

[00:00:26] If it made an impression, let's talk about it.

[00:00:29] Have you got time to talk about car spotting etiquette?

[00:00:37] Yeah, yeah absolutely.

[00:00:39] Ok, get your coughs off your chest.

[00:00:43] I just gobbled down a huge amount of leftover chilli and a jacket potato.

[00:00:48] It's like an anaconda, I think it's half way down my...

[00:00:53] I feel like windpipe.

[00:00:54] You ate an anaconda for lunch?

[00:00:58] You can get anything can't you in London?

[00:01:00] Yeah, I got it down the local reptile butchers.

[00:01:05] Just a slither, nothing too...

[00:01:08] Just a couple of slices off the local snake deli.

[00:01:12] Couple of slices of the anaconda and a bit of that peppered python.

[00:01:17] Who's got any lizard? All out of lizard.

[00:01:20] Don't worry mate, I'll have the cockroach nuggets.

[00:01:22] So another thing which has come up of late really was the etiquette behind the car spotting.

[00:01:30] Obviously we run the car spotting tennis on our Instagram and on TikTok as well.

[00:01:35] And a few of them have been fairly popular.

[00:01:38] But I was wondering around the other day, just wondering should we...

[00:01:42] A. Should we have some rules or B. Are there just some rules of society in general that if there's a vehicle parked on a drive

[00:01:49] would you share that online or would you consider that out of bounds?

[00:01:53] So that's the topic of discussion really.

[00:01:56] Yeah, I think it is definitely out of bounds.

[00:02:00] I think yeah on the street absolutely fine but if it's on someone's drive...

[00:02:03] I guess from a security point of view as well,

[00:02:06] like it wouldn't be too hard would it for...

[00:02:08] Not that we post the locations of where we're shooting from but

[00:02:12] if for example someone sees a spotted of some Porsche on someone's drive

[00:02:18] they might recognise that street from the background or whatever.

[00:02:21] Next to a sign written vehicle.

[00:02:23] Yeah, I don't want to be an accessory in a car theft to be honest.

[00:02:27] No, I don't think so. It's not a good look.

[00:02:30] Also I think it does just overstep the sort of...

[00:02:33] I think like I said to you before it's a bit like you could take a picture of a celebrity couldn't you from a distance

[00:02:38] but you wouldn't poke your lens through their bathroom window and...

[00:02:42] Not anymore!

[00:02:43] Well I mean if you're a pap you might but no.

[00:02:46] No, Piers Morgan maybe in those days but...

[00:02:50] Allegedly.

[00:02:51] Allegedly of course yeah.

[00:02:53] So yeah I think I'm on the same wavelength.

[00:02:56] Yeah if your vehicle is on the road then kind of fair game isn't it really?

[00:03:00] If the owner's with the vehicle then there's probably some courtesy there with regards to asking them can you take some photographs?

[00:03:06] Yeah yeah.

[00:03:08] We did a podcast recently didn't we about approaching people that had cars that looked kind of just left on their drive.

[00:03:15] Yeah.

[00:03:16] And one technique was trick or treating all year round.

[00:03:20] Yeah yeah it's not gone out yet with Paul Harding but good opportunity was yeah that was his technique wasn't it?

[00:03:27] Take your child with you.

[00:03:28] Yeah.

[00:03:29] Sort of make yourself look as less intimidating as possible.

[00:03:32] So around the corner from me there's a garage which is just sort of all derelict.

[00:03:35] I'm pretty sure there's a car in it.

[00:03:37] I think I know which house it belongs to but yeah just sort of building up the courage to go and knock on that.

[00:03:43] Yeah it won't be a day for dark sunglasses and a baseball cap.

[00:03:46] It'll be kind of sort of look presentable.

[00:03:49] Not like a complete crook and also I kind of need to be in a position where if they go oh yeah we're getting rid of that and we want a hundred pounds for it then I probably should have a hundred pounds.

[00:04:00] Might have to do some savings first.

[00:04:02] Otherwise you know I'm going to sort of ruffle the feathers on it.

[00:04:05] I might just put it in their head that that's a good idea to get rid of it and then someone else could benefit.

[00:04:09] Not that I need another vehicle especially not one that's been in a garage for years.

[00:04:14] There was a chap that lived up the road from me.

[00:04:16] I think he's still there.

[00:04:17] In fact I know he's still there but he had an old five series on his drive.

[00:04:22] Well I think we're talking sort of first generation five series.

[00:04:25] Oh nice.

[00:04:26] And it had clearly been sitting there for a long time hadn't moved.

[00:04:30] It looked like potentially chucked a bucket of water over it occasionally you know just to sort of keep it looking less barn findy.

[00:04:37] I had a conversation with him once when I was walking past and it was this old boy and he was sort of saying about oh how back in the day it was fantastic.

[00:04:45] He used to fly and all this and I kind of said to him yeah that's probably you know worth a few quid now.

[00:04:51] He said yeah he regularly gets people knocking on his door.

[00:04:54] Wanted to buy it.

[00:04:55] Yeah but then one day probably a year or two ago went down the road and it was gone.

[00:05:00] So yeah maybe he did get a few quid for it.

[00:05:03] He's also got a big sort of mid 90s red Audi as well that he still drives around.

[00:05:09] Okay.

[00:05:10] An Audi maybe a 90 or 100.

[00:05:13] Yeah.

[00:05:14] I think it's an N plate.

[00:05:15] It looks pretty good to be honest but yeah makes me laugh.

[00:05:18] He still drives it around.

[00:05:19] Clearly likes his old stuff.

[00:05:21] I passed an old boy actually on the motorway on the way to the NEC.

[00:05:24] He had a green Audi 80.

[00:05:27] Sort of the rounded one just before they brought in the A4.

[00:05:30] Yeah.

[00:05:31] And yes I saw him driving out the car park actually on my way out of the show as well.

[00:05:36] But yeah he was sort of shirt and blazer kind of tie.

[00:05:41] Nice yeah so what this guy's like yeah.

[00:05:43] Yeah white hair.

[00:05:45] Yeah I think he said to me this chap actually that his Audi he said oh yeah it's done over 200,000 miles.

[00:05:52] Fair play.

[00:05:54] But that's good to be honest.

[00:05:56] I guess if you get into the mindset of someone who's what is he maybe in his 80s I guess.

[00:06:01] Yeah.

[00:06:02] You consider the vehicles that they grew up with that kind of at the year that he was able to drive potentially what 1950 something like that.

[00:06:09] Kind of the vehicles which came out then and then the vehicle he's now driving now even though it is 25 30 years old Audi it's just a light years difference to that.

[00:06:19] Modern yeah.

[00:06:20] To whatever he was driving around kind of some sort of sit up and beg Austin or Ford or even kind of an early mini or whatever this.

[00:06:27] Yeah.

[00:06:28] There's a lot of difference there which is which is great and I think we've mentioned before we were in a sort of throwaway culture now.

[00:06:35] Whereas sort of back in the day it was a case you bought something and you kind of kept it as long as you possibly could and you repaired it and yeah those sort of vehicles especially the German ones will just go on and on and on.

[00:06:47] Yeah absolutely.

[00:06:48] So yeah why not that he might have another five years or whatever driving.

[00:06:53] Is there any point in him going out and buying a spaceship of a car.

[00:06:57] No.

[00:06:58] Probably not.

[00:06:59] I suppose not unless yeah he's getting covered for you Les every time he goes out.

[00:07:03] He will be yeah.

[00:07:04] If he's not got a bank account to support that then yeah maybe you'll have to but if he's only going out once a week maybe he can stomach it.

[00:07:11] Yeah I think so.

[00:07:12] So I was out on the on the push bike actually I went out for a bit of a ride and spotted all manner of stuff.

[00:07:19] I went down one road and there was I think I went past an XR3 and then I think there was something else on sort of a low loader.

[00:07:28] There was a few guys kind of chatting around on the road opposite I was like I'm not going to kind of stop for them.

[00:07:34] It wasn't the nicest of areas to be fair but I think actually I think if you go into sort of the posh housing estates it's probably not where the kind of cars we talk about are still going to be.

[00:07:43] There needs to be a little bit of kind of financial hardship I suppose or just your your everyday people rather than people who have got money because yeah the people with loads of money have just gone out and bought new cars.

[00:07:56] I went past that then there was a Ford Capri as well and then yeah guy in a van pulled up.

[00:08:00] Yeah I'm not going to kind of hang around while he's just sort of eyeballing me.

[00:08:04] That would have been a good spot but yeah left that and then I kind of headed off in a different direction.

[00:08:10] I went past three or four driveways with old American stuff on.

[00:08:13] Oh yeah.

[00:08:14] But I was like I know I'll leave it I don't know what they were but yeah big kind of old American stuff about 50s lead sleds sort of thing.

[00:08:24] Spotted etiquette says no.

[00:08:26] And I thought I could have sent just kind of a quick cap and just send it to you just as a look what I've seen.

[00:08:31] Yeah.

[00:08:32] But yeah I didn't and they're unlikely to be on the road anytime soon but.

[00:08:36] Yeah there's a house that I go past fairly often that's got them on their drive.

[00:08:42] They've got a collection of old like Lancia saloons from sort of early to mid 90s.

[00:08:49] Oh wow.

[00:08:50] And also they've got a few of those.

[00:08:52] I think we saw one at the NEC.

[00:08:55] I think it's a Fiat like a small two door.

[00:08:58] A Strada wasn't it?

[00:09:00] I don't know if it's a Strada.

[00:09:02] It's a bit later.

[00:09:03] Sort of like a hot hatch type thing.

[00:09:05] Yeah yeah.

[00:09:06] I think it's a Fiat isn't it?

[00:09:08] Round headlights.

[00:09:09] Yeah I think so.

[00:09:10] Yeah.

[00:09:11] I don't know if maybe Pininfarina had some involvement with those.

[00:09:14] Yeah I don't know.

[00:09:15] Maybe not but they've got like a sort of square back window.

[00:09:19] Okay.

[00:09:20] The boot goes down.

[00:09:21] I'll have to try and find the name of it.

[00:09:23] Oh it's a saloon is it rather than a hatch?

[00:09:25] No no no it's...

[00:09:27] I think it is a saloon yeah.

[00:09:29] I don't think it's a hatch.

[00:09:30] Okay.

[00:09:31] I'll have to have a look.

[00:09:32] But yeah there's like I say a lot of cars just sort of banged on their drive.

[00:09:38] All kind of rotting.

[00:09:39] Yeah Glatton for punishment I thought with 70s and 80s Fiat's and Lancia's.

[00:09:43] They're just gonna be...

[00:09:44] You could just Hoover them up.

[00:09:45] Yeah yeah.

[00:09:46] Probably make your house rust wouldn't they?

[00:09:48] They're so contagious.

[00:09:50] Yeah just leave it yeah sort of a rusty orange stain on your driveway.

[00:09:55] Yeah yeah.

[00:09:57] On the plus side when you're doing your veg for the Sunday race just go and just pick a panel.

[00:10:01] Yeah.

[00:10:02] Strain it through that.

[00:10:03] Yeah.

[00:10:05] Yes.

[00:10:06] But no there's no sign of the car spotting drying up.

[00:10:10] There's still so many things out there.

[00:10:13] And they just crop up out of nowhere sometimes as well even so on your doorstep it's quite amazing to be honest.

[00:10:18] Yeah it is good that those vehicles are still being used really.

[00:10:23] Yeah maybe there is a little bit of a resurgence because if it was made before what 1983 you now don't pay tax.

[00:10:29] You now probably don't have to MOT it but it's kind of optional.

[00:10:33] So there is kind of an economic reason for doing it and potentially I think actually you don't pay ULAs do you?

[00:10:40] No.

[00:10:41] It's over 40 years old as well.

[00:10:43] I've seen a chap recently on sort of the commutes and the school runs he's driving around it's an old roller from sort of late 70s to early 80s.

[00:10:53] Okay.

[00:10:54] The sort that Sam regularly knocks out in her car dealership.

[00:10:58] Not Posh Spice's dad is it?

[00:11:00] Could be yeah.

[00:11:02] But I've seen him floating around on the school run.

[00:11:05] I saw him yesterday actually pouring down the rain.

[00:11:07] What Rolls Royce man?

[00:11:08] Yeah he just sort of poodling around.

[00:11:10] Was he listening to Dane Bowers?

[00:11:12] I do get the impression though that people like that you know if they're using a roller at that time in the morning on a weekday there must be a sort of little bit of if I can't use my old ULAs and non-compliant vehicle I want to get an old roller just to drive that around instead.

[00:11:30] Yeah yeah.

[00:11:31] Yeah two fingers.

[00:11:33] Because it's probably one of those it's only like seven to ten grounds worth I'd imagine.

[00:11:38] It's not like a you know showstopper.

[00:11:41] Yeah and then I suppose yeah if you consider the fact that if you were going to keep a non-compliant car it's going to cost you 12 pound 50 on every journey.

[00:11:48] I wonder how many miles you'd have to then do to lose that saving.

[00:11:52] It's true.

[00:11:53] On a Rolls Royce like if you have to fill your roller up and put an extra 12 pound 50 is worth the fuel in it every time you drive it.

[00:12:00] You then basically even Stevens with regards to that or driving a early noughties saloon or whatever.

[00:12:06] Yeah if you put that 12 50 a day aside each month and then when that big bill does come in a month or two months time you've only got a little bit of avenue to fall back on.

[00:12:17] That's yeah it's robbery isn't it you kind of think that's another 250 quid a month or whatever it might be.

[00:12:23] Just driving around in your car just trying to live and yeah when everything's so much more expensive anyway.

[00:12:30] It's yeah I know we've been into this something with numerous times but I mean it is just a tax on the poor isn't it basically if you if you can afford to pay it you can and you know different.

[00:12:41] Yeah yeah you're just going to keep doing it though.

[00:12:43] Yeah.

[00:12:44] We were talking about car spawning.

[00:12:46] Supermarket car parks you happy with that?

[00:12:48] Yeah that's fine I think.

[00:12:50] I saw a hideous sab the other day actually I forgot to send you and it wasn't the sab itself it was what was on it.

[00:12:56] It was just they'd wrapped it in various things.

[00:12:58] I'll have to see if I still got the picture but it was a really rainy day so I couldn't really film properly.

[00:13:04] Yeah.

[00:13:05] Shock raining of late.

[00:13:07] Yeah I think supermarkets is fine isn't it.

[00:13:09] Anywhere that's kind of in a public car park is fine yeah.

[00:13:14] It does make you kind of wonder when you see the older car at the side of the road kind of what's the story who's driving that and yeah why yeah have you just happened to catch them on a Sunday drive or is that their daily driver.

[00:13:29] Which is some vehicles you see sort of round and about and you kind of could start building up a bit of a picture but then other ones there was that Toyota Carina that I photographed months and months ago.

[00:13:40] That's disappeared now that's not on it that's not the side of the road anymore so whether it's been scrapped or it doesn't really feel like the candidate for a restoration.

[00:13:48] No that would be a surprise wouldn't it.

[00:13:50] Funny enough I saw the one the Carina near me for the first time in a while the other day.

[00:13:54] Okay.

[00:13:55] Because I sort of thought maybe that's been taken away but no it's still still living still there on the side of the road.

[00:14:01] Yeah maybe we've been followed by some scrap merchants on Instagram and they're just like yeah true.

[00:14:07] We're just doing the dirty work for them.

[00:14:09] Yeah.

[00:14:11] So we get a time with them.

[00:14:13] Yeah.

[00:14:15] Okey dokey should we bring this one to a close.

[00:14:17] Let's do it yeah.

[00:14:19] And yeah another little bonus episode we'll drop in at some point and yeah thank you very much for listening.

[00:14:27] Thank you very much John.

[00:14:28] Pleasure.

[00:14:29] Cool roll the credits.

[00:14:31] Thank you for listening to my dance car.

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