What's the weirdest reaction you've gotten to your diesel?

[bhtooefr]

And any reason counts here. Seeing as my story is an indirect reaction, those count too.

My weirdest reaction involves the estimated number of miles (275,000 - the odometer's broken), the model year (1985), and the price I paid ($1,200).

EVERYONE always gives me a weird look, until I say "it's a diesel". Those magic words shut them up :lol:

Anyway, a very good friend of mine decides to tell her BF about my car. (Keep in mind, this is all what she told me.) He then told her that I'm "a f**king idiot for buying a car that old with that many miles, for that much money." She said those magic words - "it's a diesel", and he apparently went nuts. Apparently, it sounds like he's jealous about my car. Damn, and I'm working on stealing his girl, too   (no, I don't know him, and he hasn't seen my car.)

[malone]

"You car's on fire!", a serious expression from a guy who was next to me at a traffic light.. that was back when my car was smoking excessively at idle. I also had just a downpipe so the smoke was exiting both sides of my car.

[malone]

I often stop at a full-serve fuel station near my home, the only one that has good diesel. I normally avoid full-serve but their cost is the same as self-serve.

The first time I pulled my car in, next to a diesel pump, I proceeded to pump in fuel myself but an employee walked over and insisted that he do it because of the full-serve policy. He first asked if it's diesel, to which I replied "yes" but he somehow got suspicous because I wear hearing aids, which implies that I may not have understood him. He tried to put the pump nozzle in, realizing that it won't fit at all (my car was originally gas, still have the small diameter gas filler hole). I took over to pump it myself then he noticed the "Unleaded Fuel Only" sticker on my fuel door and grabbed my hands to pull the nozzle away. I had to exlain that the car had an engine swap.. dammit, feck off already!! :lol:

Now every employee at the station knows me & my car and they leave me alone to pump the fuel, despite the full-serve rules :lol:.. I had a nice conversation with a couple of them about the TD too the little VW and TD noise had them curious.

Late one night I pulled next to a diesel fuel pump at a random fuel station and proceeded to start pumping.. an employee inside the station remotely shut off the pump. He said something over the PA like "did you know that's a diesel pump?". No s#!t it is :roll: can't blame him for that though, there are some careless people out there who pick the wrong fuel pump.

Haven't had any of these problems for about a month or two now..

[Traktor]

"Sir, could you please turn your truck off. We can't hear you."

I get that all the time at drive-thru's. I've seen lots of strange looks as I drive to the window and have had a few good conversations about the car.

[vwmike]

"Sir, could you please turn your truck off. We can't hear you."

I get that all the time at drive-thru's. I've seen lots of strange looks as I drive to the window and have had a few good conversations about the car.

I got that once in my rabbit - It's gas and had straight 3" at the time.

[52 horses]

Mine is an '82 Jetta non turbo diesel just hit 130,000 klms and have had a few ppl come up to me asking if I want to sell it... I have givin' up on saying no to telling them I would sell it for $5,000.00... It's fun to see the look on their faces...  Then I add "well I will just keep it then"... I don't know what I will do if someone takes that offer.  Prob. just turn it down it took me 3 years to find this one and paid $2,500.00 for it when it had only 89,000 klms on it...

Here is a pic for reference...

[bhtooefr]

WOW.

THAT is clean, and low mileage...  :shock:

I'd be afraid that someone WOULD pay $5,000 for it! I've seen somewhere that an 81 Rabbit diesel (with a new engine, a freshly redone interior, and repainted) went for US$5,100 at auction or something!

Just tell them no. Or, get a bumper sticker or something saying "No, this car is NOT for sale!"

[BlackTieTD]

"Sir, could you please turn your truck off. We can't hear you."

I get that all the time at drive-thru's. I've seen lots of strange looks as I drive to the window and have had a few good conversations about the car.

you know, i've never gotten that one, but i'm always expecting it at any time. i haven't run an exhaust system other than the mkI downpipe pointed toward the ground since spring '04....

i always like playing the "its a diesel" card on cops. "you aren't planning on modifying this thing are ya?", "its a diesel sir", "have a nice day".  :lol:

[SMOKEYDUB]

I was doing a couple burnouts in a parking lot with my old beat down td and a cop showed up shortly after i was done (because i decided to stick around). Anyways he asked me if i was spinning the tires and I just bursted out laughing and I said sir its a diesel! and he just listened to the engine running (because i was leting the turbo cool) and he said O  OK have a good day. That was the best a total look of confusion on the cops face  :lol:


also i get lots of those sir pls turn off your truck (N/A diesel 2 1/2 straight pipe)

Jeff

[mpg]

I got pulled over in my old diesel rabbit. When he got to the window, he asked if it was a diesel, i said yes. "I did'nt think they went that fast!" HAHA!! i had to laugh. i was clocked going 120kms in a 100km zone. I told him the speedo said 100-105 tops, and i did'nt think it was that fast, either. He asked if the wheels were bigger than the OEM ones, and i told him i put a diesel in it instead of the 1.7, and never swapped speedos. We talked about milage and gas prices, etc, for a few minutes, and he actually let me go! i could'nt believe it. He seemed to like the car, even though it was pretty beat.

[BlackTieTD]

seems a lot of cops are into old dubs... more the younger cops. i was stopped once in my corrado pulling out of the mcdonalds by two. the corrado was on the floor lowered and they kept walking all around the car checking it out asking questions before they happily sent us on our way. bone stock outside, just lowered  :lol:

[VWRacer]

The following story didn't happen to me, but I thought it was really funny. It seems a guy with a TDI had to lend it to his wife when her Big Bimmer wouldn't start one morning. Anyway, she didn't like the (diesel) car, and was kind'a grouchy about it, and as she was late for work and in a hurry she came screeching off the freeway and into the parking lot, followed by one of California's finest. When he asked her if she knew she was doing 80 on the freeway, she scoffed and said, "In that 90hp diesel POS...I don't think so!" The cop was so taken aback by her attitude about the car that he let her go with a verbal.

Later on in her office, she was so relieved that she didn't get a ticket that she had to call her husband to tell him how she got out of the ticket.

She still doesn't like diesels. Must be a blond...

[jack's lack]

WOW.

 I've seen somewhere that an 81 Rabbit diesel (with a new engine, a freshly redone interior, and repainted) went for US$5,100 at auction or something

when i was looking for a diesel rabbit, i bid on two such rabbits on ebay my max bid on the first was $5050 USD on the second was $5150 !! both times i was outbid by $50

i ended up paying $3000 for mine and it was in far worse condition

[Mathdiesel]

"Sir, could you please turn your truck off. We can't hear you."

I get that all the time at drive-thru's. I've seen lots of strange looks as I drive to the window and have had a few good conversations about the car.

I had that a couple of times, now i tend not to go to drives-thru's  
NA 1.6 Cone air filter and leaky exhaust, did you said LOUD?  :lol:

[52 horses]

[/quote]I had that a couple of times, now i tend not to go to drives-thru's  
NA 1.6 Cone air filter and leaky exhaust, did you said LOUD?  :lol:[/quote]

What did you say bhtooefr.... :lol:


Thanks for the kind words bhtooefr... I'm happy I found a place that isn't telling me to drop it and stick 17" rims on....