Cars X Girl

One of the most frustrating things when it comes to cars is just getting into the scene. It’s like trying to break into the highest level of high school cliques — It seems like an impossible task, but you still have some hope that you’ll be able to do it.

I can tell you this much: You can.

Slowly, very slowly, I myself am making a name for me and my car in the “scene.” While I don’t always do the smart things, I have come to find that there are a few keys to showing people that you’re serious. When you show that you’re serious, people tend to take you seriously, it’s that simple.

Where do you start?

Well, I figured I’d go ahead and lay out five tips for someone who’s looking to gain respect in the car community. Do take this as a very general guide, as I do not know how every car scene everywhere works. I just know what’s working for me… And believe me, I’m fighting an uphill battle here. I have to do twice as much to get half as far as a girl who’s into cars, just to prove that my interest is genuine.

Which, oddly enough, leads into my first tip.

#1; Be real.

Yes, keep it real. Be genuine and sincere. When you compliment a car, mean it, don’t just say it to get on someone’s good side… You won’t be. And, if the person’s secure with himself and his car, he’ll be able to take well-put constructive criticism. (Be warned, though, you usually won’t find that until you know someone better.) Don’t put people off, but do be approachable.

Also, if you aren’t sure on a fact, don’t state it as absolute fact. There’s no quicker way to fail than to act like you know a lot and then end up showing that you don’t.

#2; Find a mentor.

Instead of running your mouth and hoping you know your stuff, find someone who does and learn all you can from them. Sure, it helps to sit on your computer for an hour or so a day looking up random car facts, but that doesn’t work for everyone, and it sure doesn’t work for me. I need things that are relevant for me to remember them… Otherwise, they just don’t stick.

In my own experiences, cool car people are only too happy to share their knowledge with you, no sucking up required. Just be sure you’re asking intelligent questions and show a willingness to learn. Nobody likes a person who’s cocky without reason, honestly.

#3; Realize what your car says about you.

I’ve seen so many people get ticked off because they’re blown off due to the car they drive. It’s not that people are going to be down on you for everything, because believe me, I had a not very pretty car for my first, but the good people never thought any less of me for it.

How did I get them to do that? I didn’t act like my car was all that. I knew it was ricey, and I knew I wanted to fix her up. I just didn’t know how to get from what she was to where I wanted her to be, and I made sure people knew that I didn’t do any of what was done to the car. Altezzas? Not my thing. A rather nasty exhaust? Nope, had no clue about it. Turned out the car was a lot worse than I ever thought… But I sold her (to my brother, so she’s still taken care of) looking a lot better, thanks to my mentor’s help. (AKA my husband.)

Of course, I have no idea how I came off to people really. I know that I got a smile from a guy driving an NSX once in my riced Del Sol, because I couldn’t help but smile and give the guy a thumbs up. I was only too happy to divulge all sorts of plans that I didn’t know how to materialize, and eager to learn anything I could about fixing her up. But there were people who wouldn’t associate with me because of how my car was at the time. Heck, sometimes I wonder if I would have associated with me!

But I showed a willingness to learn, and I wasn’t cocky or proud of my horribly modified car, so people didn’t mind me too much. Then again, it helps that I was a girl, too. But being humble about it definitely gets you on the decent side of the good guys.

#4; Walk the walk.

It’s only too funny to listen to someone yap about one thing, then go and do the complete opposite. If you drive a FWD car, don’t join in on a RWD discussion unless you’ve driven RWD before, otherwise you’ll really make yourself look dumb. Likewise, if you claim to like JDM and then drive a domestic, you’re going to get laughed at hardcore. One of the cars that sticks out in my mind most of all when it comes to this is a “JDM Eclipse” that runs around my area. It’s tried way too hard, right down to the Japanese license plate on the front of it.

The problem? The Mitsubishi Eclipse was never sold in Japan. Ever. It’s impossible to have a JDM vehicle when it was never sold in Japan. (Another common victim: the Honda Accord.)

The result? Instant lack of credibility. Obviously, the guy doesn’t know enough about his own car to do it right, so why should anyone care about it? Harsh, but true.

#5; Give credit where credit is due.

You get what you give, and when you give respect you get it. I have a great respect for my friends’ cars, and many of them I secondarily adore. (Secondarily because I adore my own cars first, and then there are the ones owned by friends that I treat as my own, without the associated costs.) This is fairly important to me, because, well, I’m a girl with a Miata.

But when I can compliment a job well done with another car, it shows that I don’t just know Miatas. It’s a key part of my “strategy” to show that I know about a lot of cars, albeit mostly Japanese, and I’m learning my European models. However, I used to have a Civic. (Del Sol, but really a Civic with a different body.) I can pick up on the good, subtle things and gladly compliment someone on a car well-built.

My favorite thing is to receive comments about how my Miata must be fun to race. Yes, she is!! While she’s not the fastest car by any means, she’s a blast to toss around some pylons or tearing up a back twisty road with. Her overall stance and mods give people the clear impression that she’s raced, and she really is. (Ties into #4 there, and #5 since it’s me gaining credit.)

Final thoughts

There’s a lot more to gaining respect than just these five things, but it should give you a decent head start. From my experience, garnering respect from the car community is a lot like starting a blog… There’s a long while where you wonder if anyone is ever going to notice you.

Eventually, you begin to see yourself getting more and more noticed, and, hopefully, it gets easier as you go along. Just always remember where you came from — part of success is being able to pay it forward and help someone else out along the way.

Meg

In 2007, Meg began learning about cars. Two years later, she had a very modified '97 Miata and a '90 240SX project car, as well as the Rookie of the Year autocross title. Life now completely revolves around cars and she wouldn't have it any other way. CarsxGirl is her way to encourage others to get into racing (it's not horribly expensive!), to document & share her car builds, an outlet to share & improve her automotive photography skills and to show that real car girls do exist!

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