Broke Down in So Cal

From the title you might be thinking why is this post not in the Southern California or Technical section. Here goes.

Yesterday was an incredible, beautiful, Southern California day. Blue sky, 70 degrees, slight breeze, sun shining. I went to run an errand and have lunch and decided to take my Fcar. It's been raining and I've been busy and the Fcar has been sitting for the last three weeks. Top down, red 360 spider and life is great. I'm two blocks from my house returning home on Ventura Boulevard, a pretty busy commercial street, when I see an incredible cloud of smoke coming from the engine compartment. A coolant hose by the thermostat housing burst. No big deal but lots of steam as the coolant hit the exhaust manifold. I pull over, I open the hood and see and smell green coolant in the engine bay. I realize it's not oil or a fire. Big relief.

Two guys stop and ask me if I'm ok. The two guys offer to call their friend who is a mechanic. I tell them it's ok and thanks very much for stopping. Another guy comes out from the business (hair salon). He is a Ferrari lover and is asking me the typical questions you get when out with your Fcar. I called AAA for a flatbed and I'm waiting. The parking meter guy stops, sees the car is still steaming and the hood is up. He tells me not to worry about the meter.

Pretty nice so for right.

As I wait the normal twenty minutes or so for the two truck no less than four different people driving by yell "Ha Ha" or heckle in some manner.
One guys yells "serves you right " .

I look at the hair salon guy and ask "did you hear that" ?
He replies "yes" with a look of embarassment.

My questions are. Have we grown that divided and cynical ? Is having a nice car so provacative ? Does seeing someone broken down on the side of the road with a cool car even the score somehow.

I choose to focus on the first people who were willing to help.

Regards,

Stew

 

With so many people effected by our current economic climate, it's common to lash out at those who seem better off. A shiny red Ferrari is like a bullfighter's cape, a target for that animosity.

Just remember that it's about the symbolism, not the person. Them or you

 

Jerks will be jerks. You likely would have been heckled no matter where they would have seen you (manhood size jokes at the red light etc...).

It is the price you pay when you drive a car that is only a dream for most. Everyone wants the dream, few are willing to work for it, therefore few have it.

 

It's unfortunate tho not unexpected.

The Rise of the Have-Nots

 

Don't worry "have nots" your saviour B.O. is on the job. Soon we'll all be "have nots".

 

Its not the economy. It has always been that way.

Seeing an expensive or worse yet exotic car broken down or having trouble allows some to feel superior that they made the correct decision to drive whatever it is they drive. You're rich, you're an *****, you deserve it, if you were smart and a loyal American you would have a Corvette etc.


In all the years I have worked on these things I have been stranded on a number of test drives. It is always the same. A few car guy types a little over eager to help the guy in the really cool car that is probably too rich to know what to do about it himself and a bunch of neanderthals laughing, honking and yelling.

 

This seems typical, unfortunately. I flatted my CS in the canyons years ago. I received the same type of response. Can I help you, you okay, and the laughs. It is what it is.

Btw Stew, it serves you right for buying a Ferrari. Glad it was nothing serious.

 

So, what you're saying is, everyone else without a $100k toy car is basically lazy?

PS: I know what you're saying, it just sounds a little presumptuous.

RMX

 

I once had the Ferrari on the flatbed. A co-worker knew that it was mine, and made the predictable joke about "your precious high dollar toy let you down, you poor soul!".

But I told him, that no, it did not break down. This is what the dealership does for customers when it is time for an oil change and routine service. Which was exactly the situation I was in.
A lot simpler than a loaner, or giving customers rides.

His response was:

"Oh"

 

Serves me right for going to Auto Gallery Service.....

Took it to Eric Sandor at Autogallery. He said the motor mounts were fine without even looking at the car. Just kidding

Everyone at AG were great. Eric took the time to check my car throughly. Then he took time to show me a couple of 328 engines and a Dino engine he is working on because he knows I'm a hopeless gear head at heart.

Regards,

Stew

 

Yeah, and he called me a "have not"

 

LOL!

Ok, you got the idea, even if the delivery was a little off... *off to remove foot from mouth*

 

Eric is a great guy!

 

Hi Stew, I think you pegged it right there on the last sentence: You broke down in the San Fernando Valley. If you had been on the other side of the hill, the kind and well-mannered people of West L.A./Pacific Palisades would have brought you a cold drink and perhaps offered to have their personal masseuse work on your back or feet! (Just kidding - I grew up in the Valley )

 

LMAO !! I went to Grant HS... way back when


Regards,

Stew

 

There are dickheads everywhere Stew.

 

+100 - Had a similar incident when I had the 328 and that was well before the economy went bad in 2005

 

U were lucky to be in the US. In the UK, all you would have got is the Neanderthals, no one will stop to help and no one will attempt to talk nicely with you, most of the UK people are too reserved to make friends, and the others are either Eco-mental or jealous

 

LOL ... it's all good. Haha.

RMX

 

This is it IMO......

I have had some pretty serious vandalism, I just fix it...on the breakdowns I try light hearted banter, telling them "My GPS has already notified Maranello and they'll dispatch a Pit Crew immediately!

*secretly punching up my on call towing on speed dial*

That answer only increases the mystique of the Ferrari brand, and most of them don;t realize the only electronics on board an old 308GTB are the stereo!! ROTFLMAO!

Sorry to hear of your troubles!

 

Outstanding!!!! LOL

 

Happened to us on the 101. We're on the side of the road just after hitting a stove, yes I said stove, that some idiot dropped off the back of his truck. It broke into hundreds of pieces that scattered across the Fwy. We hit a piece of metal that punctured both the front and back tires and bent the front rim. We were devastated as we were on our way to the Concorso Italiano for the first time. The car was purchased only one month prior. The site of the 355 parked on the side and the 360 on the flatbed seemed to be a source of entertainment by some a-holes driving by.

The good news is that we managed to find a used rim and the replacement tires, at a shop 60 miles south of where we were. We arrived in Monterey at 2:00am and made it to the event.

The officer in the photo was awesome and the 2nd tow truck driver too (1st guy to show up was clueless), so like you we tried to focus on the people that went out of their way to help us and forget about the idiots honking and yelling as they drove by.
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I have found this to be unfortunately very true. Seems people get a kick out of exotic cars breaking down, as if their reliability is supposed to be proportional to their cost, where we understand that the inverse is true. Just the other day my R8 broke down and I got that reaction AND nobody would stop to help despite my waving for it (middle of nowhere with no cell phone).

It is as if they are saying "see showoff, my Prius is running great and I am saving the planet while you are killing it so you got what you deserved."

 

+1
And forget about the rest of the planet! Life is just to short.

 

Sorry to hear Patty.