5 Stupid Mistakes to Avoid at a Car Show

June 17, 2013
Story By
Kristin Cline

With summer arriving, car show season is officially at full throttle – in fact in some areas there’s so much going on you’ll have to decide which shows to attend each weekend! While mostly, car shows are great places to enjoy the hobby and meet fellow enthusiasts – at times they prove to be the setting of some pretty awful behavior. Whether to provide a few laughs or help someone avoid making one of these regretful mistakes, here’s 5 of the worst things you could do at a car show… 5. Place a doll outside of your car. You know, the child-size doll that looks like its either playing hide-and-go seek or crying (I still can’t figure out which), just...don't. It was slightly clever the first time we saw it, but now it’s just annoying. 4. Pretend you know more about a car than its owner. Talking to car owners is great – learning some history of the car and what they’ve done with it. Nothing is worse than a total stranger trying to correct a fact about what’s in your car or the history of it – so if something comes up in the conversation that you disagree with…its best to keep it to yourself. 3. Give unsolicited advice to an owner on how they could make their car better. Following on #4, if someone wants your opinion, they’ll ask it. The stranger who walks up and starts yapping about what they would do differently if the car was theirs is quickly given a cold shoulder. People’s cars are built to their personal liking – the owner is the only one who needs to like it. 2. Touch someone’s car without their permission. Just because you may be showing more skin than the rest, doesn't mean you can set your assets wherever you like. It takes a lot of hard work and time to detail a car to show quality – just because you want to pose with it for a picture doesn't mean you have the right to put your smudge prints all over it. 1. Try to show off your driving skills with a burnout or other showboating move. Extra points if you fail. Sure, everyone wants the crowd to look in their direction as they roll by – but car shows aren't the place for fancy driving. Burnouts and donuts are not only dangerous in crowds, but they can end up horribly wrong (The Internet has plenty of examples, just check this, or this, or this). Save that stuff for vacant lots and side streets. There aren't many rules at car shows – you can see all sorts characters and wild cars. Avoiding these 5 simple actions should keep you in the clear for a summer full of enjoyment!

-Kristin Cline

5 Stupid Mistakes to Avoid at a Car Show

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