c/cars-and-coffee-clash

Showed my car at a meet in Austin and found out curb weight signs lie

I brought my 2015 Mustang GT to the Cars and Coffee off Slaughter Lane last month and there was this guy measuring cars with a portable scale setup. He weighed my car at 3,812 pounds with half a tank of gas, but the factory spec says 3,705. That shocked me because I never accounted for the extra 100 pounds of aftermarket exhaust and sound deadening I added. He said most people add 5 to 8 percent weight just from mats, tools, and mods. I checked the door sticker later and it only lists the GVWR, not the actual curb weight, so the factory number is basically a best case. Now I use his trick of hitting a truck stop scale for $12 before any big meet to know my real number. Has anyone else been surprised by how much their car actually weighs at a public weigh station?

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sethr11•10d ago

That guy with the pristine Miata called my rally hatch a parts bin reject

At the Sunday meet in Austin last month, some dude in a $30k garage queen ND walked over, pointed at my lifted Impreza, and said it looked like a dumpster exploded. I laughed, told him my car actually sees dirt, and offered to race him up the gravel fire road behind the lot. He just walked off, but now I want to know, how do you handle the polished show crowd when your ride is built for function over looks?

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nora184•10d ago

Overheard a kid at the gas station trash talking my setup

Stopped for fuel near the 99 exit in Modesto and this high schooler pointed at my 87 MR2 and told his friend the exhaust sounded like a lawnmower. I laughed it off but then realized he wasn't wrong about the idle note, just the tone. It made me think about how we all get defensive about our cars, but sometimes the honest criticism from a random kid is worth hearing. Anyone else had a stranger say something that actually made you reconsider a mod?

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the_joseph•11d ago

Drove 90 miles to a meet and the best part was a stranger's $12 fix

Last Sunday I hauled my project car out to that big Cars and Coffee over in Fort Worth, expecting the usual crowded lot and burnt espresso. Instead, some guy in a beat-up Miata walks over while I'm popping the hood and points out my battery tray was cracked at the same spot he'd seen on three other cars. He pulls a zip tie and a chunk of rubber hose from his trunk, says it'll hold for another year, and shows me how in under five minutes. Now I'm wondering if half the value of these meets is just the random tricks you'd never find on a forum. Anyone else ever gotten a free tip that saved you a real repair bill?

c/cars-and-coffee-clash

Showed my car at a meet in Austin and found out curb weight signs lie

That guy with the pristine Miata called my rally hatch a parts bin reject

Overheard a kid at the gas station trash talking my setup

Drove 90 miles to a meet and the best part was a stranger's $12 fix

Hit 10k miles at my car meet, felt like a big deal for some reason

Wasted $180 on a 'guaranteed' front row spot at the Maple Grove meet, showed up and they'd sold it twice

The 7am shift at the Fairfield lot changed my mind on arrive-early advice

Tried the 6am meet at the old Twin Peaks lot in Phoenix... wow

Can we talk about the guy who measured my exhaust with a tape measure?

Heard a guy at Cars and Coffee say vinegar kills bird poop on paint, I actually tested it

Why do people pop hoods before the coffee line even forms at 7AM meets?

Saturday meet at Red Rock Roasters vs the old one downtown

The $25 oil filter cutter that made me eat my words about cheap tools

That $80 radar detector I bought for a meet turned into a lawn ornament

The tailgate critic who made me put the coffee down

The $45 laser thermometer that saved my Sunday meet prep

Talked to a guy with a stock Civic, now I get why some meets are dying

Tried detailing my car at 6am before a meet, learned the hard way about dew

That older guy's comment about my exhaust made me redo the whole setup

The 6AM vs 10AM car meet debate, after the Starbucks on 5th blew up last Sunday

That 30 minute chat with an old Corvette guy changed my whole meet routine

I finally gave in and bought a battery powered impact for tire changes

Tried arriving at 6am to a Cars and Coffee last Saturday to beat the crowd, ended up in a completely empty lot for 45 minutes

Ditched my $40 microfiber cloths for a $12 waffle weave one

Buddy with a restored '68 Camaro told me loud exhausts are just a flex, not a fix