AlRozzi Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 My neighbor is an 71 year old army career veteran and while he is a nice enough guy whom I had considered a good friend since 1994, that all ended upbruptly last summer in a very brief, heated dispute. To be clear, he is a simple guy and quite opinionated. In general, you can't tell him anything and he thinks he has all the answers. That never bothered me though, I always politely listened and knew when not to express my opinion. Then, One day last summer he called me down to the fence to offer me some zuccini from his garden and we talked for about 10 minutes or so when we finally made the tragic mistake of discussing car ownership. He knows I'm a Ford guy. In fact a dedicated, loyal Ford owner, and he has always had a problem with that. I don't know why he snapped that afternoon, but he broke into a furious tirade and began yelling at me for buying Ford. I tried to remain calm and kept reassuring him that I have always been a Ford guy, but even though I avoided specific opinion and especially suggesting that he should even reconsider, his rage and anger boiled over like I've never seen in a human being before. I did not understand what was happening or even why he got so adament about this all the sudden. Finally, after stumbling and feeling totally humiliated and not knowing how to calm him down or even how to get away from him, I snapped! I dont' know where it came from but I know it was a panic reflex when I screamed, "F*** You!" Oh well, that did it. He hasn't spoken to me since. The event saddened me, most especially because of my reflex. However, in retrospect, I can find humor in it now because his arguement against Ford and for the brand of car he remains loyal to now seems to be a most unlikely recommendation. You see, he was arguing for me to become a Toyota driver! He strongly asserted that Toyota is the best car out there. Period. It gets even more humorous though. In hIs arguement for Toyota he pointed out that he had just bought a new Corolla, because his newer, low-mileage Tacoma had a very badly rusted frame and was recalled. When he took it in for the recall, they had to scrap the vehicle because of the extreme unsafe condition. Furthermore, he also has a second Corolla, which he bought for his wife to drive for safety reasons. Now, both his Corollas have been recalled because they are unsafe. Furthermore, if I had taken his advice, I would be driving one of these runnaway, sudden-acceleration rust buckets. He still will not speak with me, but I wonder if he is feelling remorseful for attempting to pressure me into buying into his dangerous recommendation? No thanks neighbor! I'm sticking with Ford. Forever. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ford-boy Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 Tension from a neighbor is never good, but this guy sounds like a real jerk. Him not talking to you is his loss. Next time you see him, tell him you saw an ad for a Corolla rear bumper mounted PARACHUTE. In case of unintended acceleration, just pop the chute. Guaranteed to keep a Corolla below 50 mph at wide open throttle while the driver figures out how to shut the damn thing down. Be polite and tell him you're just looking out for his safety. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang2 Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 My neighbor is an 71 year old army career veteran and while he is a nice enough guy whom I had considered a good friend since 1994, that all ended upbruptly last summer in a very brief, heated dispute. To be clear, he is a simple guy and quite opinionated. In general, you can't tell him anything and he thinks he has all the answers. That never bothered me though, I always politely listened and knew when not to express my opinion. Then, One day last summer he called me down to the fence to offer me some zuccini from his garden and we talked for about 10 minutes or so when we finally made the tragic mistake of discussing car ownership. He knows I'm a Ford guy. In fact a dedicated, loyal Ford owner, and he has always had a problem with that. I don't know why he snapped that afternoon, but he broke into a furious tirade and began yelling at me for buying Ford. I tried to remain calm and kept reassuring him that I have always been a Ford guy, but even though I avoided specific opinion and especially suggesting that he should even reconsider, his rage and anger boiled over like I've never seen in a human being before. I did not understand what was happening or even why he got so adament about this all the sudden. Finally, after stumbling and feeling totally humiliated and not knowing how to calm him down or even how to get away from him, I snapped! I dont' know where it came from but I know it was a panic reflex when I screamed, "F*** You!" Oh well, that did it. He hasn't spoken to me since. The event saddened me, most especially because of my reflex. However, in retrospect, I can find humor in it now because his arguement against Ford and for the brand of car he remains loyal to now seems to be a most unlikely recommendation. You see, he was arguing for me to become a Toyota driver! He strongly asserted that Toyota is the best car out there. Period. It gets even more humorous though. In hIs arguement for Toyota he pointed out that he had just bought a new Corolla, because his newer, low-mileage Tacoma had a very badly rusted frame and was recalled. When he took it in for the recall, they had to scrap the vehicle because of the extreme unsafe condition. Furthermore, he also has a second Corolla, which he bought for his wife to drive for safety reasons. Now, both his Corollas have been recalled because they are unsafe. Furthermore, if I had taken his advice, I would be driving one of these runnaway, sudden-acceleration rust buckets. He still will not speak with me, but I wonder if he is feelling remorseful for attempting to pressure me into buying into his dangerous recommendation? No thanks neighbor! I'm sticking with Ford. Forever. He's an asshole. He's probably got an American flag flying from that Jap crap. I always get a laugh outta Toyota driving jerks with the "Proud To Be American" bumper stickers. Best part of the vehicle. Probably holding the frame together............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8A4RE Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 I just do not get it. I see countless elderly people driving Toyota's with big American flag decals in the window. I can not tell you how many old people drive Toyota's with Illinois Veteran's License Plates on them. My grandfather was a Navy man stationed at Pearl Harbour and he was the biggest Ford man in the family. He hated Japanese cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8-X Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 Oh well, his loss. I find some older generation folks to be extremely opinionated and not up to speed with the times. And he's a die hard Yota fan, quality and reliability and all, but his Tacoma frame rusted out. Priceless. Simply wonder when some of these Yota fans will, if ever, get a clue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
97svtgoin05gt Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 Personally, if it were me, I'd try to locate or even PURCHASE a banner I could put either on my garage or hang it on 2 poles in the front yard. It would say "Has your Toyota been recalled lately??" or some such. I would also position it so the old bastid could see it each and every time he drove his rice cake out of the driveway. OH WHAT A FEELING!! :happy feet: :happy feet: :happy feet: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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