the wave

[six-rs at comcast.net]

On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 10:18:22 -0800 (PST)
      Tess McMillan <tessmc at eskimo.com> wrote:

> Taking a step away from german and american-bashing for a sec.... (but my
> god, an escalade? just shoot me now and get it over with.)
> 
> These days I hardly bother giving a "hi" sign to anyone driving an
> Audi/quattro, because for so long nobody ever returned it. There have been
> really rare occasions where the situation allowed me to get a good look at
> another car (of course, only an older, well-kept and nicely updated one)
> and they likewise at mine, and we do the smile and maybe a small
> hand-wave. But that's maybe once a year. [ ... ]
> I'm curious: how many of you practice "the wave" in your area? Is it more
> predominant where there are more older cars? Or is it more low-HP cars
> reaffirming to each other? Where the hell's the love?????
> 
> [ ... ]

I don't know if I'm old enough to qualify as the list curmudgeon but I'm old
enough to have been though a similar evolution with BMW's market
penatration into the US of A. In the late sixties and earliest of the seventies,
we cool 2002 drivers were all about waving and flashing. We were onto
something. Then the grownups with money noticed how much fun we were
having and how well the cars compared to what was then available which
was shitty British sports cars -- sorry, that was cold; oh I a TR4A and it
was fun, but shitty --or solid rear axle 'Merican iron. BMW noticed this
and started building big fancy cars which cost loads of money. By then,
maybe the early eighties, waving was so over.

Same thing with Audi. When the sport quattro was winning rallies, Pike's
Peak and stuff and before Audi was recognized by Main Street America,
there were the 'early adopters' of Audi cars who were like the waving
'oh, you get it too' 2002 drivers of old. Now, at least along the Front Range
of Colorado, most people buy an Audi like they buy a high end refrigerator;
they like the practicallity -- four wheel drive doncha know -- and because
it conveys they've acheived a certain station in life. No waving. Why
would you wave at a perfect stranger for Pete's sake?

Today, most drivers of 2002s (not many cars left) are high school
kids who are not particularly proud of their clapped out beaters
inherited from grandpa. If there is a proud 2002 driver, he's spent
$40,000 painstakingly restoring the darn thing and is too white knuckled
to spare a wave anyway. I fear the 80s Audis are getting to that point.
It's life, I think. So no worries; just enjoy.

DeWitt Harrison
'88 5000CS