I have to say that in the 1.5 years of owning the crossfire, I have had some really weird and frankly scarey situations with the crossfire. I have of course gotten the "hey, nice car!" comments, the thumbs up, and the people craining their neck to look at the car as they pass by. I'm sure we've all experineced those.

However, in the last two months I've had some eye opening events, with the most recent happening last night. The first story, however, wasn't all that scarey, but a little unexpected and took me by surprise. I was with my gf and we were going to see the Body Worlds exhibit at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. As we entered the parking garage, the gentleman who was directing us to the open parking areas, screamed out how the crossfire was his favorite car ever, as we drove past him. Hmmmm....interesting.

That experience however, paled in comparison to what happened when I was stopped at a light a couple months later. In this fun exchange I happened to be stopped next to a white grand cherokee filled with teenagers--music blasting. There was an especially flamboyant teenage boy in the backseat of this vehicle and the windows were down in my car and their SUV. I didn't look over, but I could just feel eyes on my car. The damn light was taking FOREVER to turn green! As I sat there wishing I was somewhere else, the flamboyant one in the backseat yelled out that he would "f' me for my car"! I continued to ignore the passenger in the Jeep, but couldn't wait to move AWAY from them once the light turned green.

Last night, I was returning from dropping off the GF in Atlantic City. I took the Walt Whitman Bridge back to the philly area, where I live. In order to get from the WW bridge to rte 95, you have to take an exit that very briefly takes you through part of the city (like 3/4 of a mile). Before I get on the actual entrance ramp for 95, I come to an intersection with a light and in the grass, next to the lane I was in, was an unfortunate homeless soul with a cardboard sign looking for money. And wouldn;t you know it, as I approached the light, it turned red and I was first in line, next to the homeless fellow. Now, I don't particularly enjoy interacting with homeless folks. In this situation, it was hot out and I had my windows down, so I was expeciting some type of problem, especially since I'm driving a shiney sports car. And wouldn't you know it, the guy starts calling out to me. I thought to myself that this interaction wasn't going to end well and that I hope to God that the light would turn green ASAP!

Against my better judgement, I decided to acknowledge the fellow. He starts talking to me about the car! 'Hey is that as fast as they say it is?" "I bet that car handles amazingly!" "how fast have you had it up to?" All pretty harmless, but I still wasn't all that comfortable with the situation. We stop talking and I'm still waiting for the light to turn green ASAP! I look over to the car on the other side of me and see the passengers looking at me like I'm a weirdo! And then as I'm getting onto 95, I see some woman screaming something at me from the passenger seat as the vehicle she's in drives by! I have no idea what she's saying--heck she could have just been singing a song when she passed the car. But after my interaction with the homeless guy and then this woman staring at the car and screaming something, I was about ready to park the car on 95 and take a cab home!

I just can't win in this car! I get attention in my corrado as well, but it's usually from people in their late teens to mid 20's who like VWs and find the car to be cool. I've never been shouted at nor have I had interactions with homeless people about it.

Am I the only person who's had completely crazy experiences with their car? I'd love to hear some stories!

 

Yes - it is just you.

,

,

,
,
,

 

We had a guy on 80/94 toll road plaza in Ind. swear it was a viper, even though it's says crossfire on the back. We have people all the time approach us over the car. It IS a conversation piece, get used to that. People (guys) are always trying to pick my wife up while shes driving her roadster. But most guys I know, don't care for the car as it's too heavy and not enough HP. That's OK, they are missing the point.
When we find ourselves in a bad neighborhood, we always have the top up, and stay on the main streets. Try not to make any eye contact (look or stare), but be very aware of our surroundings.
I travel service for the Machine tool industry and this brings me into some very nasty neighborhoods of chicago and north, eastern Ind. I have been challenged at lights, not so much as to race a car, but because of my race (I hate to say) I can only hope folks visiting my neighborhood don't get treated like I was. I drive a (in my gallery)2001 dodge truck, and ALL has to be hidden or locked down. While waiting for a light to change, I swear there was a guy trying to open my tonneau. I saw him walk behind me, but didn't notice him come out the other side or other mirror, when the light changed, all of a sudden he was like standing in the middle of the road, about where the rear or tailgate was. No damage to my truck as my tailgate and tonneau lock, just weird. Did he stop to tie his shoe behind my truck, as i stopped for the light? I don't know, but now just another thing to watch for. . The customers I service have guarded parking lots, or are moving out of these area's. Shamefull. But it is what it is, just be careful.

 

I have had an SRT-6 for three days now (just having picked it up in Ohio and driven it to Colorado). There is no question that the Crossfire, for whatever reason, seems to evoke a powerful and immediate response from some people. My son and saw this phenomenon at work all the way home from Ohio. People driving past the car at high rates of speed and then slowing down. People staring at the car. People following us into parking lots. Wanna-be boy racers tailgating the car. Really strange stuff.

 

Yep, pretty much what jill and I have experienced for the last 4 years with ous. We were just at the Euro'o open house,and before going we met at Valks house. 5 XF's cruising together. You should have seen all the folks watching us.

 

Eurocharged Open House - May 1, 2010

 

Thanks Gary,
I have no clue how to do what you just did......I'm sure your use to all the looks. Jill said it was fun watching all the people watching us drive by. I didn't notice, I just didn't want to wreck or do something stupid and mainly watching all the XF's in front of me or in my mirror was really COOL.....LOL
That was a BLAST at Eurochargers.....We had a GREAT time.....even had ours dyno'd for a base.

 

I was filling up with gas and a guy came up to me wanting to know details about my car. He went on and on about how good looking it was/is.

And then he asked me if I could give him some money.

 

i had a redneck in a hideously ugly 90's mustang with a cheapo exhaust and a home made cf hood (painted it black) ask me if it was fast and if i wanted to run him (as cop cars were driving by every 20 seconds due to prom night at the local high school). I told him no, i was heading home. he asked how fast it was, I told him it ran 11's (he had a puzzled look on his face, did not have a clue in the world what i was talking about) then he said "awww too bad" and revved his engine a few times and drove off thinking he would have killed me lol.

does that count?

 

HEY.... Whats wrong with a painted black hood??

 

painted as in spray can aka rattle can painted aka home made.

 

at least he was trying..clueless, but trying

 

ALLEuro,

I just read the events and concerns that you had, it seems most of the time you had your windows down. As I was reading, I was wondering why you didn't put the windows up and turn the AC on?

 

Way back in 2003, stopped at the red light. A corvette pulls up besides me, man gives me the dumbs up and shouts " I like your Bentley". With a big I answer "So do I" and drive off...

 

I've gotten the Bentley bit also. lol


I guess the only "strange" experience in my car was getting out of it at a gas station and being accosted by a woman who proceded to tell me that I was JFK Jr. reincarnated and that the XF is "something he surely would have driven"...does that count?

 

I didn't think my wife even knew how to raise/lower the spoiler on Wilma, but now I've found out she uses the button to impress people.....should I be worried?



Should Fred be worried?

 

I have never got the honor of mine being called a Bentley, but a few times a year I get the "Nice porsche" comment!

Another situation that buggs me and seems to happen every once and a while with a large crowd around is the "those cars only have a 4 banger" comment. For some reason that really drives me nuts, because a 4 cylinder was not availiable for the car. They must have crossfire envy or own a solstice

 

AllEuro,

I can relate, 100%. Just within the last few weeks (since putting the 20s back on) I have had more crazy people asking me about the car, to the point that it has gotten dangerous.

Was driving back to work the other day and I saw a minivan driving absolutely crazily behind me several cars, weaving in and out of traffic and going 20+ over the limit. She starts getting closer to me (still weaving through cars) and since I have no one in front of me, I start accelerating, worried she may be drunk and I do not want her to hit my car. She gets right up on my *** at 30+ over the speed limit and stays there. I then cut over to the other lane and decelerate - she starts yelling at me. At the next light she wants to know what kind of sexy car it is (mine is completely debadged) and proceeds to tell me that it is "bad to the bone" and how good I look behind the wheel. Usually a complement is taken humbly, but this was coming from a ~60 year old woman that looks like she had not showered in days

Also, a stoplight I have to go through every day has a homeless person stationed at it nearly 24 hours a day (I think they do shifts since it is a busy intersection) and it is always a little akward just sitting there in my very nice car (IMO) and I am sorry, but there is no way I am going to give money to a homeless person *directly* (I give to charities that I know the money goes to a good place)

It is sort of a pain in the butt, I guess that is the price we must pay for driving such a rare and head turning piece of automobilia.....





Because there is no way I am giving up my baby

 

Boiler,

Yeah, those pretty much sounds like the types of information I'm talking about. I don't know why people can't just keep their mouth shut? I saw a stunning Porsche 993, slightly lowered, looked to have pricey Fikse wheels, and some type of aftermarket exhaust. It was gorgeous. I got up to the guy's window we were driving and gave him a thumbs up. Nothing crazy--no honking, screaming, or hanging out the window. I wonder if people in properly exotic cars get the same reactions as some of us?

 

I would have to assume that they do, and probably why some people keep their super exotics in the garage where dangerous/ignorant drivers can not damage them. And I agree 100%, when I see a nice ride out and about, I will certainly try to give the driver a little 'attaboy' but not if it requires me acting like a simpleton to get his/her attention.

When this lady was driving erratically trying to get my attention / look at the car, there was a VERY NICE CLS63 brand new a few cars behind me, she did not even look. As you know, this is a 500+HP ~$150K car. I think it all boils down to the fact that we stick out like exotics. If you want less attention, I think you have to drive a sedan, even if the sedan is capable of sub 5 second 0-60 LOL