As a car enthusiast, and a silver Audi A4 Avant owner,  I like to keep my ride looking sharp.  Everybody likes to ride in a clean car, and this being Southern California, it’s all about the car you drive, so regular washings are a part of my weekends.  Keeping the details nice are de rigueur.  Some folks go to psychiatrists.  I wash my car.  It’s therapeutic, okay?  So when I’ve got the car backed into the open garage, car doors open, music cranked, and vacuum cleaner roaring, I don’t notice a whole lot of things going on outside.

One Saturday afternoon I was finishing my detailing duties, when for some reason, I looked up, and there in my driveway, Pasadena’s finest!  Yikes!  A police officer had backed his cruiser into my driveway, and was motioning for me to come over!

In most cases, when an officer gets your attention, it is not something to be thrilled about, or look forward to.  My heart leaped as I greeted him with a friendly wave.  As I walked towards the cruiser, he motioned to a poster I’ve put up on the garage wall.  It’s a celebratory image of Audi’s former LeMans-winning race car, the R8.

“You into LeMans?” he says.  Why, I’m not in trouble! (Not that I have anything to be in trouble about, mind you)  This was simply a matter of one car guy wanting to talk shop with another car guy.  “You betcha,” I say.  “Looking forward to watching the next race.”

We spent the next 30 minutes talking about racing, and cars, and racing cars.  After that, we talked about cars.  He was very friendly, and happy to discover a fellow car guy and friend.  For a short time, the exterior trappings of him being a police officer, and me being a…well, an afternoon car washing guy, fell away, and we had a nice conversation.  I told him about Everyday Driver, and how Todd and I are helping people understand how to know about cars that fit their needs, their wants and their budget.  He was excited to hear about it, and told me about his expanding muscle car collection.

The awarning here?  Be aware that local cops ARE watching you.  They look into your garage as they drive by.  And sometimes, you make a friend.  They earn an honorable living and protect lives.  They have needs to combine their car enthusiast with their car realist.  You thought they were merely satisfied with their police-issue Ford Crown Vics and Dodge Chargers?  Think again…