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72SuperBrian
72SuperBrian Reader
6/6/09 5:08 p.m.

Do the typos/misspelled words that are so common in eBay Motors listings irritate anyone else?

Here are some of my favorites:

  • VW Supper Beetle (so it's ready for dinner?)

  • It prolly needs a new truck deck (in English that translates to, "the trunk deck is mangled")

  • Camero

P71
P71 GRM+ Memberand Dork
6/6/09 5:33 p.m.
  • Cougar RX7
  • Rotory engine
  • Trim typos (GLS instead of GSL, GLX instead of GXL, etc)
  • Bullet, Bullit, Bulitt, Bullett (It's Bullitt !!!)
  • The AMC 360/390 is NOT a Ford motor for the last berkleying time!!!!

Carson
Carson HalfDork
6/6/09 7:34 p.m.

-Volkswagon

-SAAB sonet sonnet sonnett sonic(?) (it's Sonett)

I saw an advert once for a Pontiac Ferraro. No, it wasn't a Ferrari kit, just a Fiero.

There was a performance shop that had a 10 second "camero" featured on their website, I emailed them with CAMARO in the subject line.

The typos on eBay don't bug me as much as they do on craigslist. On eBay you can at least search by make which most people can get right even if they butcher the subject line. On CL, you have to search every common misspelling and sometimes just be lucky.

Duke
Duke Dork
6/6/09 8:09 p.m.

I always wonder how you can spell the name of the car wrong when it is spelled correctly several places on the freaking car itself.

My number one automotive wording peeve has to be "breaks" instead of brakes", though.

Toyman01
Toyman01 GRM+ Memberand Reader
6/6/09 8:50 p.m.

I always like the misspells and search them regularly, particularly on e-bay. Not many people search for misspelled items and the prices are usually cheap. If you find a "camero" there is a good chance that no one is bidding on it. It doesn't work very well for cars, but some of the odd crap I look for it works like a charm. Like bras cannens and old botles or bottels.

wherethefmi
wherethefmi HalfDork
6/6/09 8:57 p.m.

Yeah I regularly search misspelled words on craigslist and find great deals on stuff.

72SuperBrian
72SuperBrian Reader
6/6/09 9:27 p.m.

Along the same lines, have you ever noticed that in many of the terribly written CL or eBay ads, the person is, "selling it for a friend" or they give all kinds of details, like production numbers and then write, "I don't know much about it"?

I interpret either of those to mean, "I'm completely full of ---- and I don't want to be held accountable for my lies when you come to pick the car up"

72SuperBrian
72SuperBrian Reader
6/6/09 10:00 p.m.

Another typo that makes me crazy is when someone uses an apostrophe for the plural form of whatever they are describing. For example:

"All Corvette's have V8's" or "not all VW's are built in Germany"

In English, the apostrophe shows ownership or replaces the letter "i"

Since Corvettes, V8s and a VWs can't own anything, the apostrophe must be interpreted as if to replace the letter "i".

Therefore, were the apostrophes to be removed, the first sentence would read:

"All Corvette is have V8 is"

and the second:

"not all VW is are built in Germany"

Carson
Carson HalfDork
6/6/09 11:23 p.m.

All Corvettes do not have V8s, some have straight sixes.

"VW's Audi" is a correct use of apostrophe.

Just giving you a hard time and I know what you mean.

93gsxturbo
93gsxturbo Reader
6/6/09 11:43 p.m.

Ask me about the screaming deal I got on a "powercommander 111R" the other day on Fleabay.

caffecapri
caffecapri New Reader
6/7/09 12:07 a.m.

My biggest peeve...someone selling a Dodge with the legendary "cummings" engine (hint: it's a cummins)

aussiesmg
aussiesmg Dork
6/7/09 12:15 a.m.

Typos I can handle, it's the hillbilly English that irks my tender sensibilities.

curtis73
curtis73 GRM+ Memberand Reader
6/7/09 3:58 a.m.

The cummings thing pisses me off as well. I have the burden (and blessing) of having a Father who was an English teacher. In fact, I had to go back and change the "f" in my dad's title to "F."

In fact I wrote a blog about it (which ironically has several grammatical mistakes in it)

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=49179438&blogId=96790939

curtis73
curtis73 GRM+ Memberand Reader
6/7/09 4:05 a.m.

My favorite (which I've posted before) was an ad from New Hampshire for a Volkswagen Common Gear.

Think about how you would pronounce that in NH and you'll get it. It actually made Jay Leno's Headlines and he (being a car guy) laughed uncontrollably, but the audience didn't get it.

I also had a friend who named his daughter Amber Lynn. His family in Maine began spreading the word that he had a daughter named Anne Boleyn.

Another favorite is when someone asks on a forum how to set their "initial timming." Timming? Is that when you set the "distribbutor?"

Prolly

Cummings

Timming

Any time they use txt abbreviations and expect you to be able to read it.

stuart in mn
stuart in mn Dork
6/7/09 8:26 a.m.

Lots of cars seem to have bumbers instead of bumpers.

72SuperBrian
72SuperBrian Reader
6/7/09 8:53 a.m.

I saw another one this morning...

"Voltswagon"

suprf1y
suprf1y Reader
6/7/09 9:23 a.m.

Prolly makes me crazy. Enough so, that the word filter on Teamswift changes it to look at me, I'm retarded. I don't care much for the use of dizzy for distributor.

iceracer
iceracer Reader
6/7/09 10:11 a.m.

I haz a problem.

4cylndrfury
4cylndrfury HalfDork
6/7/09 10:46 a.m.

not so much typos that make me angry its poor structured sentences that just run on and on an don you jus cant make any sense of what the dummy is trying to say so u go crazy and just start pullin ur hair out just trying to figger what hes tryin to say cuz you really want that 1987 carolla hatchi roku that has the japanees motor and just needs new fuel tank and new breaks but it ran until yesterday so he dont know whats wrong with it but you really want it and you have the cash but the inbred moron wont call you back now that you sound like you know what youre talking about so you just give up and look somewhere else

mad_machine
mad_machine GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
6/7/09 12:47 p.m.

I don;t get it?

mad_machine
mad_machine GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
6/7/09 12:48 p.m.
stuart in mn wrote: Lots of cars seem to have bumbers instead of bumpers.

ugh... bumbers instead of bumpers.. and my all time fav.. the misuse of breaks and brakes.

Sorry, if I am slowing down and my car breaks.. I am not going to be a happy camper

JFX001
JFX001 Dork
6/7/09 12:51 p.m.
mad_machine wrote: I don;t get it?

Common Gear = Karmann Ghia

joey48442
joey48442 SuperDork
6/7/09 2:55 p.m.

My most hated thing is "lil". It (in my mind) totally rhymes with "I need to be hit with a baseball bat".

I really hate it used in a name.

Joey

RedS13Coupe
RedS13Coupe Reader
6/7/09 5:53 p.m.
P71 wrote: * Rotory engine

I don't get it?

Carson
Carson HalfDork
6/7/09 6:31 p.m.
RedS13Coupe wrote:
P71 wrote: * Rotory engine
I don't get it?

RotAry

Speaking of...I've seen "4 Cyl Rotary" A few times.

Also, I've seen a lot used lots advertise "V4 Civic." Or any number of inline four engined cars.

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