hi folks

loco · 06-26-04, 02:57

Well, I've made a few posts, but decided maybe I should properly introduce myself.

I've been reading the Autopia forums for a month or so now, and it's been such a helpful and educational experience that I decided to join. By and large, it's a very mature forum without a lot of flaming, which is kind of odd these days.

I'm a female, possibly a rarity here? Not sure about that. Anyway, my interest in detailing has been spurred by my purchase of an RX-8 last August. Before that, I'd never been all that finicky about my cars' appearances, but for some reason, I just really want to keep this one looking good. I'm hoping I'll have it for many years and it's my daily driver, so it will be exposed to every kind of weather and many miles.

So, thank you all for all the info you've given me so far, and I hope I can contribute something to the forum myself.

thinksnow · 06-26-04, 02:59

An Autopian female from Virginia with an excellent sled. Does it get any better?

Welcome aboard

(my official first usage of Wavey the Smiley)

loco · 06-26-04, 03:06

Ha! Thank you, thinksnow! VA Beach is a great area - lucky you!

andriver · 06-26-04, 03:17

Welcome to Autopia Loco. Good choice on cars.

Lynn · 06-26-04, 08:55

to Autopia, loco.

No, you're not alone as a female Autopian, but you're definitely in a minority. (Me too.)

I sure understand where you're starting from; I used to think my Dad's regimen of washing-with-t-shirts and dressing-with-Armorall was the "bee's knees."

But you'll find a ton of good info here that will save you a lot of grief. Let me offer a few of my favorites to help you get started.

To get started, I’d recommend that you read the Autopia Guide to Detailing. You can also find lots of good, basic info for free by reading David's articles at the "Learn" icon at the top of the page.

And reading the House Rules (upper left of the home page) will tell you a bit about our operating procedures here at Autopia. As you've noticed, we're a little different from some of the more free-wheeling forums. (Thank goodness!) We put a premium on civility as well as critical analysis.

Also on the home page you’ll find a link to all the acronyms (AIO, CWB, PC, PUPP, etc.) that get bandied-about regularly. In my early days on Autopia, I kept that page open all the time like it was my "secret decoder ring."

Then, what some new folks do is read thru the previous posts in the Autopia Univ forum; in addition to teaching you lots of the basics, that will give you a sense of which questions have already been asked and answered a gazillion times.

A lot of folks take a while to discover our Reviews section, where we've posted lots of our own evaluations of products; it's at http://www.autopia.org/review/index.php, if you're interested.
And if/when you get ready to place orders, be sure to check on all the discounts Autopians get. Lots of those get posted in the Good Deals forum.

By the way, be aware that we ask newcomers (no matter how experienced they may be!) to post all their questions in the Autopia Univ forum until they get 30 posts. This is just a way to be sure that we give focused attention to newcomers’ posts.

You'll find that Autopians are really happy to share their info and experiences. Read, learn, be sure to ask us for more info.