Do people think it's cool to spout ridiculous dollar figures?....Or are they that stupid?

I just have to comment on this issue. I see it in magazines all the time and this week I'm seeing it in my local newspaper as they report on Hot August Nights. What I'm talking about is people saying they have $100,000 or more invested in a car. And I'm not talking numbers-matching Shelby Mustangs, LS6 Chevelles, Hemi Road Runners, or GTO Judge Convertibles. I'm talking about junk. When I say Junk, I mean stuff that serious gearheads wouldn't use for parts cars 20 years ago, and even 10 years ago people would pass over them in search of a more premium, better equipped model. Here's a few examples that made my head want to explode. #1. This guy said he had 100K in a Base-model 1968 Mustang. That's right-it wasn't a GT350 or GT500 Shelby, or a 390,4-speed GT, or even a "California Special". No, this was a garden variety, 289/automatic Mustang. The article said he paid $12,000 for it several years ago. If that's true, it had to be completely restored, or at least pretty damn nice to begin with. It had a mild 289 and a C4 for a drivetrain, not a $15,000 514 stroker and a $3,000 Tremec six-speed. The suspension and brakes were stock-no aftermarket subframes or rack and pinion steering, no narrowed rear end, stock disc/drum brakes, no Brembos or Wildwood Nascar-quality 4-wheel disc setup. The interior was basically stock, even if it was all new. What did the guy do, have every part on the car gold-plated? Even if this guy wasn't a mechanic and had to pay a shop $100 an hour to work on the car, I honestly don't see how the guy could possibly have spent 88 grand on this car over and above the stated 12K purchase price. Unless he's talking out his ass and thinks it sounds cool, which I think is the case. #2. This clown had a 32 Ford 5-window. This one was even worse. The guy said he'd paid $28,000 for the car 15 years ago. Hello? Again-for $28,000 in 1996 dollars the car had to be pretty damn nice, if not show-quality to start with. I mean would you shell out damn near 30 grand for a basket case or fixer-upper?  I think not. This guy said he had 100K in the car over and above the purchase price. How? It had a small-block Ford under the hood, the suspension appeared to be Pinto/Mustang II, and the interior didn't appear to be upholstered in mink. # 3 This was a 1968 El Camino that the guy claimed to have $75,000 in. Again-it wasn't an L78 SS396, it was a small-block base model. It was nice, but it was powered by a garden-variety 350-not a $20,000 700hp 572 crate engine. Again-the suspension and brakes were stock, the wheels were Cragar SS's-I mean I have no Idea how you could get 75 grand into this car, unless it was junk when you bought it, and you paid 40 grand for it as a "project".  I wouldn't have paid more ten grand for this at an auction, so if the guy really did have 75K in it, he's a moron. Which I think most of these types are-you don't sound cool, and no one's going to offer you that insane amount of money for a nothing car that only you think is cool. I wish people would stop interviewing these yahoos that make the rest of us look bad. Mastermind