What being a Jalop, or even just a car person really means.

"Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare" (jbezugs) 10/18/2013 at 13:06 • Filed to: None

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Brought to you by Mighty Car Mods:

"There are severe bush-fires in NSW at the moment. I actually lost my S13 Silvia to a bush fire. When I heard that the fires were headed our way I jumped in the VL Commodore with my mum to try and save it. The Police didn't allow us in as the whole Suburb was in lock down, and rightly so as the fire was extreme. There was a chance that the fire might miss the property where my car was parked. I waited and waited, and hoped and waited. And then I almost just kind of knew. I could feel that it was gone. Eventually I got a phone call a couple of hours later from a friend who just said "Its gone mate". That night on the Ch10 news I saw footage of it on fire. Seeing your car on the news on fire is something that I wouldn't wish on anyone, and I cant even imagine what it must be like for people who have lost so much more. The next day I was allowed to go and see it. And this is what I saw...

Just Car Insurance paid me out, and I imported a 180SX from Japan. I kind of never saw the 180SX as a "new" car. I felt like it was my Silvia reborn. Stronger and better and I got to work making it the best I could with the money I had. I guess we make up stories in our minds to try and make sense of it and I always felt that my 180 somehow carried some of the Silvia along with it.

A lot of people around me at the time I lost the Silvia were saying "its just a car. buy another one". And I remember thinking - do these people really think its possible to BUY what we have? The passion. The love you have for your car. The thrill of the drive. The twist of the spanner. The crack of the bolt and the turn of the key. You can't buy this stuff. You earn it by having a relationship with your car over time and in turn you get to know yourself better. The good times. The bad times. The rewards and the frustration. Its a journey, just like we have with people.

I had no idea back then that 10 years later I'd be making a show about cars with a million people watching it a week. And I'm happy to say that I don't think anyone in the MCM tribe thinks these things are "just a car". It really is so much more than that. A mindset and a personal expression. And there's this amazing resourcefulness thats abundant in the people who watch our show that we see every time we travel around the world and meet MCM fans. We don't see crap cars and dented panels. We see people with stories. People with something to learn. Dirty hands and cars that probably would have ended up as scrap. Its why we celebrate the broken. The dusty. The cheap. The guys that turn up to MCM meets in whatever they can afford. Doing repairs on the side of the road just to turn up and say "I'm here. I made it!".

Because no matter what the media, authorities and people say about the "car scene" and modified cars, there's millions of us on roads all over the planet. Millions of people who understand it. Millions of people who are learning. Millions of people that don't have the money for a "cool" car. Millions of people who express themselves through their cars. Millions of people who will help others change a tyre or change the oil. Millions of people who know its so much more than just a collection of bolts, metal and plastic.

So if you've ever felt like you have an unhealthy obsession for cars and driving - you're not alone. We get it. And there's millions of others just like you who get it too.

So drive on people. There's a lot of roads out there to explore, and a lot of cars to fix. Just try and keep them away from bush fires!

Mighty Car Mods"

Original post !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

UPDATE: I'm happy to read that all of you could relate so well to this, and, to the few that have stories very similar to this as well, keep on driving but don't forget about that special car. Also, I am surprised that MCM has never been talked about on the main jalopnik page, but they run a great YouTube channel that ALL of you should check out !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! if you haven't already. Marty and Moog are hilarious, and their show is actually very awesome with a ton of DIY's that are very, very, very helpful as well as very entertaining.

MonkeePuzzle > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/18/2013 at 13:10

19

from the FB comments "Better love story than twilight"

DasWauto > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/18/2013 at 13:12

89

That's the best thing I've read in a while.

Stef Schrader > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/18/2013 at 13:32

2

Balls. We had a couple local guys lose it all in the Bastrop fires, and that still is just...I don't know what I'd do if I was in their shoes. I simply don't.

Best of luck to the MCM guy with rebuilding.

Boxer_4 > Stef Schrader 10/18/2013 at 14:04

0

If I remember right, this happened years ago. He has moved on to other cars, but it is still a hard story to read.

Bird > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/18/2013 at 14:30

13

WhaleCatTheSeventh > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/18/2013 at 21:40

2

Love MCM, pretty much the only show on youtube I can't wait to be uploaded every week.

alexdc > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/18/2013 at 21:53

4

I'm a enthusiast but your friends were right. IT IS just a car.

miguel > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/18/2013 at 22:04

2

www.youtube.com/mightycarmods

KayPee > DasWauto 10/18/2013 at 22:13

0

Agreed.

SeikenFreak > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/18/2013 at 22:47

1

Love me some MightyCarMods. Great guys with a great show. People should absolutely check them out on YouTube.

This burned down S13 of his was from many years ago btw.

mikeluscher159 > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/18/2013 at 22:56

14

The sadness.....

jnewman1991 > WhaleCatTheSeventh 10/18/2013 at 23:00

0

You should give Motortrend's Roadkill a watch.

DoctorNine > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/18/2013 at 23:00

0

For you man...

WhaleCatTheSeventh > jnewman1991 10/18/2013 at 23:05

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I watch roadkill too, their episodes are a little less frequent though.

CobraJoe > alexdc 10/18/2013 at 23:08

24

I disagree. It becomes more when you put your blood, sweat, and cuss words into it. It becomes more of a companion. A loyal pet that shares your triumphs and sometimes causes your heartaches.

However, it is a just a car, not worth risking your life over, not worth losing your temper over. But just because the adventure is over with one car doesnt mean it can't start over with a new car.

Rainbow > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/18/2013 at 23:09

2

This is why I can't go to Pull-A-Part without crying. Yes, I sometimes buy stuff. Yes, I also occasionally get stuff without buying it. (only if it's not actually part of one of the cars, or something so cheap and irrelevant like a plastic circle that covers a bolt somewhere)
But just seeing all the cars there, especially the ones that I KNOW were loved... It's so depressing.

Dieter > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/18/2013 at 23:17

1

Danm that sucks, was following the build online and it was a joy to watch. best of luck with the rebuild.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > alexdc 10/18/2013 at 23:19

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I'm also an enthusiast and I call you out on you also being one. It's not the physical car itself he is mourning. It is the memories and experience he has with the car that he feels for the most. It's funny how much some people love their cars even if they aren't what we would consider a gearhead or "enthusiast". recently the media ran some coverage of the Redskins player who still loved his 626 despite being an NFL player. And Ludacris still has his Acura CL that has been with him this whole time. At that point, they stop being "just" a car, and become something more. Not unlike people who take dozens of photos at every event and happening they;ve been to, cars can be a physical reminder of memories and events that have happened in your life.

If you are truly an enthusiast, and I mean reeeally someone who cares about cars, you'll understand those times when you've bled, cried, or felt pain/sorrow over your car. Or even your moments ofjoy/sadness/anger/misery etc, while IN that car. My monte carlo will always hold a parking spot in my heart and soul because I had it when I was finishing high school and going off to college. Simply put, that car was what was there for me during that period of my life when I first set off on my own and got my first career job, apartment, my first autocross, first snow hoon, first steady girlfriend, joining a fraternity, the list just goes on....

Even though the car finally died because the transmission gave out while I was trying to figure out how to repair the damage done to the subframe and front steering and suspension, I still think of it fondly. It was a right bastard sometimes, but at the end of the day it was there for me. THAT is why these are not "just cars".

Cloud81918 > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/18/2013 at 23:36

8

MCM on Jalop, All that is needed is Roadkill to make their presence and the universe will have reached it peak development.

puppyknuckles > alexdc 10/18/2013 at 23:53

2

If you just read that post and your cold, dead heart instructed your cold, clammy fingers to write "it's just a car", then perhaps there is a special place in hell that will warm you up, fellow enthusiast.

Mathias Rios > Cloud81918 10/19/2013 at 00:02

1

I LOVE road kill. Good times with freiburger and finnegan

JohnPlayerSpecial > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/19/2013 at 00:17

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Even the destruction brought by fire cannot break the connection between a man and his machine. MCM should rebuild it, or rather what's left of it.

alexlam24 > WhaleCatTheSeventh 10/19/2013 at 00:36

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MCM really describes what a true petrol-head is. Days spent in the garage, in the car making maadddddddd mods

Trin-Engr > CobraJoe 10/19/2013 at 00:44

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That's an interesting point... I love my current car, but I haven't developed the same relationship with it that I had with all my others, like say my last vehicle, a Nissan Frontier. It took stuff like changing the water pump in the middle of winter in an unheated garage, and almost catching myself on fire under it trying to remove the drive shafts to really love it. It's all about personal investment to make you truly appreciate it - until then, it's just the new car.

boxrocket > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/19/2013 at 00:50

1

I'm going to stand in St. Louis' cool October night rain for a while...

/notcrying

/storytookmeoffthe emotionalhighofthecardinalsadvancingtotheworldseries

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > JohnPlayerSpecial 10/19/2013 at 00:56

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well the fire happened a while ago so they already scrapped it by now. But Moog references it all the time on the show. He clearly loved it.

Gunneh > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/19/2013 at 01:44

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Can you be a Jalop/car person without owning a car? Or a license for that matter?

OtisHoyt > Stef Schrader 10/19/2013 at 01:58

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I was in the Lakeway area during the Lakeway fire (happening the same time as the Bastrop and Spicewood fires) as every evacuated I saw a guy driving a pristine early 70's Porsche 911. Filled with stuff but the registration on it was over 2 years old. He probably left the Range Rover and home and took the 911 to safety.

evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse) > MonkeePuzzle 10/19/2013 at 02:15

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Not a particularly high bar, but yeah.

Joeyjoejoeshabadoojr > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/19/2013 at 03:22

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If you love something, set it free. What you experienced was just an opportunity. A cleanse, with fire.

All that fire did was allow you to have your next car adventure.

It's just a car.

Miniboss > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/19/2013 at 03:52

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I've never lost a car, but I know every time i go a a few weeks without driving i get this stupid grin on my face i can't wipe of for the first few days i get back in it. My friends look at me like i'm crazy but they will never know what i'm feeling when i get behind the wheel. In case anyone is wondering what i drive its an e36 m3 and i LOVE it

stephen mcknight 2011@ hotmail.co.uk > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/19/2013 at 04:21

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the Mighty Car Mods guys, did a great piece on fitting a car alarm. there was plenty off great one liners, from the length of the alarm cable right through to the alarm being set.

It made me laugh, so thank guy. keep on turning out, little gems online.

Kanaric > MonkeePuzzle 10/19/2013 at 04:24

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From every comment on anything ever, it's memetalk.

Kanaric > DasWauto 10/19/2013 at 04:27

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Yup that is the most manly and appropriate response to this. Not memetalk and not actually crying that is for women and children like the lifeboats on the Titanic.

McLovin804 > alexdc 10/19/2013 at 04:54

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You'll never understand until you put all the blood, sweat, tears, and beer into a car you can say you built. I've been going through this struggle with my vr6 swapped golf and while at times I've wanted to quit and sell it, I can never get rid of the thing because I've put so much time and effort into it to make it my own. I don't care that my motor mounts break every other week, or that my front end is from a jetta. I love my car and although I've been offered far more then I have into it I just can't sell it. Its MY car that I built.

Minimality > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/19/2013 at 05:02

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That's what I've thought as well. It is what you put into the car that makes it special. If you put so much time and effort into your car, it's like putting a piece of yourself in it. How can anyone come along and say that doesn't mean anything? No one.

I've kept a quote from Horacio Pagani that I think explains it nicely.

"An object is able to transmit emotions when there are the manual skills involved. The genius from the head being expressed through the skilled hands, passion, heart. Only then does an object come to life, is given a soul and is able to tell a story."

-Horacio Pagani

Stradale > WhaleCatTheSeventh 10/19/2013 at 05:16

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/DRIVE and Fast Lane Daily too!

biturboism, the cult > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/19/2013 at 05:49

0

Like me, after 3:11.

Ostbullen > DasWauto 10/19/2013 at 06:02

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I actually had this song playing in the background while reading, made my allergies start acting up :'(

Great article though, I know the feel. I live in the forest, and during a storm I was so paranoid that something big might hit my car. It was not a very special car, but it was my first car, luckily, nothing hit it. It's never just a car if you're an enthusiast, it's like saying to any enthusiast "It's just a [insert random item here] ", it got a personal value.

Offt: Pontiac Firebird 3.4l v6 coupé manual gearbox with 70k miles on the clock, is it a fun car to drive?

FlickTigger > Rainbow 10/19/2013 at 07:39

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I was looking for a part recently and saw a nice looking 240z in the back of the lot. Most of her parts were already taken. I just felt bad for the car. I went up and ran my hand across the hood and just felt like apologizing to the car.

But I look at pull-a-parts as "organ donors". Giving their parts so another car can keep going and keep building memories with it's driver.

MonkeePuzzle > Kanaric 10/19/2013 at 08:28

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the addition of a reference to another's comment was just my attempt to divorce myself from the overused meme whilst still agreeing with it

FeistyGoat > DasWauto 10/19/2013 at 09:26

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Agree.

anton-jones > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/19/2013 at 09:31

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At least they will always have the TRD Lazer.

PardonMyFlemish16 > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/19/2013 at 09:59

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There was a time in my life when my car was the most important thing in the world to me. Those days have passed. Don't get me wrong, I love my car, but it's hardly irreplaceable, especially with full coverage insurance.

I mean I have built up cars in the past and all that... it was fun, and when some of those projects bit the dust it hurt. Then. Now that I can afford cars that are pretty good out of the box, I don't really have the same desire to dump all that blood, sweat, tears and cash into a project car.

I'd def be curious to see the age of folks who buy into this "my car is everything" thinking... I feel like for a lot of folks, being a gear head is a lifelong affliction, but as one gets older priorities definitely change.

wilmobo > Bird 10/19/2013 at 10:19

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Oliverrrrrrr!

GV_Goat > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/19/2013 at 10:19

1

I get it. I'm not ashamed to say I cried a little when I sold my GTO.

WTF was I thinking? Oh yeah, growing family and college funds.

C'est la vie.

Xedicon > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/19/2013 at 10:51

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Edit: This is for the doubters out there (yes they lurk even here)

As someone who has genuinely built and restored their own car, and is in the process of doing so again, the result is definitely not "just a car". It becomes a part of you, an expression of you and rightfully a source of pride along with teaching yourself perseverance (it's really hard work).

Think of it this way - anything that you put thousands of hours into to create, no matter what it is, will become more than "insert type of thing here" to you. Doesn't matter what that thing might be Could be an art project. Could be writing a book Could be restoring an old home, again doesn't matter.

It just happens that restoring / maintaining cars takes a heck of a long time and end up in the "more than X" category by default. I for one am glad for that. :)

CobraJoe > Trin-Engr 10/19/2013 at 11:39

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Exactly. To me, repairs and upgrades are bonding times, and breakdowns anre adventures. Sure, they might not be fun, but they make good stories.

In other words, a car guy knows that its not what the car can do, its what youve done with your car that makes you love it.

quattrofl > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/19/2013 at 11:41

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poor Silvia :( it deserved better

JwillAutoBlog > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/19/2013 at 12:14

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I love these guys!!! Mighty Car Mods is awesome! They started out of there garage and have grown huge since. If you are a car person you need to know who these guys are:)

atk09 > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/19/2013 at 13:09

2

I've been there mate. Mine was sort of a car suicide than a freak act of nature, but it hurt all the same. Even when I replaced it with a trunk-version of itself, it never quite felt the same and I left the world of older cars behind for a while. Those who don't understand probably never will, but the bond you and your car share is something special that only you need understand.

hoganfoz > DasWauto 10/19/2013 at 13:17

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yes

DntPnc > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/19/2013 at 13:55

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I've had this same experience. My first car, the first car I worked on, the first car I restored, a '68 beetle, was destroyed by a drunk driver. I cried on the side of the rode for the car I only got to drive for 6 weeks or so, but the drunks father insisted that it was just a beetle...

Jonathan Hill > boxrocket 10/19/2013 at 14:10

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CARDINAL NATION STAND UP!!!! WACHA! WACHA! WACHA!!!

Gman84 > Cloud81918 10/19/2013 at 14:26

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Ya, I'm with you on this, when I saw MCM on Jalopnik, I'm like, We are only a roadkill away from a complete universe.

Wolc *grammar nazis go f*** yourselves* > Miniboss 10/19/2013 at 16:03

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It's an e36 thing. Mine's 320i thought.

CalzoneGolem > MonkeePuzzle 10/19/2013 at 17:24

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Now you owe me alimony.

TheOnelectronic > alexdc 10/19/2013 at 18:24

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an*

DasWauto > Ostbullen 10/19/2013 at 19:03

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No idea. Rwd, and enough power to upset the rear a little should be fun enough.

Thisnewformatisrubbish > alexdc 10/19/2013 at 21:47

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Turn in your card.

Thisnewformatisrubbish > boxrocket 10/19/2013 at 21:51

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!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

boxrocket > Thisnewformatisrubbish 10/19/2013 at 23:25

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Ah, a fine vintage.

4wsprelude > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/20/2013 at 11:13

1

I miss my redhead so much. Cost me so much money to keep, but sure did satisfy me more then anything else on the road. I put every little money I could into it then one day it during a flash flood it stalled because I had water in my intake. A quick restart and ignition spark under the hood went FLOOMFFF!!!!!!!!!!!! and that is the end of my baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Doesn't look that good but the memories and hardships in that car alone are so unique from the ratty exhaust to the dent in the front fender that driving another car of the same spec and year is not the same. That is why I never tried to get another example. I don't think it can live up the first one.

Simplify, then add beer > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/20/2013 at 20:26

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For those not in the know, Sydney and the whole state of NSW is being hit with the worst fires in a decade. From where I sit right now in the middle of the CBD I can see nothing but smoke. Visibility is down to a few hundred meters, and we are 50 miles from the nearest fires.

Over 200 homes have been lost, and it looks like it will get a lot worse before it gets better.

Standing on the front lines are 2000 Rural Fire Service Volunteer firefighers. These guys are putting themselves at risk to save others, and it's all for no pay.

Check out this recent video showing just one street, it's freaky.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=66…

Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare > Simplify, then add beer 10/20/2013 at 21:40

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thats absolutley insane, is it dry weather over there as well? That shit certainly does not help.

Simplify, then add beer > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/20/2013 at 22:31

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The worst of the fires started during days of high heat, very low humdity (below 30% which is rare for this part of the world), and very high winds. Basically a perfect storm for fires.

There were reports (unconfirmed at this point) of the fire front moving at speeds beyond 90kph (over 55 mph). Scary shit.

Joseph Shaul > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/21/2013 at 01:00

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I guess I just don't see it. My first car changed my life, but when it came time to dispose of it, I never looked back. Its' replacement, once defunct, will be disposed of will an equal absence of fanfare.

I view project cars the same way. Folks will dump years of effort and untold sums into what are, in the end, disposable goods. There is no part of a car with a useful service life longer than ten or twenty years; the way Jalops drive, frequently less. I'd rather hoon a beater until it crumbles into ferrous oxides than spend the money on something I'm afraid to drive.

It's the difference between a concourse and the 24h of Lemons. At the first, you have race cars driven like golf carts; at the second, you have golf carts racing. I'd rather drive with impunity.

Joseph Shaul > Xedicon 10/21/2013 at 01:02

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I feel differently.

A car is an object to be depreciated for the value inherent within; a simple calculus of hoon to the dollar. Once the requirement for basic transport is satiated (preferably by another car), it's a question of fun and expense, and treating cars as disposable conveniences becomes cost effective very quickly. I'd rather drive a Crown Vic around a track than creep a vintage Maserati through concourse after concourse.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Joseph Shaul 10/21/2013 at 01:11

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So you made zero memories with that car? You never made friends with it? It never had a place in your life deeper than a point A to point B transportation? It was never involved in some deep part of your life? You never learned anything from it? I understand the metal itself not being important but what about what you experienced with it? If you truly value being an enthusiast then surely you must respect what you learned from behind the wheel/under the hood of that car. If not, then I question you actually being interested in cars.

So two things - 1) What were you driving? and 2) Are you sure you're an enthusiast?

Joseph Shaul > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/21/2013 at 01:48

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I loved owning that car, and until the suspension started going to crap (a year and a half after I bought it..on a 15 year old car!) it was great to drive. Learned the basics of fixing cars, too - brake pads, oil, gearbox lubricant (especially that you shouldn't get it into your sinuses.)

However, it was just a tool, and one I replaced with a generally superior alternative.

Maybe I'm just bitter, but I just see all things as disposable objects in a constant state of depreciation.

And I've started seeing people the same way.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Joseph Shaul 10/21/2013 at 02:21

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See, I also know a thing or two about owning 3000+ lbs of metal that would be better off as scrap. But to a point, I will defend that car. It was an awful, wretched little piece of scrap. And yet, it was MY little wretched piece of scrap. No one else is allowed to make fun of it like I am because they did not deal with its problems.

Maybe you are an enthusiast deep down, but if you can't feel some emotion for your own sheet metal, then what are you doing with yourself?

Joseph Shaul > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/21/2013 at 04:05

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Trying to earn enough I can buy an old Police Interceptor crown vic, give it a small suspension lift, and fit huge off-road tires. You've seen the Blues Brothers, right?

Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom > alexdc 10/21/2013 at 10:03

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Sometimes it is just a car, and sometimes, it is something much, much more, I'm working on doing a metric shit ton of things on my project car, and I have just now realized the reason that it is taking me so long to fix it, it has become a physical embodiment of all of my anger, depression, (and quite possible PTSD), in regards of, it is helping me overcome my lack of confidence, and trust in myself, as I work through it, I work through things in my head, because as I build the confidence to progress through it, I progress through things that are troubling me, sometimes I go outside to where I have it, and just look at it, figuring out things in my head, and breakthroughs that I have when I figure something out, I apply to other things in my life as well, sometimes without even knowing it, I have made a connection with my project car that I am still figuring out, one that I haven't made with anything else, (of course it is a different type of connection then with my wife or kid, that is mainly where my happiness and calm comes from), but all of my anger, my frustration, it gets worked out as I work out problems with my car, am I a car person? I don't know, I suppose, I definitely call myself a car person, sometimes even an enthusiast, I have an unhealthy obsession with that car, I seem to have attached things to it that I do not yet understand, this is how I fix my car, and at the same time myself, losing something like that, would be absolutely devastating. Can you just replace that?

wleehendrick > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/21/2013 at 12:59

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I sympathize... In our last big fire in San Diego in 2007, we evacuated, but were fine. Unfortunately, some friends lost their house, and an E-type in the garage. That was not 'just a car.'

wleehendrick > Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare 10/21/2013 at 12:59

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I sympathize... In our last big fire in San Diego in 2007, we evacuated, but were fine. Unfortunately, some friends lost their house, and an E-type in the garage. That was not 'just a car.'

GrnBeret2B > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/21/2013 at 15:37

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This matches my thought, no one understands why I miss my Cavalier so much. One day my mom told me that a friend of hers had informed her that I seemed to be pushing the car farther than I drove it. That moment when you realize that your car is a piece of shit, but you love it anyway. It ended it's life needing a new camshaft and god knows what else, but it still started every time I turn the key, and the last time the engine stopped was the last time I turned off the key. To this day, when I pull my Jeep off pavement to hit a trail somewhere, I have flashbacks to popping this thing over curbs and driving along some old dirt road to a quiet spot and sitting on the hood to sort out whatever issues were in my mind at the time.

Xedicon > Joseph Shaul 10/21/2013 at 17:21

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I can see where you're coming from, especially in terms of a car that you just buy to get around and not something that you built / restored yourself.

alexdc > alexdc 10/21/2013 at 19:04

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You guys convinced me. Ok it's not just a car. It must be because my car is a mazda3 at the moment. It does everything right as a 'sporty econo-hatchback' but it's soul-less. My SVT brings back memories and stories. Best car I had. By: It's just a car, I meant you can do it again with another car. It's always fun to get a new one. It's like a new chapter!

Joseph Shaul > Xedicon 10/22/2013 at 17:41

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Except that I'm quite keen on building myself - but only for the purpose of constructing a disposable product. I don't want to preserve a car; I want to thrash it to tiny bits.

Xedicon > Joseph Shaul 10/27/2013 at 10:24

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Ah most excellent! My next build will likely be along those lines! That my friend is a build where you intentionally don't get too far into the details that would keep you from a thrash festival - like a 20k paint job - nope! What are you thinking about building? :D Do tell!

Joseph Shaul > Xedicon 10/27/2013 at 12:22

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I'm currently living in an apartment little parking availability and less mechanical ability, but I always wanted to turn a LeMons-grade Crown Vic into a an off-road monster. Lift it a couple inches, get some big knobby tires, and hope that the installed rollbar actually works.

Xedicon > Joseph Shaul 10/28/2013 at 17:20

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The no space to wrench bit is always tough, but there is one thing you can do in the meantime until that happens - learn as much as you possibly can about Crown Vics, in particular the generation you want to build. There's no such thing as knowing too much about what you're working on!

You could also use the time to shop for one (assuming you could park it somewhere - maybe not as you say). Your project sounds fun, best of luck!