Why I'm a "Car Guy"

"TRivet" (trivet) 11/25/2019 at 15:32 • Filed to: None

9

14

“What is with your obsession with cars?”

This is a question I get from non-car friends & family (the ones who view a car as an appliance only) . Why do I enjoy going to Cars & Coffee, cruises, car shows etc. to look at “other people’s cars?”

The best example is one of my favorite memories from a car meet last summer.

At a Cars and Coffee type event, there was an elderly gentleman, probably in his late eighties, with a 1930 something Plymouth coupe with a rumble seat. While not my “type” of car, I was still admiring this classic, mostly wondering how the hell someone was supposed to get in or out of the rear compartment. So I started up a conversation with the owner, and asked him just that. Without a word, he nimbly climbed up the fender and into the seat as quickly as a child, all the while obviously enjoying the opportunity to “show off” his pride and joy.

I spent almost an hour after that listening to him tell me about the car, the restoration, the trips taken, memories made……his eyes lit up with every question I asked, and he enthusiastically answered every inquiry. I’m honestly not sure who enjoyed the conversation more, myself or him.

THIS is why I’m a “car guy”. The passion this gentleman had (at almost twice my age) for his “baby” was infectious. I have at times wondered if I would “outgrow” my enthusiasm for cars, but this was a reminder that age, car, condition (car or owner) is irrelevant. What matters is the people, the camaraderie, and the excitement for these vehicles that doesn’t diminish, and having others to share it with is what makes it fun.

So, why are you are “Car guy or gal”?

shop-teacher > TRivet 11/25/2019 at 16:12

6

I don’t know why I’m a car guy ... I just always have been. There has never been a time that I wasn’t obsessed with vehicles. Virtually every toy I owned was a vehicle, or vehicle related. I loved Lego, but all I ever built were cars and trucks and garages and tools. I never cared for action figures, not even Lego mini figs (I used to throw them away). I never cared for role playing. I just wanted to play with my cars.  If I drew something, it was either a vehicle or a building, virtually without exception . It’s never gone away. I don’t know what I’d do with myself if it did go away. It’s just who I am, and has been from the word go.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > TRivet 11/25/2019 at 16:25

4

Let’s put it this way - cars are one of the greatest expenses that a typical person has, and are somewhere a person will spent some of the most time that’s not at work or home. Therefore, it’s nearly as seriously important as a home that goes with you, and at the same time as important as the clothes you wear for defining one’s appearance, personality, and general tendency even if you don’t want it to. It’s like a house that everyone can see inside without invitation, and a set of clothes you have to wear every day.

Put simply, cars are dramatically important objects. Is it any wonder that design and use will reflect that and create things that are highly unique and subject to a lot of attachment and personality, even without the *deliberate image projection* and ego reinforcement angles, and the ability to perform and do things that are interesting or exciting?

Anyone who takes the “hurr durr it’s a box” approach to transport, I immediately wonder about their perspective in general. You’d think that something that is that important, they’d at least try to find something they *like*.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > TRivet 11/25/2019 at 16:53

1

At young age of 3 m y dads friend nick named me Smokey after Smokey and the Bandit in 1977. I’m guessing it was from my aggressive tendencies on my toy sit on top truck. Since then I’ve never looked back. So, it’s both a love of speed and the love of all things mechanical. I currently own 4 high end bicycles, and daily drive a 49 year old datsun 240Z that makes loud noises .

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > shop-teacher 11/25/2019 at 16:55

0

I do like lego star wars tho... I have quite a collection of lego star wars....

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > TRivet 11/25/2019 at 17:05

2

I’ve been interested in cars ever since I was little. I had a collection of toy cars that I played with all the time. I was fascinated by my dad’s car and when he would fix things on it.

So the answer to ‘why’ is... ‘because I am’.

Mind you, I’m not in the hard-core “have a fleet of projects” level.

But with the car I own, I do like to do my own maintenance as a way of really getting to know my car and figure out how it really works.

Just this past weekend, as part of the scheduled spark plug and valve adjustment maintenance my Honda Fit needed, I discovered the exact reason why the engine in my Honda ticks... it’s because of a lifter for one of the intake valves on cylinder #2 that doesn’t like to hold its adjustment. And that I’m fairly sure to fix it properly would involve taking off the head and sending it to a shop to get fixed.

But I’m not gonna do that. This is just a CAN $4000 beater. But I do suspect there is a possibility that it might cause a bigger problem in the future... it which case I will get rid of it and buy another beater most likely .

Urambo Tauro > TRivet 11/25/2019 at 17:39

2

I didn’t grow up a “car guy”; I was a late bloomer . But  there was no single car, person, or event that turned me into one. A lot of things led to it. Maybe I’ll write a post about it some time.

shop-teacher > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 11/25/2019 at 17:43

1

Nothing wrong with that.  Not my thing personally.  I don’t care for Sci-Fi or Fantasy anything really.

M.T. Blake > TRivet 11/25/2019 at 19:54

1

I was born on an alter of broken car parts, titanium ball bearing turbos, and drag radials worn to the cords. I was baptized with 15w-40 and received my education from the school of Scandinavian flick. It’s in the blood, and pounded into my mind, it was inevitable . Wouldn’t change a thing. 

Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. > TRivet 11/25/2019 at 19:55

1

Car guys shit on minivans all day long. We did as well. Except 95Voyager came along. He loved his van, and it made us love his van. When the pissing matches are pushed to the side, it’s about understanding the love and passion. Guys in a lowered Stanza were complementing me on my Corvair, and I took pictures of a Volvo wagon. A guy at work has a TE-72 Corolla that he put a bunch of work in, my Dodge Ram driving self can appreciate that.

The key to being a happy car guy isn’t to try to prove yours is the best, but to understand the joy that someone gets from their own.

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > TRivet 11/25/2019 at 22:21

1

Someone my mom knew when she was little had one of those and she still remembers riding in the rumble seat.

Also someone on here  lot put the idea of buying an old Jaguar in my head, so I blame you lot. 

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > TRivet 12/06/2019 at 14:35

1

i love cars...thats why

not new ones tho....they’re pretty much computers....i only like computers

i dunno tho.... little me ended up in an oldtimer rally once..and ive loved cars ever since

spent me summers *helping* in me uncles bimmer dealership

eventually finished school as a panelbeater....and almost imediately became obsolete courtesy of new parts nowadays being cheaper than fixing them

that was a shit

but yeah... i guess i just grew up that way

GatewayClassicCars > TRivet 12/06/2019 at 15:19

1

TR ivet - I just came across your post and this speaks volumes to me. One of the most amazing things I love about being a part of Gateway Classic Cars is knowing that every vehicle in our inventory has a story. One that stands out to me is speaking with a couple in their 90's who shared with me their story about restoring a 1929 Model A.   During their journey, upon removing the rear seats, they found a swatch of the original fabric which allowed them to seek out an authentic match for the interior. They were a part of this car, and the car was a part of  them. You could see it in their faces as they told me their story.

Each of our 18 locations hosts a monthly get together and every story I hear is different yet they all have the same theme. Our love, passion and emotion about classic cars. Keep on cruisin !

Jesus Arias > TRivet 12/06/2019 at 15:37

1

I didn’t become a car guy until around 2 years back. Before I used just not care about cars and I wanted something luxurious that also looked nice. However when I started learning to drive (in a Chrysler PT Cruiser) I started looking into other cars to see if any interested me but I still wanted something luxurious maybe a BMW or a Cadillac. But then I drove my dad’s 1988 Pontiac Firebird TransAm GTA. I remember when I got in the driver’s seat I noticed that the pedals were stiffer than the Chrysler. So I gave it some gas (more than I expected because it was faster the Chrysler) and it responded with nice V8 roar and it was like something suddenly clicked. I wanted something that can give me the same excitement that my dad’s car gave me and I started looking into sports cars rather than luxury cars and I knew I had to get a Firebird or GTO. Just last year on August 12, 2018 I managed to get my hands on a 1999 Pontiac Firebird TransAm and I love it so much.

glemon > TRivet 12/06/2019 at 17:17

1

That is a great story, and I will say “me too” to that.

Sorry for the poor picture, had a great conversation a couple months ago with this lady and her husband, owner of the same MG almost 60 years, recently restored.

But for me that is only part of it. I like the feeling I get when I fix something or make it look better. I like puttering around in the garage on Saturday morning or going for a ride in a convertible on Sunday afternoon. I like reading that a Mazda Eunos Cosmo came with a three rotor turbo and the Saab Sonett II came with a 3 cylinder two stroke, later replaced by a Otto-cycle V4, but retaining the free wheel feature the two-stroke needed.  I like to look at my car as I wash it and it gets prettier as the dirt and grime is washed away.