Man's Best Friend...

"RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars" (rallydarkstrike) 10/14/2015 at 23:52 • Filed to: None

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(Full Disclosure: This post fueled by exhaustion / a really shitty day related to my ongoing job hunt, so please excuse any typos or incoherence...)

Most people don’t understand it.

“Cars are a collection of metal, rubber and plastic parts, they gets you from Point A to Point B, why do you care so much?”

Why? They are an escape.

I’m a big Petrolhead/Gearhead/Jalop/Opponaut/car fanatic. I’ve done very little wrenching on my own rides, but hope to change that in the future, given a little time, space, luck and money for tools. That being said, my only source of escape with my car is simply driving...a situation that I am sure many of you also fall within.

I have a Canadian-spec 2009 Hyundai Accent L 3-door hatchback, appropriately and affectionately named ‘Humdrum’. It has a measly 110hp from a 1.6L 4-cylinder routed through 5 cogs-on-a-stick under my right hand. It’s a base model; no frills - no ABS, no Cruise Control, no remote keyless, no power locks, no power windows, no power mirrors, no power seats. And yet...

I can be in the worst of moods, and I’ll always feel better inside that car. Sure, it’s no high-performance raging monster that puts a huge grin on my face from the sheer lunacy of it’s capabilities, but I always feel (at least temporarily anyway) at peace and comfortable when sitting in that drivers’ seat.

Again, why? It’s not valuable, rare or sought after. It’s not fast. It’s not luxurious.

But it is mine.

Logically, it’s important because it’s one of the most valuable and largest items I own. It is required for my day-to-day functioning, including my jobs.

Illogically, we petrolheads form a bond with our rides, no matter their design, their country of origin, their capabilities, their intended function...

They become more than machines - they become our friends, our comrades, our co-workers. We get to know them - their faults and their strengths. We get to know their idiosyncracies too - ‘Humdrum’s’ crack on her left headlight’s turn signal lense from the previous owner, the little extra noise she makes as I check the mailboxes at night when the alternator kicks in every time the hazards flash, the pleasantly chunky feeling from the gearshift when shifting. We understand how to get the best out of them or find out how to cope and solve their worst. We run them ragged on a whim and they give with all their might, or we’re sympathetic when they’re feeling ill, making us heartbroken in turn.

I walked out to ‘Humdrum’ tonight after my long and frustrating day, unlatched my keys and their karabiner clip from my front-right belt loop, slide the Hyundai key into the lock, turned it to the left, swung open the door, collapsed into my seat, and pulled the long door shut. A deep sigh of relief. Key in the ignition, check for Neutral, parking brake off, start engine, flip light switch to on/push forward for high beams to see the raccoons at the compost bins in the distance. The interior is bathed in the familiar lemon-limey green of the dash backlighting. Clutch in for reverse and my aftermarket LED reverse bulbs bathe the drive-thru behind me in pure white light. Clutch in for first and I’m on my way home...just another 12 minutes more of peace, quiet, man and machine on the road to home a scant 8 hours before I awake to life’s chaos again in the morning.

911e46z06 > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 10/15/2015 at 00:23

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Well said

911e46z06 > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 10/15/2015 at 00:27

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Well said

jester74 > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 10/15/2015 at 00:33

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I feel the same way in my Bug. Not the smoothest of rides, nor the quietest but I love that damn thing.

RallyWrench > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 10/15/2015 at 00:33

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Amen to that.

Shoop > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 10/15/2015 at 00:54

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If you’re looking for things to do to your car, get under there and start looking for rust. It’s there. It’s there on every car. Find that fucker. Wire brush it, sand it, hit it with rust converter then spray bedliner over, if it’s under the car.

The only problem is once you find rust, you know there’s more, and it will keep you up at night.

Source: my 2008 gmc

Kinda to screw me over with the mobile pic...

Shoop > Shoop 10/15/2015 at 00:55

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Or not screw me over surprisingly

pip bip - choose Corrour > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 10/15/2015 at 04:58

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amen bro!

traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 10/15/2015 at 06:41

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Cars are a collection of metal, rubber and plastic parts, they gets you from Point A to Point B, why do you care so much?”

Best response:

Remember that cute girl that you obsessed over back in high school? She’s just a collection of flesh and bones and blood.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > 911e46z06 10/15/2015 at 07:09

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Thanks mate. :)

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 10/15/2015 at 07:10

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Very true!