i have feelings for my car...do you?

Firstly, It's been a long, long time since I've posted anything on ATS. I saw this thread and I had to contribute. I feel very strongly about this subject and I agree 100% with the OP.

Second, I find unlimited's post to be very condescending. Yes, we love our cars. That doesn't mean we don't love ourselves, or others. I have a boyfriend who I love very deeply. I love myself, my parents love me...etc. It has nothing to do with that, or materialism. Whatever it is we feel for our cars, it goes much deeper than mere materialism and its not something I really expect someone who doesn't feel that way to understand.

I am hardly materialistic. I dont have a whole lot of stuff, really. I never liked cars. It wasnt until I laid eyes on Dusty that everything changed.



Dusty is my 1966 cadillac hearse. Like I said, I never liked cars before her. They didnt do anything for me. But as soon as I got her (she didnt run, mind you), I fell in love with a car. Its not something that has anything to do with the "PTB" or any of that unloved malarky. Its just a feeling, and for me its a bit difficult to describe.

And Dusty isnt just any car, shes a hearse. A classic one. Ask any hearse owner, they will all tell you the same. Driving one isnt like driving any other car in the world. And they also know, you kind of have to love your hearse in order to drive one. As one of the more prominent hearse owners of the many hearseclubs across the country has said, it will suck all the money that you have from you, and if you keep a little bit for yourself, she will know and will develop something terribly wrong with her that will force you to give up your very last penny!

I have spent god knows how much on her already. But I do it because shes a labour of love and I really do feel something for her. She has personality, too. I'm not being psycho, and I know it sounds insane...its just a car, right? Well to those who feel the same, its not just a car. Really.

I do NOW. I'm 30, and it's been about 13 years since I've driven a standard.

I just went from a terrible, terrible automatic 2004 Hyundai Accent to a manual 1992 240sx hatchback.
I love it. I feel that I would be devastated if something bad happened to it.

Oh I have feelings for my car all right. Ever heard of a humorcore metalish ban called Psychostick? Well they have a song called my car is a piece of sh*t. I'm not going to lie, even though all three that I have owned have been absolutely evil to me, every time I have a car it feels like a pet to me. When it's in the shop I feel anxious and sick. But boy do they love me, they better, I spend more money on them than I'm sure any previous owner ever has. I am a lucky dude, 7 years of marriage and a wife that has always been awesome, and spends more money on me thn I have been able to on her, and never complains or asks for anything from me. But every car we own feels like one of those crazy nagging wives who spend all of your money that we always hear about.

I have feelings for my bike. Always wanted one and made the dream come true after returning from overseas. 2 things i'd be devastated if I lost...my guns or my bike.

My cars i hated & they broke down.

My trucks - i washed, cleaned & talked to & never had a problem with - had 100,00 on the last one & 149,000 on this one & had no mechanical problems with at all.

& trust me when i say i had no business getting home some nights & they got me there.

Its all about respect - you respect your vehicle & they will get you where you need to be.

Peace

Cars are the closest thing man has created that come close to truly having a soul.

Having said that, both my vehicles, car and bike have perks and personalities. You spend time on them, put your stamp on them, personalise them, even if it is little things. They have seen me through thick and thin, they are my daily driver, my weekend cruiser, the kid's taxi and have had all manner of people and stuff shoved into and on them. They have seen all the wondrous sights I have seen, and filled me with that sense of exhilaration racing on a track at 250km/h+ can only bring.

My car is named Dusty, she is a Jeep 4x4, and spends most weekends finding out of the way places we go camping at, and usually comes home covered in more mud than any other family member (having two kids that is a surprising thing...). My bike is called Ruby, as she is metallic cherry red, and you all know how fast red things go...

There is nothing wrong with being proud of something you put a lot of effort and time into to look good, and nothing better than having a nice machine as a part of the family

My kids needed a car and I knew they loved my wifes car so I sold it to them for about half what it was worth.

Then my wife shocked me by saying she wanted a ragtop, but it had to be a four seater. So I started looking around and assembling info on my options. I decided on a BMW 328is with a factory hardtop. This car has 120k on the odometer and a few shopping cart dings but otherwise is perfect, and I got it for 4 grand because the clutch was weak. Dealer wanted 3500 for a new clutch, I had it done for 1500 with a new flywheel. Then a put new shocks and struts on it and a new set of Michelin Pilots.

Now I have a dilema, I'm falling for my wifes car.

The more I drive it the more I love it. It will hit 140 without much trouble and handles beautifully. The brakes are like nothing I've had before. I put new pads and rotors on when I got the tires and aligned it. I thought they were fine, but whoa Nelly are they fine now. 100 to 0 is an experience I don't reccomend on a full stomach. And when you're just taking it easy it is so comfortable and stable you don't realize you're doing 30 over the limit.

If this keeps up I will have a 911 SC for sale soon, giving an M3 cabrio a lot of thought right now.

This was posted quite a while ago, but I liked what UnlimitedSky said here:

Originally posted by UnlimitedSky
reply to post by Destinyone

 

I promise you I did not try to derail this thread. It was my intention only to share my opinion about loving your car; I am sure it is ok for me to express and alternative challenging view to which i stand strong.

Perhaps I do not get you. And perhaps you also do not get my point of view.

I agree on disagreeing.

Go well.

Pragmatic, perhaps too analytical for this thread, but civil and precise. Good stuff.

Soooo, my beloved Mazda Bongo died, except for short trips. Water pump + head gasket. Probably unattainable, certainly expensive, to say nothing of the paid labor to replace them. Thousands, against a van which I paid USD $900 plus $1500 shipping/insurance. It has become a HURAR vehicle (hurricane reconnaissance and recovery). It will travel six miles before it overheats.

I've since bought a 1995 Honda station wagon, which I (don't laugh) really like. It has just enought trunk room for our inflatable boat. It's not love. Yet.

I love my Bongo, and I don't care who knows it.

reply to post by k1k1to


I am certainly emotionally attached to my cars. I feel depressed when my car has problems, the thought that I am gonna have to fix the problems doesn't faze me.. just the thought of not being able to drive in the mean time.
Its hard sometimes.
I'll admit I sometimes "punish" my car after breaking down as soon as she's fixed I take er out and drive it extremely hard until I feel satisfied and forgive. Normally, that doesn't take very long

Originally posted by Z32Driver
reply to post by k1k1to

 

I am certainly emotionally attached to my cars. I feel depressed when my car has problems, the thought that I am gonna have to fix the problems doesn't faze me.. just the thought of not being able to drive in the mean time.
Its hard sometimes.

I'll admit I sometimes "punish" my car after breaking down

as soon as she's fixed I take er out and drive it extremely hard until I feel satisfied and forgive. Normally, that doesn't take very long

I'm one of those strange guys who loves it when something needs fixing.

Any chance to wrench on my ride is enjoyable for me.

So yeah, I drive my cars a wee bit harder than most car lovers.

What good is the edge of control if you don't flirt with it once and a while?

wow i didnt think this thread had any life left...well i guess in the spirit of car lovers everywhere, ill be posting some pics of my car this weekend..

it's still a work in progress but im trying to go for that Mad max road warrior look..ill get there eventually

Originally posted by ga-`tv-gi

i have feelings for my car...do you?

I know what you mean. I have this BBB(Big Beautiful Bronco) she is just gorges nice sleek sides a soft top she has a nice rear end a 9inch to be exact. Let me tell son when her top comes off the fun is about to start. She is always faithful never let me down or left me hanging. She can do things no other girl can do and best yet she's 69

Now for my other this old nag is a ran down haggard old soul. She is hard to under stand Iv read all the how to books and still cant figure her out. When Im ready and try to turn her on all she dose is nag nag nag. She has a temper when she gets hot she blows her top. She is always spittering and sputturing when we are out on the town she just dosnt make me happy. She is over weight and drinks a lot and has lots of issues. I need to get rid of her but she just dont get it I dont want her she will take off with someone but they always bring her back

man that put a smile on my face

Originally posted by UnlimitedSky


Grow up and love some people, starting with yourself.

it sounds like you need to take your own advice...

lighten up a little man life is too short to be getting upset over another person having a passion for something...your life sounds like a dark void...empty shallow and bitter inside...poor you

Originally posted by Xavialune
Firstly, It's been a long, long time since I've posted anything on ATS. I saw this thread and I had to contribute. I feel very strongly about this subject and I agree 100% with the OP.

Second, I find unlimited's post to be very condescending. Yes, we love our cars. That doesn't mean we don't love ourselves, or others. I have a boyfriend who I love very deeply. I love myself, my parents love me...etc. It has nothing to do with that, or materialism. Whatever it is we feel for our cars, it goes much deeper than mere materialism and its not something I really expect someone who doesn't feel that way to understand.

I am hardly materialistic. I dont have a whole lot of stuff, really. I never liked cars. It wasnt until I laid eyes on Dusty that everything changed.

Dusty is my 1966 cadillac hearse. Like I said, I never liked cars before her. They didnt do anything for me. But as soon as I got her (she didnt run, mind you), I fell in love with a car. Its not something that has anything to do with the "PTB" or any of that unloved malarky. Its just a feeling, and for me its a bit difficult to describe.

And Dusty isnt just any car, shes a hearse. A classic one. Ask any hearse owner, they will all tell you the same. Driving one isnt like driving any other car in the world. And they also know, you kind of have to love your hearse in order to drive one. As one of the more prominent hearse owners of the many hearseclubs across the country has said, it will suck all the money that you have from you, and if you keep a little bit for yourself, she will know and will develop something terribly wrong with her that will force you to give up your very last penny!

I have spent god knows how much on her already. But I do it because shes a labour of love and I really do feel something for her. She has personality, too. I'm not being psycho, and I know it sounds insane...its just a car, right? Well to those who feel the same, its not just a car. Really.

edit on 4-5-2012 by Xavialune because: (no reason given)

wow...no offense but looking at the pic of your car i would have never thought that a female owned it...needless to say that is one bad mofo..i love the whole rat rod look of it...hopefully you dont give up on it, i bet if that hearst could talk it would have so many interesting stories to tell

Sometimes I feel like a little bit of the owner rubs off on some things they own. I dubbed it "machine karma", but whether or not it could be considered an actual phenomena is another thing. Not just cars, seems strong with inanimate objects people depend on, so bicycles and electronics like computers too.

I know there have been times where some person will get all upset and pissed off at something for it not working, and I'll give it a look-over. "Oh, this isn't so terrible. What exactly is wrong with it?" And it works ok for me. And that person will be like "How did you fix it?" "Dunno. *shrug* " Almost seem like whatever tool is being used has an extension and reflection of the attitude of whoever is weilding it. When there's a good match, there's a vibe there and the thing being used is an extension of oneself. Some unfortunate people rarely ever do find their match. Things will always break or malfunction for them, and at least half their cars will be considered to be lemons. And some things that see too much abuse or dislike from their previous owners can seemingly be tainted by them, with odd gremlins that never go away.

Anyhow, back to the main point. It's good to love your car (or at least like it), because if you do, you should take care of it and in turn it'll take care of you. Otherwise you're just better off giving or selling it to somebody that will. If neither of those seems an option, then quickly putting it out of it's misery to save yourself some might work too.

Personally I don't love my car to where I'll baby it, but I do like it enough where I'll sigh and maybe talk to it if there's something wrong. It can be like a good friend at times in how it can be relied upon. On occasion I've had cars act up, only to have that save my butt. Cruise control dropping out and slowing down before a speed trap, or a car not wanting to start for a minute or two - only to find some accident down the road I later drive on. Odd, perhaps conincidence and nonsensical, but it seems to work for me.

Originally posted by k1k1to
i was wondering if there is anyone else out there who feels the same way i do about cars...

to give some examples... i feel very attached to the cars that i have owned, wether they were sports cars, or family cars it didnt matter. i feel a "bond" with my cars as if they are one of my pets. i feel like my car is always there for me. it never complains, it cheers me up, it shelters me etc...in return i take care of it, wash it, maintain it, etc..

when my car is at the mechanic i feel anxious, as if though i have a sick family member at the hospital, or as if im taking one of my pets to the vet. when my car starts to malfunction, i worry and i start asking myself if im the one responsible for my vehicles "health"

even when ive come to the point of selling my car, i feel like im losing a close friend, so many memories my car knows more about me than even the closest people to me. it always keeps my secrets, and never judges me.

i know it sounds wierd, but has anyone ever felt this way about a certain car? as if it were part of you?

edit on 4-10-2011 by k1k1to because: (no reason given)

Absolutely I have a relationship with my car.In fact cars have been there as long as my parents.lol

My very first memory I have,probably around 3 years old is standing at the bottom of our garden and looking at a Ford Capri Mk1,white and it was the mock vents in front the rear wheel arch that I remember so vividly,that and the swage line fron behind the arch and down the flanks !!
The cars I saw of my childhood were spectacular though quite mundane too.The ones that captured my imagination were ones like Mk1 and 2 Escort,Mk1,2,3 Cortina,Capris,Viva HB,Cresta PB,Austin Cambridge,Morris Oxford - the mid-60's farina models,Mk1 Granada,Mk3 Zodiac,later Zephyrs ~ those were the cars that got me hooked !!!

I've often said it and been criticised for it but a car can have beauty like a woman,the shape,proportion of the lines,curves etc ~ also I've found out just like a woman the best ones are always temperamental and high maintainence.lol

Cars have personalities,I've yet to buy one new and can't imagine I ever will so I find that some cars I buy will always come through for you,if the breakdown they do it as you pull in the drive,they cough and splutter but get you somewhere you can sort the problem while others leave you miles from anywhere adnd delight in causing you nightmares.Their personality quickly reveals itself though once you start running it regularly.Some you know will get you anywhere and you feel 100% at ease with them others leave you n edge cos you never really know when they'll breakdown on you.

I talk to 'her',if she's having a slow start in the morning I'll encourage her,call her 'babe',it's mad but that's how it is.

Seeing a car go is a sad thing but buying a car is exciting,i find myself getting anxious as the day goes on,more and more excited till I [usually] finish work and rush off to purchase my new friend.I'm 40 for god sake and yet I still feel like that about it,haha !!

I even remember periods of my life by the car I had at the time ~ how sad am I ;~)