What is it about CARS?

SUV · 11th January 2006, 17:19

I Guess it runs in the Blood, My Grand Pop and his Dad nd his Brother's used to maintain their Car's themselves ... down to overhauling Engine's at Home. I have heard stories on how the Women in the family used to go nut's seeing all the mess and chase the men out of the house till they were clean and cleaned the mess as well .... I remember My gran Pop telling me that his wife once locked him in the Garage cos he spent One Whole
\Weekend overhauling a Engine ....

When My Nephew who could barely form sentences, used to indentify Car's from the Picture's, You neednt tell him anything .. Just ask him what car is that pointing a tiny pic .. nd he would give you the answer..... Sometime's we used to find it hard to answer when it was his turn to ask.

Our family has always had big car's .... The Biggest Wheels we have had was a Caravan .. Before that was a VW Bus ..er Van, though now i dont remember them too much .. but we used to hang around with Dad and Unlces when they used to care for the Car's .. guess thats how i am into Automobiles .... rather all of us are, Cos its passed down the generation .......

Sometime ppl call us stupid, even My wife at times Complain's that i care for the Car's more than her

........ Now comes the best part if any of the family Member needs needs help in Car's .... the first person they come running is US ... cos we as in All of us Here ... (and our machines') are always glad to help and ready to move on the word Go, No second thought about it .....

RacingForIndia · 12th January 2006, 09:33

Do girls feel the same about cars as we do about them (cars). Most of them just think of it as a convnience IMHO. May be if the car had more mirrors..... things could change.

Beeman · 12th January 2006, 12:19

I think cars are to men what jewellery is to women !!

U just cant explain it...

Its your personality, its your friend, you usually spend quite a lot of time in it and with it....so i guess it becomes quite an integral part of your life.

ghostrider4385 · 13th January 2006, 15:27

All said and done, cars are like an OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)!!! My dad and grandad loved maintaining their cars. 2 of my grand aunts were rally drivers in their days... so much so, even my ex-girlfriend's mom is a car fanatic and love taking part in rallies!
We used to have an old willy's jeep, a Mark 3 ambi and one of those old fiat's amongst others! I myself learned driving in that old fiat! I still have my collection of dinky cars from the hot wheels to the matchbox's (which total more than 300 on my last count)!!! Two of my most prized posessions lie on my computer table... a maisto limited edition 550 maranello scale model (who's cover i havent removed yet as someone told me it would lose it's value) and a huge R/C lamborghini Countach... which is a LOT less dusty than the one randomly displayed on the TBHP index page!
Well, all in all, im happy that most of us here at TBHP treat cars the right way... like a member of the family... pampering it, dressing it up in the best of stuff available, feeding it with gas like you would feed one of your own.... SIGH!!!!

godpseed.

5u3zEr0 · 13th January 2006, 17:45

Fast cars make me go weak in the knees! Thats all I can say.

v1p3r · 9th March 2006, 23:48

BUMP! Retro week deserves this thread!

I'm one of those anything-on-wheels-or-with-a-steering-wheel guys. One of my most memorable experiences has been driving a tractor at high revs! Nothing is more exciting than the sound of two engine revving side by side, on a track or dragstrip. To get a 1 tonne machine sideways, now that's real fun.

And the best thing? The best thing is hitting the Home button everyday and coming home to a bunch of weirdos who think exactly the same!

DCEite · 10th March 2006, 13:02

I had always a fascination for cars. When i was a kid, i used to travel frequently in Uncle's Premier Padmini. The sound of the engine, the seats, the gearshift, heck even the smell of exhaust smoke, used to turn me on...

.. then we bought a M800, and sitting in the driver's seat, holding that steering wheel, gave me a sense of accomplishment, a sense of power, a sense of fun... the days of learning M800 was almost like a playing a computer game, with the steering wheel being the joystick.
I just love cars.
I was born for cars, and will probably die in a car!

sbasak · 10th March 2006, 17:14

Boys love cars!
There is a genetic explanation for it. Basically male brane is attracted towards anything mechanical. Boys don't just fancy cars, but then fancy trains, planes etc. as well. (I got this info from the book titled "Why men can't lie and women can't read maps" by Pease & Pease).

Edmund · 10th March 2006, 17:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by v1p3r

I'm one of those anything-on-wheels-or-with-a-steering-wheel guys.

So am I ........ had a whole bunch of 'Matchbox' cars when i was small!!

elf · 25th April 2006, 02:50

My first word was "Car" - not "Mom" or "Dad", but "Car".

In case you think it's a one-off, my second word, a few weeks later, was "Benz".

As far back as I can remember, all my toys were cars. I grew up abroad, & my passion was considered strange, because great cars were commonplace, & others saw nothing extraordinary about them. Yet I could identify not just marques, but knew what engines they were running as well as all body styles available. My favourite was the Mercedes - for the technology & engineering, mind you, never for the bloody status symbol tag!

Once we got back & settled down in India (I was 9), the passion continued by subscribing to Car&Driver magazine, & demanding remote controlled cars from anybody who happened to ask me what I wanted. Dad used to get me specific models from his travels around the world, & I used to eagerly await the new one he'd bring home.

At 9 1/2, I steered a car for the first time...

At 10, I took over the maintenance of all our family cars & used to spend all my weekends & holidays at the garage. The mechanics & owners used to teach me the practical stuff, & I would tell them about new technology & theory.

At 11, I taught myself to drive. I'd practice in my building's underground parking area by slotting our cars in & out of various empty garages. That training's held me in good stead till today - traffic & tight spots don't bother me one bit. I'd also nick the cars & take them out for long drives in the night.

At 13, our diesel engine needed a rebuild. When we opened it up, I bunked days from school & watched & bugged all the mechanics/ turners/ fitters till they started running away when they saw me or my driver! At 1.30 in the morning, I squatted on the mudguard of the car (it was a W123 with an OM616) & held the light whilst they lowered the overhauled engine into the bay, & was the first to turn the key a few days later.

At 15, I started practicing corrective measures for oversteer & understeer in the car I helped rebuild (it was Dad's & he shouldn't see this post!).

I finally got my licence at "nearly 18", & Dad got me my first car at 19 (M1000 - "elf"). Most of you can imagine what one so crazy about cars would feel about that.

The "insanity" continues till today...

Whenever I feel the need to take a day off from work, life or anything, I don't go for a drive or take a vacation. I go to the garage with my car, spend hours there, just ensuring that she's either running perfectly (or getting there), & spend tons of money (which my wife hates!).

The reason I've gone on about my love & experiences with automobiles is because I know that most of you would feel the same way & have done some or most of the same things at some stage of your life.

We're fueled by passion - not logic. There's no explaining it.

You either have it, or dont.

ported_head · 25th April 2006, 03:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by elf

(M1000 - "elf").

I read that and I thought of this M1000 that stands outside at Pali Hill, next to a certain building I frequent. It's red in colour and has the word 'elf' stickered in yellow near the grille. Wouldn't happen to be yours' now would it?

elf · 25th April 2006, 12:52

Yep, Portedhead, that was mine...

She had Viper's 1.3 Esteem engine fitted last May, & could outrun many cars, VTECs included. I had to let her go... damn emotional moment, my friend.

Check out my BHP garage for my new baby!
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/vbpicg...?do=view&g=281

Seeya around sometime...

prabuddhadg · 3rd May 2006, 18:11

I love cars and I love driving. Sometimes when I am travelling by cab and the cabbie makes the gear cogs grate, I wish I could drive his jalopy.
When my wife stubs her toe against the corner of the bed, I wince in pain. When my car falls into a bad pothole, I wince quite the same way.
A car becomes an extension of the person driving it. It moves the way he wants to move, it makes the noises he wants to make, it is as aggressive or as reticent as he is.
So, in other words, your car is you. No wonder you love it.

netarchie · 10th May 2006, 20:15

one more reason could be that boys/men like to be in control and a car/bike/vehicle is one of "few" things which a man can control easily!

dont mistake me for an MCP!!

sumitkalindi · 15th May 2006, 14:15

Well for me it is an extension of my life. I would rather die with my car in an accident, than live with out it. I take her out when I am upset, when I am angry, when I am happy, when I am celebrating, and when I am feeling lonely. Though I have changed my set of wheel a few number of times, I have been more keen to find them a good home, where they would be taken care of, I still get quite upset whenever I remember my DAD selling of our old Fiat, I never wanted to sell it, It was like my brother to me.

That is the reason I love cars, I am emotoinal about them.

11th January 2006, 17:19	#16
SUV BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: BLR Posts: 256 Thanked: 3 Times	I Guess it runs in the Blood, My Grand Pop and his Dad nd his Brother's used to maintain their Car's themselves ... down to overhauling Engine's at Home. I have heard stories on how the Women in the family used to go nut's seeing all the mess and chase the men out of the house till they were clean and cleaned the mess as well .... I remember My gran Pop telling me that his wife once locked him in the Garage cos he spent One Whole \Weekend overhauling a Engine .... When My Nephew who could barely form sentences, used to indentify Car's from the Picture's, You neednt tell him anything .. Just ask him what car is that pointing a tiny pic .. nd he would give you the answer..... Sometime's we used to find it hard to answer when it was his turn to ask. Our family has always had big car's .... The Biggest Wheels we have had was a Caravan .. Before that was a VW Bus ..er Van, though now i dont remember them too much .. but we used to hang around with Dad and Unlces when they used to care for the Car's .. guess thats how i am into Automobiles .... rather all of us are, Cos its passed down the generation ....... Sometime ppl call us stupid, even My wife at times Complain's that i care for the Car's more than her ........ Now comes the best part if any of the family Member needs needs help in Car's .... the first person they come running is US ... cos we as in All of us Here ... (and our machines') are always glad to help and ready to move on the word Go, No second thought about it .....
	() Thanks

12th January 2006, 09:33	#17
RacingForIndia BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 482 Thanked: 36 Times View My Garage	Do girls feel the same about cars as we do about them (cars). Most of them just think of it as a convnience IMHO. May be if the car had more mirrors..... things could change.
	() Thanks

12th January 2006, 12:19	#18
Beeman BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Treasure island Posts: 335 Thanked: 2 Times	I think cars are to men what jewellery is to women !! U just cant explain it... Its your personality, its your friend, you usually spend quite a lot of time in it and with it....so i guess it becomes quite an integral part of your life.
	(1) Thanks

13th January 2006, 15:27	#19
ghostrider4385 BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 389 Thanked: 12 Times	All said and done, cars are like an OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)!!! My dad and grandad loved maintaining their cars. 2 of my grand aunts were rally drivers in their days... so much so, even my ex-girlfriend's mom is a car fanatic and love taking part in rallies! We used to have an old willy's jeep, a Mark 3 ambi and one of those old fiat's amongst others! I myself learned driving in that old fiat! I still have my collection of dinky cars from the hot wheels to the matchbox's (which total more than 300 on my last count)!!! Two of my most prized posessions lie on my computer table... a maisto limited edition 550 maranello scale model (who's cover i havent removed yet as someone told me it would lose it's value) and a huge R/C lamborghini Countach... which is a LOT less dusty than the one randomly displayed on the TBHP index page! Well, all in all, im happy that most of us here at TBHP treat cars the right way... like a member of the family... pampering it, dressing it up in the best of stuff available, feeding it with gas like you would feed one of your own.... SIGH!!!! godpseed.
	() Thanks

13th January 2006, 17:45	#20
5u3zEr0 BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Madras Posts: 379 Thanked: 3 Times	Fast cars make me go weak in the knees! Thats all I can say.
	() Thanks

9th March 2006, 23:48	#21
v1p3r Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: BLR / DXB / LON Posts: 5,334 Thanked: 6,896 Times View My Garage	BUMP! Retro week deserves this thread! I'm one of those anything-on-wheels-or-with-a-steering-wheel guys. One of my most memorable experiences has been driving a tractor at high revs! Nothing is more exciting than the sound of two engine revving side by side, on a track or dragstrip. To get a 1 tonne machine sideways, now that's real fun. And the best thing? The best thing is hitting the Home button everyday and coming home to a bunch of weirdos who think exactly the same!
	() Thanks

10th March 2006, 13:02	#22
DCEite Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NCR Posts: 3,418 Thanked: 2,567 Times	I had always a fascination for cars. When i was a kid, i used to travel frequently in Uncle's Premier Padmini. The sound of the engine, the seats, the gearshift, heck even the smell of exhaust smoke, used to turn me on..... then we bought a M800, and sitting in the driver's seat, holding that steering wheel, gave me a sense of accomplishment, a sense of power, a sense of fun... the days of learning M800 was almost like a playing a computer game, with the steering wheel being the joystick. I just love cars. I was born for cars, and will probably die in a car!
	() Thanks

10th March 2006, 17:14	#23
sbasak BHPian Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: CCU-LTN Posts: 608 Thanked: 14 Times	Boys love cars! There is a genetic explanation for it. Basically male brane is attracted towards anything mechanical. Boys don't just fancy cars, but then fancy trains, planes etc. as well. (I got this info from the book titled "Why men can't lie and women can't read maps" by Pease & Pease).
	() Thanks

25th April 2006, 02:50	#25
elf BANNED Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,039 Thanked: 13 Times View My Garage	Since birth... My first word was "Car" - not "Mom" or "Dad", but "Car". In case you think it's a one-off, my second word, a few weeks later, was "Benz". As far back as I can remember, all my toys were cars. I grew up abroad, & my passion was considered strange, because great cars were commonplace, & others saw nothing extraordinary about them. Yet I could identify not just marques, but knew what engines they were running as well as all body styles available. My favourite was the Mercedes - for the technology & engineering, mind you, never for the bloody status symbol tag! Once we got back & settled down in India (I was 9), the passion continued by subscribing to Car&Driver magazine, & demanding remote controlled cars from anybody who happened to ask me what I wanted. Dad used to get me specific models from his travels around the world, & I used to eagerly await the new one he'd bring home. At 9 1/2, I steered a car for the first time... At 10, I took over the maintenance of all our family cars & used to spend all my weekends & holidays at the garage. The mechanics & owners used to teach me the practical stuff, & I would tell them about new technology & theory. At 11, I taught myself to drive. I'd practice in my building's underground parking area by slotting our cars in & out of various empty garages. That training's held me in good stead till today - traffic & tight spots don't bother me one bit. I'd also nick the cars & take them out for long drives in the night. At 13, our diesel engine needed a rebuild. When we opened it up, I bunked days from school & watched & bugged all the mechanics/ turners/ fitters till they started running away when they saw me or my driver! At 1.30 in the morning, I squatted on the mudguard of the car (it was a W123 with an OM616) & held the light whilst they lowered the overhauled engine into the bay, & was the first to turn the key a few days later. At 15, I started practicing corrective measures for oversteer & understeer in the car I helped rebuild (it was Dad's & he shouldn't see this post!). I finally got my licence at "nearly 18", & Dad got me my first car at 19 (M1000 - "elf"). Most of you can imagine what one so crazy about cars would feel about that. The "insanity" continues till today... Whenever I feel the need to take a day off from work, life or anything, I don't go for a drive or take a vacation. I go to the garage with my car, spend hours there, just ensuring that she's either running perfectly (or getting there), & spend tons of money (which my wife hates!). The reason I've gone on about my love & experiences with automobiles is because I know that most of you would feel the same way & have done some or most of the same things at some stage of your life. We're fueled by passion - not logic. There's no explaining it. *You either have it, or dont.*
	() Thanks

25th April 2006, 12:52	#27
elf BANNED Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,039 Thanked: 13 Times View My Garage	Yep, Portedhead, that was mine... She had Viper's 1.3 Esteem engine fitted last May, & could outrun many cars, VTECs included. I had to let her go... damn emotional moment, my friend. Check out my BHP garage for my new baby! http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/vbpicg...?do=view&g=281 Seeya around sometime... Last edited by elf : 25th April 2006 at 12:54.
	() Thanks

3rd May 2006, 18:11	#28
prabuddhadg BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 812 Thanked: 81 Times View My Garage	I love cars and I love driving. Sometimes when I am travelling by cab and the cabbie makes the gear cogs grate, I wish I could drive his jalopy. When my wife stubs her toe against the corner of the bed, I wince in pain. When my car falls into a bad pothole, I wince quite the same way. A car becomes an extension of the person driving it. It moves the way he wants to move, it makes the noises he wants to make, it is as aggressive or as reticent as he is. So, in other words, your car is you. No wonder you love it.
	() Thanks

10th May 2006, 20:15	#29
netarchie BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Navi Mumbai Posts: 397 Thanked: 10 Times View My Garage	one more reason could be that boys/men like to be in control and a car/bike/vehicle is one of "few" things which a man can control easily! dont mistake me for an MCP!!
	() Thanks

15th May 2006, 14:15	#30
sumitkalindi BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Kolkata Posts: 376 Thanked: 17 Times View My Garage	Well for me it is an extension of my life. I would rather die with my car in an accident, than live with out it. I take her out when I am upset, when I am angry, when I am happy, when I am celebrating, and when I am feeling lonely. Though I have changed my set of wheel a few number of times, I have been more keen to find them a good home, where they would be taken care of, I still get quite upset whenever I remember my DAD selling of our old Fiat, I never wanted to sell it, It was like my brother to me. That is the reason I love cars, I am emotoinal about them.
	(1) Thanks