[GreasyCarb55]

I'm not the biggest car guy as I'm mostly into bikes (I'd say it's a 20/80 split between cars and bikes respectively).

So I haven't named any of our cars (2011 Innova 2.5 V 8 Seater and a 2017 Honda City ZX Petrol CVT), the only exception to this rule is our first car. A 2005 WagonR LXI that I named "Nora" because of the emotional value it holds, we no longer have that car as we sold it off to buy the Honda City.

But I do name my motorcycles. I don't have a motorcycle of my own (yet) but I have named the 2 two-wheelers I currently have in my life. My mother's 2013 Piaggio Vespa LX 125 in yellow that I call "Canary" and my uncle's 2014 Yamaha FZ-S (older 155cc model) in Battle Green that I call "Stinger".

[iamahunter]

X : What do you drive?
ME : I have an Alpha, a Shijun and a Ceeber.
X : Err.. what?

Eventually repeating myself, "I have an Ecosport, a Versys and a CBR". And then explaining them what I meant by the first sentence.

For some reason, I have always named my cars and bike, but never used it. I find it extremely practical to call them by their original names.

[PrasunBannerjee]

Voted NO.

Naming cars means treating them equivalent to living beings, like a family member, or a pet, or something. We don't BUY family members and don't SELL them 5-10 years later, and buy more family members later.

Definitely emotionally attached I am to my special stuffs, owning which felt impossible at one point in my life and now I am able to, even to things like home theater or my computer which is in a way my Alma Mater, and is equally painful to see them go or go obsolete. I was even attached to my most favourite pair of chappals in which I took the most memorable trips and witnessed life milestones in and was painful to throw them when the time came. This paragraph is to inform how connected and not 'stone hearted' I am when it comes to possessions.

Every BHPian is here because they care and are crazy about cars. But when it comes to naming cars, the first two paras of this post are my opinion.

Only exception would be, if (or rather when) I'll add a car from luxury marquee (big 3 German/ Swedish/British) to my garage, definitely going to name it Maruti-800, simply because:

1. Homage to where it all started (a different story altogether)
2. Feels more down to earth
3. Yes I'm crazy!

[Jeroen]

Most definitely NO! Mind you, my wife calls our Mercedes W123 Brunhilda. Which I am not particular fond of.

In general we just talk about the Jag, the Fiesta, the Beemer, the Spider and now also the Jeep. When we lived in the USA our Jeep Cherokee was officially listed as a “truck” on the state registration papers.

So I do like to say, I’m taking the truck. Makes me feel very butch! 😀

Jeroen

[Born 2 Be Wild]

Ohh hell no! I dont name my cars, why would i ever want to! Yes i love my cars and bikes and do take care of them more then anyone would in my social circle atleast. Yes they hold a special place in my life and are kept in top notch condition, but i will never play alice in wonderland with them by making up names ��. No offence to anyone doing so, to each his own.

[Tutenkhamen]

Sure why not!
I interact with my cars almost as if I would with my friends circle, family.

My i20 has been a famous ‘Dhanno’ in the family, Passat ‘Snowy’ and Jaguar XE ‘Olive (short for Olivia)’

[MaheshY1]

Currently, society thinks of machines as machines. That's why we see so many exchange offers and discounts on vehicles. I don't remember ever coming across an exchange offer on pets.

"Hurry. Exchange your 10-15-year old cat with a healthy, new born german shepard for a flat Rs. 3,000 discount."

Replacing a few words makes it:

"Hurry. Exchange your 10-15-year old car with a brand new XUV700 and for a flat Rs. 50,000 discount."

One sounds completely normal and one total cringe-worthy.

For more than 3 months, my Impulse's handlebars are broken. I can afford to postpone it and drive something else for the time being. It wouldn't work like that if my dog had a broken leg. As far as naming my pet goes, I can call my dog Dog and I'm sure he wouldn't mind.

I wonder how many of us would deny an offer from our carmaker if they were willing to offer a newer car in exchange for our beloved current car. Say a 2017 Ignis owner getting an offer of 2022 Ignis in exchange at no additional cost.

I request fellow BHPians to kindly not take offense because someone holds a different opinion.
I think adding a few more vehicles to my garage made me grow out of naming them.

Originally Posted by PrasunBannerjee

...
Naming cars means treating them equivalent to living beings, like a family member, or a pet, or something. We don't BUY family members and don't SELL them 5-10 years later, and buy more family members later.

Definitely emotionally attached I am to my special stuffs, owning which felt impossible at one point in my life and now I am able to, even to things like home theater or my computer which is in a way my Alma Mater, and is equally painful to see them go or go obsolete. I was even attached to my most favourite pair of chappals in which I took the most memorable trips and witnessed life milestones in and was painful to throw them when the time came. This paragraph is to inform how connected and not 'stone hearted' I am when it comes to possessions.
...

Prasun and Mafia have sound logic in their comments.

Originally Posted by Mafia

Once you start naming things, where do you stop?
...

I call my toothbrush Millipede. I take her with me on every outstation trip. I will never replace Milli. We have made memories together.

[Pequod]

Ah, here goes!
Am I a car enthusiast? Yes!
Do I love the way driving makes me feel? Yes!
Do I like to keep my machines in mint, top-notch condition? Yes!
Do I have an emotional relationship with my machine? A RESOUNDING NO!!!

I love the way that driving makes me feel - the control, the power, the effect of an almost Zen meditative level that open roads have on me. In the same vein I like to keep my machines immaculate and clean, because I feel it’s a reflection of who I am as a person - same goes for my living space.

But there’s no emotional vacuum in my life that needs filling by a machine, and by extension, I find ‘naming’ one to be infantile and fatuous in the least. So no, thank you.

No issues though with people who do like to - needs one of every kind to keep the world going round, right?

[adi.mariner]

We have 1 Car, 1 Scooter and 1 Motorcycle in our garage. Are all of different colours and makes. So it is very easy to not get confused. Hence there is no question of naming our vehicles. So voted No for naming the cars.

[agspins]

NO....Since companies have already named these models, so we too use the same. Additional "Namkaran Sanskar" is not really needed.

[Malliketh]

Call it the naive thinking of the 20s but I have named two of my three bikes (none sold yet).

Bajaj Avenger 220 was my first bike when I was 18 and it has ever since been called 'Eleanor' (if you have watched 'Gone in 60 seconds'). The timeless design in black paint job called for it.

We got RE Classic 500 Stealth Black in 2017 but I never really felt strongly for the bike (my brother was head over heels for the bike while I eyed the Himalayan), so I never ended up naming it anything.

Got my KTM Adventure 390 this June after a 4 month of excruciating waiting. I didn't intend to name the bike but it happened even before I took delivery. The roach headlight kept reminding me of Gregor Samsa from 'Metamorphosis' by Franz Kafka.

For me the bike is something I have put a lot of anticipation in, researched for months, saved up for downpayment, planned for EMI to be stress-free, slowly invested money on accessories and other gears. All this so I can enjoy the bike to its best abilities to fulfill the travel ambitions I have. I am so highly dependent on the vehicle while hitting the highway. While I get it is a depreciating asset which I may sell one day, but this is more of heart over mind.

We have 2 cars in the family (which we love), both unnamed. I think the name only happens if it comes up organically.

Can't vote yet because I am a 'newbie' on the forum but it would have been a 'yes'.

[tchintan2]

We name our cars, if it's a brand new purchase since we will be keeping it for a long time.
For the used car purchase, we are generally not sure about how long we will keep then, so we avoid naming them.
It does get tricky because my family is always divided on whether to name or not. My 9 year boy likes to name them but my 6 year old hates the idea, he thinks that the cars already have names ��

[GreyNomad]

Voted no.

I am quite connected to my vehicles but I do end up replacing them around the 5th/6th yr mark. I pamper them, admire them, caress them and fuss over them. But never think of them as animate objects. To me they are machines that I cherish and derive happiness from. And they already have names given by their makers.

[hemanth.anand]

Irrespective of my age, I've never named any of my vehicles. Why names, I don't even call my vehicles as "she" which is kind of a norm. I address them as a 'it'!
I maintain my vehicles very fondly and spend a lot for their upkeep compared to other people around me. They are machines and nothing more. Whatever the manufacturer has named for legal and identification purposes is enough.

It applies to my house also...The flat has a number for identification and the entire apartment has a name given by the builder. As long as all the parcels come to me correctly I don't need to name it additionally.

What's in a name?

[PetaWatt]

Voted No. I just use generic terms, car and motorcycle. There were times when I had more than 1 motorcycle and I used the terms, new motorcycle and old motorcycle. I can say, without confusing anyone, that I love to ride my motorcycle.