Ask Lemmy

Cars are like big, greasy legos

Here's one who always liked customising the daily driver computers - Sway, custom configs, painting the laptop cover with very permanent enamel paint. Reasons are to make it run reliably, serving my preferences and looking nice and cared for.

Similar reasons apply with the car and motorcycle, only with the car it's not cheap fun (bike stuff is actually very reasonably priced). But I figured since I get paid every month, I'm going to use money on what sparks joy. And I'm keeping it sensible, only one car and bike at a time :}

After working on them professionally I stopped liking them. I don't even really like driving anymore. Everything about a car is a scam.

Motor vehicles are one of the very few things in this world that are simultaneously beautiful, useful, and fascinating

What I don't understand is how you could not be into cars. There are few things more thrilling than driving a proper sports car the way it was designed to be driven.

It surely doesn't hurt that I'm a geek, so I'm naturally attracted to anything electronic or mechanical. The inner workings of a vehicle are beyond fascinating.

If you don't enjoy driving, part of it might have to be due to the fact that you've only ever been behind the wheel of boring commuter cars. Take a manual Supra or 400Z for a test drive sometime, and tell me it doesn't change your opinion of cars. If that doesn't work for you, then I don't know what to tell you. To each their own.

Childhood.

Hi, car gal here with other car gal friends. My uncle (mechanic) was my main babysitter when I was a kid. I used to watch him overhaul a clutch as he said each procedure out loud to see if I was paying attention and encouraged me to ask questions.

He would take me and my cousins to car shows, tire shops and car dealerships (when they’re closed). We learned to appreciate different types of vehicles and languages from him; it’s kinda hard to read a manual if you don’t know German.Also, my uncle kept plenty of Legos and Matchbox cars in his shop for us to play with – they were my favorite toys.

Then one day, I discovered boys.

Oil changes and smelling like Lava soap with a hint of sweat weren’t my thing anymore. My first purchase was with my first boyfriend, we bought a beat up old boat for $500.

Today, I still prefer cars with the best turning radius. I will never underestimate an I4 or choose a V6 over it without careful consideration; I do love being behind the wheel of an I6. Some people will pay an extra $4,000 for Vrooom (PSE system) while others like me would rather spend the money on Kevlar tires and strict scheduled maintenance.

Different strokes for different folks – that’s what personalization is about.

Personally it's the apperciation of design, craftsmanship, the mechanics, and the fun that cars can create. Modification is a form of self expression for me. Building and racing machines that dominate their rivals scratches a competitive itch. Then there's the primal enjoyment of having something powerful as a car under your direct command that's intoxicating.

And of course watching shows for inspiration, or entertainment watching others achieve what I personally cannot.

I can start by saying that I'm a tech "guy". The evolution was simple: Puzzles, Lego, bikes, model R/C cars/planes, computers, motorcycles then cars. Add to that motorcycles and cars give you freedom of movement to go anywhere anytime in a whim, it is difficult to not geek about them.

Then, during a brief period of my life I lived in a big (for me) city and had to use the public transport and it was horrible. This only exacerbated my dreams of owning a motor vehicle. Car magazines helped fuel these dreams.

My dad loved sports cars, that didn't help the addiction ;)

Its a pretty broad question, like asking why you like video games or shows. Different people like different aspects of cars. Some use cars as a canvas to shape their car in a specific way that expresses their tastes. Others for their mechanical abilities.

Personally I like the driving experience. I appreciate a built up car, more then just a car bought with huge chunks of money. It shows more effort and personality of the owner tuning their car for a specific purpose. I also like a nice show car. Its like an art piece.

Not a car guy, but it makes more sense to me than people who collect expensive watches. At least a car is fun to drive and goes vroom. A rolex is just some jewelery for guys.

I like all kinds of tech, gadgets, tools and machinery. Cars are just one part of that. I'd like to have an excavator too if I could afford one and justify buing it, but I don't. Car however, I have need for so why not go and buy one that you actually enjoy driving and looking at rather than something that just gets the job done. I don't really spend a huge amount of money on it. My truck cost me 10k€ and the maintenance + fuel + insurance costs for the 7 years I've had it are around 350€/month. I can imagine myself spending more on offroad mods and such but I just have no need for that currently.

Just another form of expression and status. Think of it like fashion. We “wear” our cars for a big chunk of our lives.

I’ve been into cars as art from the moment I saw a Lamborghini. I view the mechanical work/modifications as a means to an end rather than the fun part.

I’ve not done a ton of performance upgrades, but I’ve upgraded my clutch to a ceramic and now, every time I shift, I get a more satisfying feel. It’s even better knowing I made that improvement myself.

Most of it comes down to the sense of pride and accomplishment I get from the finished result.

I never said I was a car guy/gal.

I-I'm not? Am I? Oh god what kind of car am I?

When I was young I enjoyed working on cars because they were complex enough to be interesting and affordable enough to do as a hobby. Like my first car in the 90s was a beat up 280z I bought for $500 and I spent a few hundred bucks making it slightly less beat up plus a new radio and speakers! Lived a few miles out of town, and connected with my first long term girlfriend by giving her rides home.

As time went on I had some other fun csr projects, including painting up the car I bought from an old lady who drove it to church on Sundays like a dairy cow while using it for deliveries. Eventually bought an 8 year old Honda Civic Si and did the sound system swap again and worked on that too. Again, didn't poor a lot of money into it but loved working on it to improve some things and might have if I had more money available.

Now I have a three year old vehicle that is super reliable and complex enough that I don't plan on doing anything to it beyond attaching stuff to make it useful. I would love to buy a 20+ year old model vehicle and convert it to electric but that kind of stuff is way beyond my resources and paying someone to do it wouldn't be as fun. There is just something really satisfying about maintaining complex machinery that I use almost every day.

I should get an e bike but I am afraid of other drivers.

Car go VROOOOOOM. But also points at name. A family member was an accident reconstructist. I attended both public car shows and private car crash tests as a kid. My name was proudly created by me at 6 years old when I had to come up with a unique username for AOL. The two Z's are symbols of two mangled, wrecked... carzz.

VROOOOOOM!

I just think they’re neat honestly. feel similarly about boats and trains and well executed meals and nice interior design.

It's a blend of art and engineering. I don't appreciate a lot of traditional art. Music, movies and TV, but not theater or paintings or most sculpture. But a good looking car just draws your eyes to it like an attractive person, but it's rude to stare at people. It's almost rude to NOT stare at a Porsche 911 GT3 RS.

Then there's the beauty of the engineering. Thousands of parts working together to make one beautiful machine do what it's supposed to do. It's like how society is supposed to work. But instead of a GT3 RS, we've got a '96 Dodge neon with no working starter, only two working forward gears, a door that won't open and electrical issues.

In today's world it's harder and harder to justify being a car guy, but I've loved em since I can remember.

Edit: I would add to that, the same feelings I have about cars being a blend of art and engineering, is the same reason I have a great respect for architecture. True great architecture is also a blend of art and engineering. You can replace the Porsche with Notre Dame, while the F-150 can be replaced with a modern factory. Utilitarian garbage.