this post was submitted on 14 Oct 2025
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I recognize appreciating cool machines, I really do. I've just never been able to wrap my head around being a car guy. Spending huge chunks of change on a car, consistently modifying it, watching car shows all the time. I just dont get it. What's the big draw for you?

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[–] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 7 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Driving is fun. Driving events are even more fun. It gets me out of the house even on rainy crappy days.

I like Driving scenic roads.

I love mechanical things that give feedback. Since everything like that has been removed now because of technology ( no vcrs. No reel to reels, no projectors. Heck mosy people type on an ipad now so keyboards are becomibg less of a thing for normal people) its one of the last remaining visceral mechanical experiences.

It also helps i mostly only drive manual rwd cars.

Now do I like traffic or ever expanding suburban nightmare roads designed for Karen that drives her $100k escalade around? No. Ban that shit.

[–] 0ops@piefed.zip 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Cars are like big, greasy legos

[–] winkerjadams@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

That are rusted together and impossible to detach

[–] 0ops@piefed.zip 1 points 3 days ago

That is also true

[–] CaptDust@sh.itjust.works 30 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

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.

[–] Chippys_mittens@lemmy.world 9 points 5 days ago (1 children)

The competition aspect makes alot of sense. Especially when I consider both the preparation and execution go into it. I think if I was the builder I'd HAVE to be the driver/racer too though.

[–] nilloc@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I thought that when I got started, but I really enjoy the building and briefly enjoy the results. Then I’m happy for the owner to take it away while I cross my fingers that it all keeps working.

It’s equal parts problem solving, fine motor skills, and perseverance that keep me working on old cars. That’s why I’m not at a dealership or quick turnaround repair place.

It’s also why I’m poor

[–] PriorityMotif@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago (6 children)

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

[–] BigPotato@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago

I always say "I love driving which is why I hate driving anywhere." I would love to have a fleet of vehicles I could really drive but laws, traffic, maintenance, etc. Driving isn't fun in the same way other things are because you need a lot of space or a lot of money to enjoy it. Drawing? I can do that with a No. 2 I swiped from IKEA. Can't exactly take my commuter to Monza without running up a bill.

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[–] Chrysanthemum@piefed.social 16 points 4 days ago

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.

[–] Psythik@lemmy.world 13 points 4 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

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.

[–] ILoveUnions@lemmy.world 5 points 4 days ago (11 children)

Sitting behind the wheel of something belching gas that requires full concentration just isn't that interesting. Biking is a much more enjoyable activity.

[–] frezik@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

If cars could just be a hobby where I go to car shows and appreciate the effort people put into making old cars look nice, or drive around curvy back roads with the top down, or learn about the intricacies of ignition timing, they'd be great.

Everything wrong with cars is about how they are integrated into society at large. They should not be the default transportation option. They're not a hobby at that point, but a mandate. The common NIMBY refrain against walkable/bikable infrastructure of "you're taking away my freedom to drive a car" is pants on head stupid.

This seems to be an increasingly common sentiment among car enthusiasts. Being an enthusiast and agreeing that FuckCars has it 95% correct are not the mutually exclusive opinions they appear to be.

[–] PlexSheep 1 points 3 days ago

This. Can't unser cars making cities worse. So much wasted space on parking, dangerous to other people, etc.

But I do kind of get vroom vroom machine fast and strong.

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[–] NinjaTurtle@feddit.online 17 points 5 days ago (1 children)

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.

[–] Chippys_mittens@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I do enjoy going to car shows actually. I can agree that its usually more impressive to see something built up than something expensive from the dealer. I guess I recognize its a hobby as any other, just most curious about the draw to that specific hobby. Good response!

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[–] Acamon@lemmy.world 13 points 5 days ago (2 children)

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.

[–] moseschrute@lemmy.world 10 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (3 children)

I don’t collect watches, but I appreciate really well designed mechanical/analog devices. I think spending money on brand names is stupid, but I honestly would love an intricate self winding watch.

Not a watch, but check out the mechanics in this cassette player. I love anything like this.

[–] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Hell yes, this is art. Just like how to me some cars are art (240z with itbs....hnnnng).

Most cars are boring toasters that society is over reliant on. I myself dont own a boring car since i enjoy driving so I can't speak to that.

[–] moseschrute@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

My new rule for myself is everything I bring into my house has to be art. I got this beautiful hand made cutting board the other day. Anything can be art, and it doesn’t all have to be pricy. I threw some pathos I propagated into a soup can the other day. Boom art!

This is mostly me trying to cope with all the AI slop that is slowly eating digital and physical art forms. For me, art is anything human made, and I want to surround myself with it.

[–] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Im the same way.

Everything is losing its human and visceral-Ness. Im convinced its a big reason there's so much depression- people dont feel any more.

Yeah, its sad the age of any computer produced art (graphics, electronic music, coding) is over because of corpo ai slop. But all the more reason to go outside and build something real in the workshop or put on a folk concert.

[–] moseschrute@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Yeah. Though I don't think coding will be tapped out for awhile. I'm a little biasses as that's what I do for work. Tech Twitter is full of people claiming AI is going to replace engineers. I work on a very successful team of very talented engineers, and if I told them AI is going to replace them, they would laugh. But I would be lying if said I didn't fantasize about switching to a job where I get to build something with my hands.

[–] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 days ago

Yeah i agree for good coding and amy true art it will take a while if ever, for ai to replace that. At least not corpo slop llm. Real machine learning, sure, that may advance a lot. Or agi. If that ever actually happens.

[–] Acamon@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago

that's a cool hobby! I used to love watching the parts of my tape deck move as a kid. Te parts clunking into pace, the gentle pace of the rotation. That's a very nice player you've got!

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[–] Chippys_mittens@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago (1 children)

That's true, both can be used as status symbols. At least with a watch, once you buy it, mission complete. No need to go throwing new gears in it to make it tick louder.

But still kind the same…the guys i know that are into watches dont buy just one and done. They are collectors. Like one for each type of outfit almost. So this could compare to buying numerous car parts. And there’s always the unobtainable dream watch that probably costs as much as a nice car…

[–] venusaur@lemmy.world 11 points 5 days ago (8 children)

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

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[–] sbf@feddit.org 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

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

[–] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 days ago

Old ones were literally rolling art.

See, Lamborghini miura

[–] otacon239@lemmy.world 9 points 5 days ago (1 children)

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.

[–] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The mechanical feel is a big part for me.

Driving a rental 2025 legacy, made me hate cars in about 30 seconds. So if thats your car experience i see why people hate it.

Driving a 99 miata: permanent smile.

[–] otacon239@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 days ago

Acceptable!!

I do like the nb the best. The na pop-ups are amazing, but the nb is the better car overall to me. Drove an ND, hated it lol. Granted the ND was an auto but still

[–] snooggums@piefed.world 6 points 5 days ago

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.

[–] wreckedcarzz@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago

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!

[–] Perspectivist@feddit.uk 4 points 4 days ago (1 children)

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.

[–] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

What about a mini excavator tho

[–] Perspectivist@feddit.uk 1 points 3 days ago

I need to upgrade my license so that I'm allowed to tow one on a trailer. Then I'll at least rent one for the weekend and dig my yard full of holes.

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