This semi-regular column is written (in his own blood) by an automotive sage and noted malcontent known as The Mechanic. Mercilessly beaten as a child with rolled-up back issues of old car magazines, our free-spoken hero developed a unique "for your own good" take on cars and the auto industry, along with an unfortunate habit of setting himself ablaze. Later, after a distinguished career as an automotive journalist and magazine editor, he cast off the reins of his musty oppressors, carved out his superego with a plastic spork and became The Mechanic.
Cars are the most important thing in my life. Cars are my No. 1. They're my work, my play, they're the reason I get up in the morning, the reason I eat, sleep and drop the kids off at the pool. When it comes to cars I'm all in. I pick cars above all else. Cars or family? Cars. Cars or financial stability? Cars. Cars or the planet? Cars. Cars or peace on Earth? Cars. Cars or health care for everyone? Cars. Cars or food? Cars. Cars or shelter? Cars. Cars or America's unhealthy dependency on foreign oil? Cars. Cars or my physical well-being? Cars. Cars or the love of you Inside Line readers? Cars. Cars or Megan Fox? Megan Fox.
OK, so there is the rare exception when Cars would come in second, but for me, life is about the cars. I couldn't live without them. How about you? Can you live without cars? Are you all in, or are you one of those so-called car enthusiasts who just likes cars because your friends do, or it makes your dad happy or because you're in between interests you actually like. Or maybe you're one of those guys who claims to love cars but really likes the car industry. You like the business of cars more than the cars themselves.
Not me. I'm a car lover, and I don't have much patience for car likers. Every time I rail against anything and everything that threatens the car (the government, high gas prices, hybrids, etc.) the car likers out there call me a narrow-minded, outdated redneck. Which I just might be, if defending the car at all costs is being a narrow-minded, outdated redneck. And if that's wrong, then I don't want to be right.
Cash for Clunkers. Texting while driving. The Chinese market. E85. Bankruptcies. Bailouts. Bob Lutz. Car czars. CAFE. Forget about them all. They're just distractions from the cars. And it's the cars we love, right? Not the car industry. Not the car hobby. Not the MBAs and the car haters in the mainstream media that have taken it all from us.
So how about it? Can you live without cars? If you had to choose one interest for the rest of your life, would it be cars? Or would you choose something else? Your computer? Your PlayStation? Your motorcycle? Your girlfriend? Your scrapbooking club? Your collection of Tom Hanks movies? Please tell me the answer is no.
But the harsh reality is that some of you would choose something else.
Some of you out there see the car as just another component in our lives. A cog in the world machine. An ever-evolving mode of transportation that's on a death clock. That's fine with you as long as the traffic jams get better and the fuel that powers the car's replacement is cheap and without political fire. You feel the car must fit into society instead of society accommodating the car. And if the car changes, morphs, goes away, becomes less valuable or is torn from our cold dead hands, you'll just move onto the next thing. Find something else to play with. Maybe boats. Maybe Wii.
Not me.
I'm looking out for the car. I want it to be in my world. And I want it to be an object of passion. I want, fun lovable cars created by car lovers for car lovers. I want hood scoops and rear-wheel drive and wheels with negative offset and gated shifters and motors that make so much power they can kill. I want the world to love cool cars, and not because they get you from here to there, but because they are worth living for. And they are worth fighting for.
Because at the end of the day, a man must have his priorities straight. Do you? -- The Mechanic, Inside Line Contributor
E-mail me at themechanic@edmunds.com.
estreka says:
04:08 PM, 08/18/09
Amen on the Megan Fox bit.
festiboi1 says:
04:58 PM, 08/18/09
This has to be the first article that the Mechanic has written that I can completely agree with. Maybe except for the Megan Fox part.....but she's not my cup of tea ;)
Anyway, my whole life revolves around cars. I spot them on the way to work. I spend my day shuffling through car websites. I go to car dealerships in my free time to look at the new models and torment the salesman's lack of knowledge of their products.
I treat my (two) cars like children. I take their pictures in front the places we go. They have names and personalities. I buy them gifts. I wash them. Help them when they're sick. They get top priority over myself or anybody else. I have memories with them and the thought of getting rid of them can bring me to tears
Cars as a whole are better than any computer, electronics, or clothes. They equal freedom. They create fun. They can take me places I'll never forget. They bring me closer to people whom I'd otherwise never talk to. My discussions with my best friend with either revolve around cars or guys, but mostly cars.
But I can't explain my passion. I'm not too mechanically inclined. I don't race them. I get excited over the underdog model. But I'm always looking at them. I research whatever I can, whenever I can. I'm always looking for new ones to adopt and am heartbroken when I see unloved one.
Glad to know that I'm not the only one out there!
firelicked says:
05:12 PM, 08/18/09
Amazing read. Finally someone who "gets it". Someone who volunteers his time to a local sportsman stock car team to be near the smell of race fuel, who volunteers to help a buddy clean his car cause he doesn't quite do it right, who stops every person who is driving around with their directional tires on backwards because you study every aspect of any and all cars not just the pretty ones. Cars are my life and I'm so glad there are real cars guys out there who "get it". Cheers!
greenpony says:
05:22 PM, 08/18/09
It's all about the love, man.
clarkma5 says:
05:32 PM, 08/18/09
Cars are one of my highest priorities. The highest? Usually, but not always...
I'm a pretty socially conscious and environmentally aware sorta guy, more than your average "out-of-date redneck" car enthusiast, and I seek a certain amount of balance. That's probably why I'm drawn to small, light, simple sports cars because they're a helluva lotta fun without being a huge waste of resources. It's also why I really want a race car but would avoid having something that needed to be towed (pickup trucks are gas guzzlers and take a lot of material to produce!) I'm into efficiency, but not without sacrificing soul and enjoyment. I'll take an LEV II Nissan Z over an old V8, but I won't take a PZEV Focus over either of them...and so on.
The great thing about cars, in my POV, is that you really don't have to hold an extreme view one way or the other (The Mechanic versus the Prius enthusiast club?). Doing more with less is what engineering is all about, and it abounds in the world of cars all the time, even in very extreme vehicles. I love cars, I love them all the more when I feel I can enjoy them in as low-guilt a way as possible. Win-win.
aurakr says:
05:35 PM, 08/18/09
Yes, yes, I agree with both the Mechanic and festiboi1.
I too, am unable to explain my passion for cars to my wife. Thank god some of my friends understand. I think it all started when I was 5 years old and my dad got me my first Hot Wheel, or was it a Match Box? I used to live for two cartoons, Speed Buggy and Speed Racer.
The first movie I saw without my parents, Smokey and the Bandit. What a movie, trucks, Trans Ams and Frog, oh yeah :)
My wife doesn't understand how I love long drives. It works out perfect, she reads or listens to her Ipod, I get to drive and listen to XM80s, or XMclassic rock.
clarkma5 says:
05:35 PM, 08/18/09
Of course, don't get me wrong. I feel for cars, I cringe for them when they're abused and treat mine as if it were my child. I'm elated by the experience of driving, even in relatively mundane situations. But I'm also a nerd with a comprehensive world view that cars need to (and currently do) fit into.
caheew says:
05:54 PM, 08/18/09
I loved this. When I was little, I would sit on my carpet that had a little city design on it with the builings and streets and I would spend hours just pushing the cars back and forth.
Then I got into R/C cars, because they were closer to the real thing. They would break all the time, but I still loved them.
Then I got into knowing everything about cars. I would remember every cars engine, HP and torque output, the different companies. Then I started to subscribe to Automobile Magazine when I was 12 or 13. Now I suscribe to Automobile, Car and Driver, Motor Trend, and Road and Track.
Even though I can't drive (I am only 16 years old), I am an active member on a Honda forum, hoping to one day be one of those people who have thousands of useful posts helping others out. And eventually, I want to become an automotive journalist.
I enjoy playing golf and video games (amongst other things), but cars will always be my "thing."
I loved this. Thank you The Mechanic.
inlinesix says:
06:53 PM, 08/18/09
Nice article. Funny intro.
Maybe its just me but it seems some car manufacturers get caught up in that "business of cars" thing...
94accord_lover says:
07:09 PM, 08/18/09
I'm so glad that someone else sees it like that. While cars aren't my be-all, end-all, I get the passion for everything car. I love cars. I love to stop at dealerships to look at cars, even when they're closed. I love to research information on cars. I like to fix problems with my car, which, thankfully have been few and far between.
caheew, you sound like me when I was your age (I'm only 20). I, too, had a city rug that I would race my cars around on for hours, late into the night. I have been a subscriber to at least three car mags for the last 5-6 years. I memorized every fact I could about cars and was proud to lend my expertise when needed.
I have owned my Honda since age 16, and I love it dearly. I know it's a 15 year old vehicle. I know it's not the top of the line. I know I own one of the few cars left with a cassette deck. I know it has 121k babied and trouble-free miles, but I love it. The thought of something happening to it tears me up inside. Sometimes I think, "It's just a car.", but it isn't. It is an unexplainable bond between man and machine. It is an extension of one's self. The care a man takes of his car reveals a lot about himself.
I love my car. I love all cars. I love the love of cars. Cars are awesome. End of discussion.
cwc1 says:
07:12 PM, 08/18/09
I've been into cars since I can remember; perhaps it was born into me. I had a Mustang pedal car from the time I was about three, and later got some kind of Chevrolet, and boy, were they ever fun to drive when I was a kid.
I loved the fold out cities in which my friends and I could play with my Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars.
I'd choose cars over Megan Fox, as she doesn't look like such a big deal to me.
roadburner says:
07:35 PM, 08/18/09
Mechanic:
Methinks we were separated at birth.
caheew;
I also started out subscribing to CD and R&T in sixth grade(Automobile wasn't around in 1969). I was hooked on BMWs- this was back when almost no one knew what a BMW was. The DED Jr. article "Turn Your Hymnals to 2002" set the hook. Fourteen years later I bought and restored my first Bimmer. Over the next several years I wound up instructing at HPDEs and writing for a couple of magazines on a part-time basis. I still subscribe to CD, R&T, and Automobile- as well as a couple of British car magazines and two motorcycle mags. If you want to be a journalist I'd encourage you to keep reading and start writing. The more you write the easier it will become(it also helps to have a good editor).
While growing up I had dozens of people tell me that as I became older I would lose interest in exciting cars and wind up driving something dreadfully dull and sensible like a Camry or Malibu. Needless to say, that hasn't happened- and it never will.
blueguydotcom says:
08:50 PM, 08/18/09
LOL@"drop the kids off at the pool."
Not everyone may know that euphemism
davesuton says:
12:20 AM, 08/19/09
I LOVE cars. But this was not always so. My wife drove a Honda Odyssey until it went through two transmissions in 20k miles. I used to drive a Toyota Camry until its blew its engine caused by Toyotas Famuos Engine Sludge Cover Up. Up until then I always had fun cars. 86 Porsche 930. 96 Dodge Viper. 77 BMW 318. V8 Plymouth Duster. Even my 80's turbo Dodges were fun cars during college. A couple of Mustangs and second gen. Camaro were in there also. Then I started a family and had to get "responsible' A VW Jetta that leaked so much water into the interior, that is strated to rust from the inside out. A Honda Civic that my brother bought new but same as the VW, started rusting after only a couple of years after it was new. We had a Nissan Maxima when I got married. What a joke that was. More time spent on a flatbed than in my drive. A Subaru that ate water pumps and fuel injectors like no tomorrow. Very expensive to fix. Now we have a Ford Flex, a new Malibu, and a trusty 04 Dodge Ram diesel with almost 200k trouble free miles. I still yearn for that fast car again though. Maybe a new ZR1 or Viper ACR because I still love cars.
gearcat says:
12:57 AM, 08/19/09
Sex WITH my car would be much better than sex IN my car! I love cars! They have driven me to more distraction than any other thing on earth.
benson2175 says:
01:03 AM, 08/19/09
My first word was car. Since I was 16 there were only two months that I did not have a car. Those were a horrible two months and at the end I committed myself to never letting that happen again and bought two cars. When the Green Nazis come for my keys I will fight them to the bitter end. I think about driving my cars more than I do sex. I am at peace with that.
tryan says:
03:27 AM, 08/19/09
I love all things cars, the mechanics, the emotion (or lack thereof) of the styling, the driving experience, and the connection one feels with a certain automobile's "personality". Yes, I used the word "personality", I have Anthropomorphised the car because the car - an inanimate object - is at the same time not to many people, me included.
At the same time, I love the business, the nuts and bolts of it all, if you will. The why a certain car was built in Mexico, whereas its platform mate was built completely in Germany. Why certain cars are hot sellers and what's keeping seemingly winning cars from making their manufacturer's hopes and dreams come to fruition.
It's ALL interesting to me, not just one single bit. That's true love - when you can appreciate all the aspects, and not just one piece of the story. Ask my wife, she'll tell you...=)
cbrowder says:
04:10 AM, 08/19/09
I thought it was just me. I love cars. Now, if it breaks down, I dont have the mechanical skills, tools or garage to fix major problems, but I probably would tell you what's wrong with it before I take it to the car shop...I just know,I call it "the force" or the "car whisperer".
I keep better records on my car than my own medical and insurance information.
I hang out a car lots as a pasttime so often, the sales people have stopped bugging me to buy a car, they just have and say "let us know when you're ready Chris (yes they know my name now)
Someone asks me about buying a car, let's say the new Camaro, I tell them what "Camaro" means, when they started making them, the engine choices, the difference between an IROC,Z28,RS and SS along with 0-60 times...they just wanted to know if it came in blue.
My wife would catch me on the computer late at night looking a old episodes of MOTORWEEK instead of porn..I'm dead serious.
Let's start a support group.
cbrowder says:
04:13 AM, 08/19/09
it was contingent on getting marriage that I agree to throw away "some" of the car magazines I've collected over the years...I HAD every issue of Car and Driver, Motor Trend, Road &Track ,and everything inbetween dating back to 1982...they took over my basement
redgeminipa says:
05:18 AM, 08/19/09
OMG, wow! I'm right in that boat with you! I might be in a different corner of that boat, but I'm still in it.
I'm 31 years old, and I've already owned that many cars. A few great ones, a few decent and a few not so great. Most of my cars were like my kids. Washed more than most people wash laundry. Detailed with q-tips and the best of the best. Mostly all done by hand, and avoiding car washes as much as possible (living in PA forces you to use one during the frigid winters to kill the road salt). Even some of my not-so-great cars were shined to look their best most of the time. If they'd start making AutoFom by Blue Coral again, I'd be in detailing bliss!
It's only my current car that I've come to not care about at all. It's the first and only car I've been forced to own out of being desperate.
I'm hopeful that next month will bring the ability to purchase a car that I can fall in love with again. I'm already being criticized by some over my choice, but I don't care what anyone else thinks. I believe I've decided on the ultimate car for me, and that's all that matters. Now, I just have to find the perfect one for the price I'm willing to pay.
There's something about buying used that excites me the most. The challenge of finding the little problems and making them perfect again.
Anyone know of any good 2003 Subaru Outback LL Beans with +/- 100k for $7500 or less? I'm finding a few, but I don't have the cash just yet. If you stumble across any that are close to PA, please drop me an email. This username at AOL.com.
Thanks to all. Have a great day!
redgeminipa says:
05:19 AM, 08/19/09
OMG, wow! I'm right in that boat with you! I might be in a different corner of that boat, but I'm still in it.
I'm 31 years old, and I've already owned that many cars. A few great ones, a few decent and a few not so great. Most of my cars were like my kids. Washed more than most people wash laundry. Detailed with q-tips and the best of the best. Mostly all done by hand, and avoiding car washes as much as possible (living in PA forces you to use one during the frigid winters to kill the road salt). Even some of my not-so-great cars were shined to look their best most of the time. If they'd start making AutoFom by Blue Coral again, I'd be in detailing bliss!
It's only my current car that I've come to not care about at all. It's the first and only car I've been forced to own out of being desperate.
I'm hopeful that next month will bring the ability to purchase a car that I can fall in love with again. I'm already being criticized by some over my choice, but I don't care what anyone else thinks. I believe I've decided on the ultimate car for me, and that's all that matters. Now, I just have to find the perfect one for the price I'm willing to pay.
There's something about buying used that excites me the most. The challenge of finding the little problems and making them perfect again.
Anyone know of any good 2003 Subaru Outback LL Beans with +/- 100k for $7500 or less? I'm finding a few, but I don't have the cash just yet. If you stumble across any that are close to PA, please drop me an email. This username at AOL.com.
Thanks to all. Have a great day!
wizard8873 says:
05:30 AM, 08/19/09
Cars and motorcycles for me. both give a thrill the other can't and there really is very little stopping me from getting cars. sure, I can't afford high end exotics but I still looks for something that I can blast down some twisty roads but at the same time be able to enjoy on a day to day basis or long rides.
cw910 says:
06:06 AM, 08/19/09
I love cars too but some of you people seriously need to get a life. Especially anyone over 16 who can't find some balance in their life. Ah, American materialism at its best! This guy is pulling your chain; trying to get the reaction out of you that he did. Or he's a simpleminded redneck (the internet is full of them). Probably some of both. Yeah, he's right, the government is always wrong. We only have them to thank for safety glass, crash standards that keep improving over time, seat belts, ABS, stability control, airbags, and cars that are 100 times cleaner than in the 70s. All of those things make our society a far safer place and yet cars perform far better today than ever before. And lastly to you car nuts who think you are freaking Mario Andretti on public roads: slow down, grow up, and pay for a track day. Our roads are not your racetrack.
dougtheeng says:
06:22 AM, 08/19/09
just to be different: i hate cars and have no interest in them.
arm51 says:
06:41 AM, 08/19/09
I really can't disagree with anything The Mechanic is saying. Cars are freakin' sweet and need to be preserved. Rear wheel drive, manuals and stupid-fast cars are a part of life that is near and dear to me. Death to hybrids, E85 and all forms of automotive restrictions!
bach1750 says:
06:55 AM, 08/19/09
I have heard that when normal people get cut they bleed some kind of red stuff. I bleed oil!
djtronika says:
07:24 AM, 08/19/09
i don't know about the rest of you but some people who left comments actually proved the M's point. some of you are like, "YAH CARS ARE COOL!" and then spat off some random vehicle.
listen, i love cars too, or, do i just really like DRIVING cars?
see, if he said DRIVING then im right there with him. do i like going 3 1/2 times the speed limit? do i like cornering at an incredible rate? hell yeah. do i need a loud vehicle to do it in? no. and yes, i drive a fast, loud vehicle that's been put up against an audi r8 but you know, to not sound like a douche ill leave that to the true IL readers.
anywho, my point? give me a friggin caravan, civic, a supercharged anything, or a damn gtr and ill have fun. it's just about DRIVING to me. so, if the future simply holds electric vehicles that bring upon an age of gasless mind-numbingly fast Speed Racer cars then F YAH i want that.
i dont need oil to have fun. or a gut. or a mullett.
i just want to drive.
speedonparade says:
08:09 AM, 08/19/09
From now on I will call you...
Mister The Mechanic!
lmbvette says:
08:18 AM, 08/19/09
djtronika made a good point that I agree with.....I don't care how cars of the future are powered, as long as they still make ones that look cool and I can make them go faster. ;-)
Hey DJ....lemme guess...you drive a Viper, Vette or Shelby....
wrinklebump says:
08:22 AM, 08/19/09
As far as I can figure, the Mechanic's essential philosophy on life is that the world is completely f*cked beyond recourse, and the only appropriate response to this is escapism.
Lucky for him, he chose the finest mode of escapism to obsess over. But that doesn't make his commentary any less childish. ZOMG CARS > WORLD LOL.
grijalvao says:
08:58 AM, 08/19/09
I AGREE WITH THIS ARTICLE WORD BY WORD. AND I'M A COMPLETE CAR LOVER =].
Small example, i feel more affection for my car than my girlfriend, more love, more connection. Nothing makes me more happy when turning on my 300hp beast. and for a 22 year old going to college, what more can i ask for?
If anyone in here has not seen the movie "Love the Beast", then i highly recommend for you guys to watch it. GREAT MOVIE..
pc123456 says:
09:36 AM, 08/19/09
I used to love cars above all else.
Then I moved some place where there was tons of traffic.
Grid lock, traffic jams, 2 hour a day commutes on super-slab and a bad choice in a new car beat the love of cars out of me.
Now I want to live someplace where I can ride my bicycle everywhere and there are no cars.
:(
ddoouugg says:
10:07 AM, 08/19/09
Cars are my highest priority right now, but I just came back from 3 weeks in England without a car and although I missed My Beastie dearly I found myself wishing that one day for maybe about a year I would not own a car. In England I discovered that I enjoy walking places as much as I do driving places. My dream is to have a car or two for fun drives on Sunday morning and track days but not use it as everyday transportation. Of course this could all change in a few weeks of being back in LA.
carz4life says:
10:28 AM, 08/19/09
Amen to that entire article.
I love everything about cars. From the way they look to the way they handle. I love the way they are powered and would hate for that to change as well. Driving is also something I love but its the CAR that makes that.
Not a day goes by.. hell even a minute where cars are not on my mind.
pyo_s65 says:
12:21 PM, 08/19/09
I love my wife and kid, but my cars come next. After that comes the watches, the computers, the shoes, the sunglasses, etc.
Oh and I already own a home, but didn't feel the need to spend that $1MM on a bigger home.
I guess it's all about priorities. It can't just be the cars, can it?
carfreak8394 says:
01:38 PM, 08/19/09
I LOVE cars, but at only 15 years old, cars are not my my number one priority; school is. I've loved cars since I was 3 years old and I also sat in the living room playing with matchbox cars on the city rug, just like caheew and 94accord_lover; I had hundreds of them. As I got older, I started paying attention to car brands and model names. I take pride in being able to name just about ANY car manufactured after 2000 almost instantly. I visit car dealerships all the time JUST FOR FUN. When I grow up, I hope to have a job like the Inside Line editors. Cars make me happy and it's so nice talking to people on here who really understand cars.
By the way, I got my permit 2 weeks ago, and just being able to actually drive, instead of imagine the things you guys all describe, is simply amazing. (:
moonlitegram says:
02:21 PM, 08/19/09
i'm damn proud to be a car liker.
samjpatrick says:
02:36 PM, 08/19/09
Wow. What a wonderful piece of pro-car rhetoric! Despite the author's "with me or against me" stance I would have to say I just like cars. By this definition anyways. Like many of you that have posted above I visit sites like these many times throughout the day. I can find peace working under a hood even as sweat and grime run down into busted knuckles. I can find dozens of reasons I should sell my sports car and have them all left in the rear-view mirror after a heart-pounding milk run. Despite all of this though, I can see need for change on the automotive landscape. I would sell my car if she asked me too (though I stick with her because I know she never would). So I guess this is another tick in the car liker column. Pains me to say it.
blueguydotcom says:
02:44 PM, 08/19/09
@carfreak,
prior to getting your permit you had never driven a car?
ne1butu2 says:
02:50 PM, 08/19/09
I am are rare breed that doesn’t need a car but has chosen to have one for no reason other than I have always been a bit of an automotive fanatic. I live and work in Manhattan and I take cabs everywhere, so there are periods when I might not pull the car out of the garage for two weeks. Renting a car would be the smarter and much cheaper option, but then it wouldn’t be mine. And the thought of driving a rental Hyundai, LaCrosse or Camry makes me nauseous. I started reading the auto rags and going to car shows when I was ten. I've been in the craziest heated arguments about the auto industry that would rival that of even the most rabid sports fan or political extremist. With what little free time I do have, I enjoy doing car things. Getting the car washed on Saturday, spending endless hours detailing and money on detailing supplies, reading car websites, the car sections in the paper, learning about the car industry, occasionally going to Lime Rock for one reason or another, going to dealerships to see new models. It’s a sickness. But I don’t NEED a car like I don't need ten cups of coffee per day. After moving to NYC, I went without a car for seven years and I managed to survive. Then a few years ago, I couldn’t take it anymore and I bought a weekend car. Hopefully one day I’ll have a weekend house with an eight car garage. Then all will be perfect!
ne1butu2 says:
02:50 PM, 08/19/09
I am are rare breed that doesn’t need a car but has chosen to have one for no reason other than I have always been a bit of an automotive fanatic. I live and work in Manhattan and I take cabs everywhere, so there are periods when I might not pull the car out of the garage for two weeks. Renting a car would be the smarter and much cheaper option, but then it wouldn’t be mine. And the thought of driving a rental Hyundai, LaCrosse or Camry makes me nauseous. I started reading the auto rags and going to car shows when I was ten. I've been in the craziest heated arguments about the auto industry that would rival that of even the most rabid sports fan or political extremist. With what little free time I do have, I enjoy doing car things. Getting the car washed on Saturday, spending endless hours detailing and money on detailing supplies, reading car websites, the car sections in the paper, learning about the car industry, occasionally going to Lime Rock for one reason or another, going to dealerships to see new models. It’s a sickness. But I don’t NEED a car like I don't need ten cups of coffee per day. After moving to NYC, I went without a car for seven years and I managed to survive. Then a few years ago, I couldn’t take it anymore and I bought a weekend car. Hopefully one day I’ll have a weekend house with an eight car garage. Then all will be perfect!
johnnybullitt says:
03:39 PM, 08/19/09
caheew, you sound like me when I was your age (I'm only 20). I, too, had a city rug
wow, I'm 49 and didn't have a rug, but I did have the Matchbox City, that also had a in-house garage to keep your cars in. I wish I had it today.
carfreak8394 says:
03:40 PM, 08/19/09
"@carfreak,
prior to getting your permit you had never driven a car?"
blueguy,
I had driven my dad's Mustang a few times on side streets and in church parking lots, but not too far or for too long.
mortal1 says:
03:41 PM, 08/19/09
Well, I'm glad he finally came to grips with how out of touch he is with the world. Seriously dude, cars over family?
I like cars. I LOVE roads.
Would I enjoy driving a corvette in new york city? No, I doubt anyone would.
Would I enjoy flogging even a lowly geo metro around a deserted mountain road with beautiful chicanes, switch-backs, and hairpins? Oh yeah, you bet your life I would.
Sadly most driving now days is, lets face it, a largely miserable affair. My inner child still craves POWERRR, but I'm old enough to know the difference between driving reality, and driving fantasy.
wizard8873 says:
04:24 PM, 08/19/09
@cw910
while i don't believe everything the government does is wrong, they have made a mess of things before. look back at the Tucker Torpedo made by Preston Tucker. safety features in that car that took decades to implement since the Big 3 sued him so that they wouldn't have to implement them at the time because it could have bankrupted the companies.
While it's great o have ABS, traction control, and all those gadgets, have you really stopped and thought about how much people rely on them now? what about seatbelts, sure they save lives but do they always? well no, you can find plenty of stories where a person survived thanks to not having a seatbelt on, my friend's dad is one, yet there's a law mandating them. While one should be sensible about things in his/her life, you also shouldn't put your full trust on the government and let them make all the decisions for you.
zoomzoomn says:
06:17 AM, 08/20/09
I wonder what we car guys will like in 20-25 years. I wonder what there will be to like in that time! Such quotes as "the howling whir of twin electric motors rushing me to insane speeds just gets my blood flowing" just doesn't have the same emotional connection that we feel for combustion engines and non-active suspensions. It's the mechanical interaction that makes cars precious.
whs says:
06:23 AM, 08/20/09
Test of 'cars above all'; could you tell the make of the car my the head/tail lights at night. Coming or going?
sixwheeler says:
07:23 AM, 08/20/09
Festiboi1 said it all on my behalf. What he does is exactly what I do - only I have three cars instead of two.
blueguydotcom says:
08:18 AM, 08/20/09
@zoomzoom - the IC engine isn't going to disappear in 20 years. The blasted thing has hung on this long, so unless oil disappears it's not going away.
FWIW, ever driven an electric go-kart? It's still fun. The mechanical interaction is fun but really the feel of driving is the real deal to me. That perfect line on a corner = heaven.
dyzio says:
11:30 AM, 08/20/09
The Mechanic is back ! :)
We must love this man for his Passion..(there's deficit of this precious value today...)
I like red-necks who can wright about cars like that..
Edmunds knows how significant "The Mechanic's" writing is , and they give his texts good exposision:)
Hopefully other jurnalist will join You in your battle against establishment and accountants running the bussiness..:)
I think Clarkson made a nice statement in last episode of last seiries of Top Gear..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsQK5ZJUxhk
...
And even if we expierience downfall of Muscular machines, there , hopefully, still 'll have some interesting vehicles on the market..
this short movie says sth important:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAloCzpdiro
Battery over HEMI ?
but even if the result is obvious I still belive we need powerfull "street Brutals"....just for consumer pleasure..THE END:)
ernwopr@wp.pl
thammer62 says:
01:22 PM, 08/20/09
Megan be thy name. Great googly moogly - she is smoldering hot. Oh yea - I love cars.
briancam says:
02:03 PM, 08/20/09
Cars = freedom.
agman1271 says:
03:29 PM, 08/20/09
CARS are so totally my life. My career, my personal time is completely devoted to cars. There would be no point to this life if there were no CARS.
mopho says:
06:35 PM, 08/20/09
Cars are great, but like all things in life, best enjoyed in moderation. As much as I love cars, I would never choose a car over a wife.
mopho says:
06:37 PM, 08/20/09
"By wrinklebump on August 19, 2009 8:22 AM
As far as I can figure, the Mechanic's essential philosophy on life is that the world is completely f*cked beyond recourse, and the only appropriate response to this is escapism.
Lucky for him, he chose the finest mode of escapism to obsess over. But that doesn't make his commentary any less childish. ZOMG CARS > WORLD LOL."
Quoted for truth.
cino_iconic says:
08:59 PM, 08/20/09
My tear dropped while reading this.
qualitycontrol says:
10:57 AM, 08/23/09
Well said. Full support here Mechanic.
phoenixc says:
05:06 PM, 08/25/09
Man, this actually made me smile so much I cried a little. I am a gearhead until the day I die. I agree that there is no reason to pit one extreme against another, fast & furious, lean & mean, rough & tough? It's all good to me. I love cars for the dream that created them and find no joy in pundits and comics jabbing at co's like GM for a quick laugh. Off track they may be, but the dreams of people like you and me built the world we know. For all that is bad, and all that has gone wrong, people forget what went right. Someone, many people, all about the world dreamed big of a horseless carriage, a motor-car, an automobile. From the dust and magic of a single line drawn to a sheet of vellum, a dream came to life. Like the time I touched the door handle of the Tucker Torpedo in Dearborn MI at the Ford museum to the day I got my Fiat Spider's starter in and working, all in about 6 hours on a weeknight... from the greasy to the sublimely silky smooth leather seats in my Lexus... even the straightforward upright seats of my F-150... I love cars. I loves for the dream they represent, for the human ability to realize that which has not been seen. I love cars for how they can spirit me away from the end of the... or launch me into the bright dawn of tomorrow. If I'm an outdated redneck, so be it. I know what I love.
phoenixc says:
05:08 PM, 08/25/09
Man, this actually made me smile so much I cried a little. I am a gearhead until the day I die. I agree that there is no reason to pit one extreme against another, fast & furious, lean & mean, rough & tough? It's all good to me. I love cars for the dream that created them and find no joy in pundits and comics jabbing at co's like GM for a quick laugh. Off track they may be, but the dreams of people like you and me built the world we know. For all that is bad, and all that has gone wrong, people forget what went right. Someone, many people, all about the world dreamed big of a horseless carriage, a motor-car, an automobile. From the dust and magic of a single line drawn to a sheet of vellum, a dream came to life. Like the time I touched the door handle of the Tucker Torpedo in Dearborn MI at the Ford museum to the day I got my Fiat Spider's starter in and working, all in about 6 hours on a weeknight... from the greasy to the sublimely silky smooth leather seats in my Lexus... even the straightforward upright seats of my F-150... I love cars. I loves for the dream they represent, for the human ability to realize that which has not been seen. I love cars for how they can spirit me away from the end of the... or launch me into the bright dawn of tomorrow. If I'm an outdated redneck, so be it. I know what I love.
daskiing1 says:
05:59 PM, 08/25/09
"I want, fun lovable cars created by car lovers for car lovers."
Sounds like someone wants an Alfa Romeo.
I love cars, they take me where i need and the romantic images of going long distances...just because you can. I'll take something like an Alfa, Fiat, Jag, or Aston any day. All those cars are made with passion, flair, and love, and the difference is tangible.
adeckich says:
01:50 PM, 09/ 9/09
First off I have a biased opinion of this article because I am a car freak, gearhead, etc. If loving gas powered cars is wrong I dont want to be right. That being said our type of car breed is dying. People my age that I talk to have way different points of view than my fellow gearhead. They ask questions like "does it have a/c?, is there a sunroof?, how is the sound system?" the fact of the matter is that a true car guy doesnt give two shits about that. Even babyboomers are getting to be like that. To tell you the truth it pisses me off. Car guys should have been born when cars were appreciated, when gas was less than a buck, and when it was a symbol of a boy becoming a man when he got his first car. I still love cars and will to the day I die but there are fewer of us then ever before.
done37 says:
03:24 PM, 09/26/09
Everybody's contributions have pretty much summed up my thoughts on this topic. I just wanted to add that my love for cars has rubbed off on my wife. She can name most cars from a distance without seeing the emblem. And when she does, I have to wipe tears from my eyes.