According to a Ford media newsletter I received today, the International Carwash Association ran a survey that determined the following:
“87 percent of Americans admit to having an emotional bond with their cars, and 62 percent believe car appearance is essential. What’s more, 60 percent bare their souls to their cars behind the wheel, and 27 percent give them pet names.”
That’s pretty amusing, so let’s have our own survey. I’ll start the ball rolling.
1. Yes, I have an emotional bond with my car. I fully believe that the more love you show to your car, the better it treats you.
2. Yes, car appearance is essential…if you mean essential for your car. But not essential in the grand scheme of things. I think the cleaner you keep it, the better it drives.
3. No, I don’t bare my soul to my car. That’s what I have this Web site for.
4. My car does not have a name, but I know some that do. As a joke, I sometimes called my old Honda Civic the General Wong, cuz I was hopping in and out of it through the window instead of using the door (like the Dukes of Hazzard). About the same time, we named my friend’s car the Greased Weasel. But he sold it.
There you have it. What’s your story?
I have no car to call my own. The closest thing is the Ford Focus my family refers to as ‘the kid’s car’. Why? Because I have to share it with my younger sister and brother.
So in the off-chance that it is around for me to drive, I try and pretend that I am not actually a part-owner because that darn thing’s always flithy and full of my sister’s clothes/garbage/bags etc.
My car is the MATRIX OF DOOOOM!
And I like to keep it clean. It irks me when it’s dirty, which basically means I get annoyed whenever I look at it all winter, heh.
1) No emotional bond – it’s a car.
2) I prefer it clean, but that’s mostly so my son doesn’t lick it
3) No, I don’t bare my soul to my car – see 1
4) Pet name? I’ve had them before, but that’s cause I tend to name just about anything.
1. Nadia and I have a 1988 Ford Tempo. It’s black and white and turning red all over. I don’t have an emotional bond with the car, but I do wince when it starts making bad noises.
2. It’s a FORD TEMPO. Appearance is secondary. However, the inside isn’t crawling with food, clothing and garbage. We keep the inside clean if not completely tidy (snow scrapers thrown randomly in the back seat).
3. I do not bear my soul to the car, but I do sing to the radio.
4. The white tempo does not deserve a nickname (or the MMIM plates, according to Nadia), but after some long, hot trips in the summer, the car deserves to be called el horno blanco from me.