The "Proof Cars Have Feelings/Moods" Thread

But will it do 30 hectares on a single tank of Kerosine?

In what way do you determine car's gender? My method is: if there's a B-post (sedan, coupe, wagon), then it's a utilitarian sort of body, and therefore male.

No B-post (convertible, hardtop, even those rare old hardtop wagons from the 50s through the 70s) means a sporty, fun-loving body style; therefore, female.

Of course, YMMV.

So yesterday I sold the RX7 with the 350 v8. I'd owned the car for about three years. Spent year one putting in the new engine. Years two and three just driving around and tinkering with stuff occasionally. Nice guy comes and buys the car and says he gonna really fix all the stuff that's "wrong" with the car. Car never gave me any trouble. Guy calls me an hour later. Car has quit on him three times on his way home. Karma.

m_walker26 wrote: says he gonna really fix all the stuff that's "wrong" with the car.

a) He insulted the car, and it took exception, or, b) the car misses you and just doesn't want to be with him, or, c) a and b.

carsonthebrain wrote: The automobile is an organism, albeit mechanical, with many different parts working together to make the car function, the way our separate organs make us function as organisms. The energy that a car generates could be responding to the way the owner feels toward it, thus leading to friendship or enmity between car and owner. I also believe a car's "attitude" can be affected by its previous owner. It might, like a dog, miss a beloved owner, or be hostile because of an abusive previous owner. Also, many good mechanics regard an engine as a living thing, and consider themselves to be like surgeons.

My '93 Toyolla ("Miyuki") was going to be sent to the crusher by her previous owner. I saved her, keep her in a garage, and she has run flawlessly ever since. It's like she's thankful.

Saturn SL2 that I saved from the junkyard, fixed and drove for a year almost daily. Two trips to San Diego and back (3hrs each way) trips to LA and back (1.5 hours each way) commute to work, always started on the first crank never gave me any serious issue that would strand me. Told my mom I was going to give it to her next week. This past Saturday it decided to; puke power steering fluid all over my driveway. Then yesterday I pulled over in a parking lot to help push a stalled car out of the lane, when I got back in I was unable to remove or turn the key. Had to get towed the 3 blocks home. Key is still stuck in it, but it's in my driveway and I unplugged the negative terminal on the battery, we'll see what it is tomorrow after my root canal.

My 91 Firebird was dead on reliable, I drove it to and from autox, track days,drift events, drag strips all over the Pacific NW. I used my more civilized Honda accord for dates. First girl I took out in the Bird complained about the seats. I promptly got a flat tire. Fixed that quickly,got back on the road and 5min later the radiator blew. Had to get her towed home. Date over. Took my now fiance out to an autox for our first date, I warned her my car might get jealous she rubbed the dash and said "it's ok she was here first" car never skipped a beat, seemed to run better with her in it

my mustang i sold this winter was that way, 2 days after i put it on craigslist i had a door handle break, wiper motor quit and a mirror fall off. After driving it for over a year with no issues! Im pretty sure my sundance i replaced it with hates me, everytime i get rid of one weird rattle it has a new one!

We have a 12 passenger van (Ford E-350) as there are eight kids in the family (I have 7 siblings). My dad always seemed to dislike it; never wanted to buy it, hated driving it, etc. But it runs like a charm. And it's a 5.4 3V (notorious for cam phaser, timing chain, and spark plug problems, to name a few). Well, my mom took it to the grocery store one day (after almost six years of owning it and it running flawlessly). It drove there fine. On the way home, it started making strange sounds, but still drove fine. We get home, look at it, even drive it around more, all seems good except the sounds. Fast forward a few hours later when my dad gets home from work. He starts it up, puts it in drive, and it won't move. It won't reverse either. The transmission was shot, but it had still driven fine for my mom before when she tried it.

A few months later, we get the transmission rebuilt, and everything's fine. My mom took it out a few times and it drove great. After that, my dad took it to the grocery store and it went well. Pulling out afterwards, it began to shudder and slip. We pulled up to a red light that was slightly downhill and when it turned green again the van WOULDN'T MOVE. Eventually it gets going, (very slowly) all while slipping around, and we make it home. Well, we took it back to the transmission shop and it's been fine ever since. I just think the van wanted to get my dad back for hating it. But, it's a very good van. It still managed to make it home although the transmission was failing (twice) and kept us all safe. Also, once a crappy mechanic shop only hand-tightened the lug nuts on a new tire that had been installed. That van made it all the way from our house to New Hampshire (200 miles) hauling a 5,000 pound camper with loose lug nuts and it's amazing that the tire didn't pop off. Also, it survived for months on brown transmission fluid (and towed with it twice) that we forgot to change. That van is a trooper, and wants to keep the family safe, and it only ever failed when my dad was driving it, but it still kept him safe. Not to mention, after months of sitting with a shot transmission, rather than having it towed to the shop, my dad drove it there. It went into drive (somehow) after all that time, and could still get into park. It survived the fifteen minute drive to the shop flawlessly. I love that van.

This thread is making me feel bad about having left my rallyx car alone in the garage for over a year. If it didn't hate me before, it probably does now.

My father in law had a 72 super beetle. It's name was Satan. Every time he decided to go to church in it it broke down but only when he went to church.

I had not driven my 81 custom cruiser for a couple days as I was carpooling and one of the days I was talking about how good of a car my 96 cutlass cruiser had been( custom cruiser replaced the cutlass cruiser) and how I should have kept it as a back up car. I went to start the custom cruiser and it would not start, it was flooding, and it turned out the needle stopped sealing in the seat after having been driving for a week or so after the carb rebuild. No crud or nothing in there simply would not seal anymore.

I saw Christine.  I refuse to believe in this thread.

I've had several cars attempt to murder me. When it happens to you, you WILL believe. 

In reply to SilverFleet :

You would regret selling that car before it was out of the driveway.  At this point it's like a rough marriage where at long last you are both too stubborn but also too used to each other to leave.  No , you have to keep this, till death do you part.  At this point, it seems like destiny.

In reply to Sky_Render :

That's what we call a "rescue". We have 3 rescue dogs and even though they've all had some moments where we've second-guessed ourselves, they've responded with unbounding love & affection. We're constantly getting compliments for their behavior and demeanor. All we do is feed them well, give them love and take them to do activities outside. 

I feel good cars are the same way. It reminds me of a quote I've seen (but can't remember who supposedly said it), "Cars aren't like people, they need love!".

The G35 loves fresh oil and gets crabby when you don't drive spiritedly. The Crown Vic tried to kill me multiple times.