These Are The Weirdest Things Our Readers Keep In Their Cars

When you have a brand new car, you tend to do your best to keep it as clean and perfect as possible. At least in the beginning. You may add an emergency kit to the trunk, start leaving your phone's charging cable plugged in, or throw in a few other necessities, but you certainly don't want to mess it up. On the other hand, some people's definition of what counts as a "necessity" may not necessarily match everyone else's. Or anyone else's. 

With that in mind, last Thursday, we asked you to share the weirdest things you keep in your cars. Logan, for example, keeps a Swiffer duster in his Mini because he's normal like that, and for the longest time, I kept an empty sports drink bottle in my center console because it's too deep to be useful for me, and I'm too cheap to buy a 3D printer. 

We aren't meant to be the stars of the show, though. You are. So let's take a look at some of the most popular answers and then not act judgmental about anyone's choices. Sure, the weird thing they leave in their car may make them look like a serial killer, but if they are, do you really want to paint a target on your back? I'm doing my best to stay unmurdered here, and I'd hope you are, as well.

Perhaps not that weird, but I keep sunscreen in the glove box. I do too many things that accelerate aging, so sunscreen is an absolute must.

Suggested by: carsten

OK, love the swiffer idea. Similarly, I keep a small zippered bag with brushes and a dust-free cleaning cloth in my center console. When I'm stuck in a big traffic jam the brushes come out and I start detailing the dashboard. Helps pass the time and makes being stuck feel productive.

Suggested by: Buckfiddious

It's becoming less useful in recent years, but I keep an empty tube or two of 35mm film rolls; one for quarters and one for other change.

Suggested by: EatTheRich

Paper maps... I used to travel a lot in my job and just in case all my tech shuts down I always have paper back-ups

Suggested by: Jimboy II, The Sequel

and

A Rand Mcnally Road Atlas. My car comes factory equipped with navigation and I also have a Garmin Navigator on board but I still cling to that old fashioned book of maps printed on paper.

Suggested by: Random29

3 things that might not be considered weird, but here we go:

1) 40$ cash hidden in my glove box. Emergency cash is always helpful.

2) a ping pong ball from a late night ping pong party from years and years ago. It's been in any of my cars since 2015 or something. I can hear it bounced in my glovebox when I hit super deep potholes. It brings me comfort.

3) Smashing Pumpkins' Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness on double cassette. This one is kind of a lucky charm. Been in my cars since 2001 when I purchased my first one. Long story short, it was left behind by the first lady I had intimate relations with, in said first car.

Suggested by: Yannick Wolfe

Seeing what my wife and many others carry around in their vehicles, I can say with some confidence that the weirdest thing I carry around is air. I've seen my wife's vehicle so packed with stuff that you'd think a person was living in there. I have friends who carry all manner of junk around with them. To reduce clutter and to make my vehicle less tempting to break into, I don't carry anything superfluous. I don't carry extra clothes or shoes. I don't carry needless tools. I certainly don't have food wrappers and other garbage in my car. So in light of the junk I see in many other vehicles, I think carrying nothing but air is "weird" by some standards.

Suggested by: Mike-NB

An electric unicycle (which is what my profile picture is). I use it to quickly zip around any large area that I am not allowed to drive my car in like a college campus or COTA. It also enables me to park my car much further away than usual to avoid expensive congested parking like at major sporting events and city wide festivals. It's as compact as a backpack so it barely takes up any trunk space but can still go 20+ mph for over 40 miles. Plus it has a built-in headlight and USB charging for any roadside emergencies.

Suggested by: EUC

Hot sauce and lemon juice. You never know when you might want to zest something up. Also, exactly one dollar. The dollar is there because it was left behind by the previous owner. Now, I just keep the dollar in the glovebox of whatever's my daily driver. lol

Suggested by: Mercedes Streeter

Every dollar bill I get I keep in the glove box for road snacks. It looks like going to the strip club now.

Suggested by: XXLTall

I have a stack of CDs which I never use in the center console. They include

Tubular Bells

Tubular Bells 2

Best of Jethro Tull

Dr Demento's 20th Anniversary

Best of Spike Jones

3 Weird Al Albums

All those are buried under a Garmin GPS unit that last worked in 2015.

So what do I win?

Suggested by: hoser68