Why Do You Still Love Your Car?

It's easy to love your car when you first get it. There's a sense of newness and buzzy excitement around a new car. Presumably you spent a lot of money on it, and you want to justify it to yourself and others how great an idea it was and worth every penny to boot. But after you've had your car for a few years and the new and special has worn off, what keeps you coming back to it? Do you still love your car in the same way you did when you bought it, or are you kind of ready to move on to something else? Do you still have (and love) your first car?

I think it depends on your personality and your connection with cars in the first place, right? I know plenty of people who serially move from cool car to cool car, trying to experience everything. Equally, there are lots of enthusiasts who buy the right car from the get go and hang on to it for decades. If you've had a car for a while, I want to hear about the car, why you still love it, and why it keeps you coming back for more. 

Maybe you have a special memory with your car, or a great driving road, or a weekly ritual you share together that keeps the love alive. What is it about your car that keeps the keys in your hand and your feet dancing playfully on the pedals? There are a lot of different ways you could answer this question, and the stage is yours to profess your love. Sound off in the comments below and we'll discuss it. On Monday I'll pick a few of my favorites to recap for everyone else.

The car I've owned for the longest, and probably driven the most miles, is my 1976 Porsche 912E that I bought in 2015. I don't think I've ever owned a car for a decade before, so it's nice to see that this one is sticking around. Unfortunately the miles have started to show their status on the car and it looks quite a bit worse for wear these days, and I haven't done much with it or to it in the last couple of years. 

In spite of its fading paint, a bit of rust bubbling through, and a currently inoperative ignition system, I still love and appreciate this car with everything I've got. Sometimes you have to get through the worst of it before things can get better again, and I know better days are ahead for both of us. I pulled this car out of a barn and got it running again. I've driven it across the country a handful of times now, and I've taken it on a number of incredible adventures. The adventures we'll have together in the future get me excited to see what happens next. 

Now that my 911 Turbo project is nearing its end, it seems time to dedicate a bit of effort to returning my old flame to its former glory, or perhaps a new form of glory. I think that's part of loving your car, too, is growing together. As I age and my needs change, I can shape this car into what I want and need it to be. Take care of some of the cosmetic issues, get it running better than ever, and maybe add a few more custom touches. I still love it, and its the wrenching that makes me love it more.