Owning These Cars Taught Our Audience The Most About Themselves

Earlier this week I asked you to dig back into the annals of your mind to recall which car you've owned that taught you the most about yourself, and I gotta say, this turned out to be one of my favorite questions I've asked. There weren't necessarily a slew of answers, but the ones that were submitted were really thoughtful, vulnerable, and impactful. This is just a selection of a few of my favorites, so I recommend going back and reading the other answers to learn a bit about your fellow Jalops. I may be known to write some snarky, very un-serious takes on a regular basis, but especially as I get older I'm becoming quite sentimental, so thank you all for sharing your personal stories. 

I said owning my first car, a 2005 Saab 9-3 Cabriolet, taught me the most about myself, in that when I bought it I thought I was king crap of turd mountain since I bought a sporty European cabriolet as my first car. It humbled me almost immediately by developing what felt like a never-ending saga of problems, until one arose that was simply not worth the trouble of repairing and I ultimately had to junk it. I used what little money I got from that to go towards my next car, a brown 2003 Honda CR-V that served me incredibly well for several years as a reliable, practical commuter. 

My Saab and all of its woes taught me that just because someone can afford nice, flashy things doesn't make them any cooler or better than anyone else, and began a journey of humbling and self reflection that continues for me today, now a dozen years later. My propensity for self reflection, self awareness, and self improvement are some of my favorite qualities about myself now, and I have that cursed 9-3 to thank for setting me on this path, and for teaching me that there are lessons in everything in life. OK, sorry for yapping, this is a selection of some of my favorite audience-submitted responses. Share yours in the comments here if you feel so inclined!

My current car, a 2014 Chevy SS. I bought the car in January of 2019, out of state, and took my father with me to go pick it up. That would be the last trip we ever took together as he died unexpectedly a week before Christmas that same year. A few months after his death I had a long term relationship end. I lost my hero and my entire life in the span of six months.(Not to mention this was during COVID and I was an "essential worker" so I was being worked to the bone by my company.) There were A LOT of tear filled weekend drives in the months that followed. Those drives eventually morphed into healing sessions (I nicknamed them V8 therapy) where I learned A lot about who I am, where ive been and where im headed. I also got to see a lot of beautiful places all over New England.

Submitted by: NEB376

Owning a 1967 MGB as my only car for many years taught me patience, self reliance, and to make do with less. Plan for the worst, expect the unexpected, be prepared and stay nimble. When something goes wrong, it's up to you to fix it. No one's coming to save you. Being comfortable with uncertainty brings a sense of peace.

Submitted by: Norm DePlume

About 20 years ago I bought a slightly used C5 Corvette. Fell into a Corvette forum and caught the mod bug hard. For the next two years or so I was spending my evenings on the forums and in the garage tweaking everything on that car — wheels, suspension, stereo, intake, lights, I even swapped the entire interior from beige to black. Then one day I finally admitted something to myself — I wasn't happy in my marriage and the car was just a huge excuse to do stuff on my own and avoid making the hard decision to get out of a flatlining relationship. So that car essentially taught me that "things" will never bring happiness; you have to work hard, be brave and face your real demons first.

Submitted by: BuddyS

My 1968 VW Bus for sure. I bought it on a whim before the prices went crazy from a former colleague.

Before the Bus, I thought every fun car needed to handle on rails and have irresponsible speed capabilities. As cliche as it sounds, the Bus taught me to slow down and enjoy other facets of a vehicle beside speed and handling. Driving the Bus is a joy, and the smile it puts on the faces of my family, strangers, and myself is truly priceless.

Submitted by: SantaCruzin

2004 Mazda RX8. It taught me that I don't like living with the anxiety of my only car being unreliable. When it was working though, I loved it.

Submitted by: RmB

Base model '80 Fiesta in high school. I'd cruise the junkyards on the weekends looking for bits from higher-trimmed Fiestas. Redid the entire interior, added air conditioning, and totally remade the car in my image.

It was never a cool car. But I put nearly 100,000 miles on it and swore by it. Taught me how to wrench, how to shift, how to carry momentum through corners. Most importantly, it taught me the axiom that it's waaaaaaaay more fun driving a slow car fast than driving a fast car slow.

Man I miss that thing.

Submitted by 05Train

My first car, a 1984 Toyota Celica GT hatchback with a manual transmission. For about a year I refused to learn how to drive a stick. I wanted an automatic like "all the other kids"....There was one other kid. After about a year of trying, I finally got it and fell in love with it. I always knew ABOUT cars, but that got me INTO cars and driving. I learned all about car control in that car with that all while driving the speed limit. If I downshifted too early in the rain, the back end was trying to come out at like 20 mph.

Submitted by: Marcus C

Definitely my first car, a 1931 Ford Model A pickup truck, which I bought for $50 from a farmer neighbor who was going to chop it into a whoopie tractor. This was the early 1960s, and I was 12 years old. Of course, I had been driving since I was 9 (farm kids in the '60s, you know), so buying a vehicle wasn't a stretch. I got my dad with our tractor and he towed me home as I steered the A. We rolled in the driveway and my mom came out of the house, took one look at the A and said, "Oh my. It's Early Ruin!" And she was right! That A had been sitting in the neighbor's field for at least 20 years, I imagine, and it was a wreck. I spent the next 4 years rebuilding that truck (my mom was ... bemused to come home and find me rebuilding the transmission on the kitchen table one afternoon) and I drove it all through high school and university. My nephews learned to wrench on it and they still have the A (I turned it over to them when I moved abroad on 2000). They taught all their kids how to wrench on the A, too. In fact, their girls are better mechanics than my nephews or their boys are! That A taught me how to do everything on a vehicle (except fix an air conditioner) and gave me a lifelong appreciation for motors and vehicles in general. Ah, memories.

Submitted by: Patrick

280Z that I drove off the road into an embankment (almost died) 44 years ago. Taught me at a young age to never drink and drive again.

Submitted by: Steve Macdonald

My Mazda5. Sold my 06 STi and got it because two recaro car seats were a tight fit in the Subaru. It taught me that cars aren't everything.

Submitted by: Minivanman