What do you find appealing about cars?

[Dreamer]

If you’re a car enthusiast, what about them, draws you to them? Some questions to consider below, but by all means, feel free to respond in this thread however you wish

Why do you prefer some over others?
If you were to consider purchasing a car and money was of little concern, what would you tend to gravitate towards?
Do you find your car to be an extension of you, reflection of your personality, or simply a tool to get the job done? Is the level of status associated with certain brands or cars of interest to you?

 

[Amberiat]

To some extent I'd say it would be a reflection of me, this doesn't apply to everyone but I would choose a car that suits my style and preferences, a luxury car that emanates elegance and class while having the right "hardware" for the job, I'd still like it to be a strong and imposing car under the hood, not just on the outside.

 

[Sacrophagus]

I drive a black sapphire BMW 750li and a Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS. Elegance and refinement at their best juxtaposed with monstrous abilities.
I'm thinking about getting an Aston Martin DB11 for the same stimuli.
Verily, the impetus to gravitate around these machines is of my alignment with regency and power.

On the other hand, I'm also planning to get a spacious luxury SUV once I get married and have kids since I'm also a family man. Driving them to school whenever I can and all that family hokum. Tsk.

The cars might indeed reflect a little bit of myself, however, in the instances where men buy hypercars for the sole reason of asserting an illusory status, I say, I don't think the car or the mansion make the man.

 

[Peter Deadpan]

Cars have emotional expression to me. Their "face" says something about them. Mean-looking cars with sexy, fast lines are my favorite, and I prefer to date black cars. For the above reasons, I've been thinking about cheating on my silver Saturn Aura. Her optimism and lack of edge have me feeling bored, although I will say she's been pretty reliable and safe. Maybe next year I'll trade her in for a rebellious lean sport utility machine.

my boyfriend is test driving a black Nissan Rogue today and I'm so fucking jealous

 

[Wunjo]

I usually fancy motorcycles -racing ones, such as Kawasaki Ninja- over cars, but when I fancy cars, they are usually Mercedes models, representing some prestige and durability, while if I buy a car instead of a motorcycle one day, it'd definitely be a cabrio. Mercedes C180 is on the spot for me.

 

[Mayflower]

They're sexy! (the sexy ones at least).

Hope there aren't any feminists here, but I like my cars like I like women, Hot and with attitude. I don't really see cars as an extension of myself but a partner. The world is a battlefield and she is my co-pilot!

 

[Population: 1]

The only car I’ve ever had a hard on for was Mad Max’s Pursuit Special (V8 Interceptor). Before it was blown up.

 

[Lady Lazarus]

I only like old and beat up cars to be honest.

 

[rav3n]

Steering and handling are their biggest appeal. That and enough torque and hp to react and maintain as needed. So, they're an extension of my will.

Love supercars but they're impractical. You can't drive or park them everywhere and chalking up miles reduces their resale value. There's also no purpose for so much power since we don't have an autobahn. So, if money was no object, I wouldn't bother flushing it down the toilet with a supercar.

Status is irrelevant to me. I drive a ten year old A4. Bought it new and modded it to meet my needs. It'll be time to flip it soon but I'm waiting for my husband's retirement and subsequent retirement property, to decide what to get. If we emigrate elsewhere, I'll simply sell it and buy where ever we end up, a vehicle to meet our needs. We'll definitely be moving rural so something with 4WD, heavy duty suspension and lifted, to handle rough terrain.

So to summarize, an extension tool to meet my needs.

 

[Maou]

Same reason I like computers, so I can do things with it. Also style.

 

[Hiraeth]

I'm not really a big car fan, but I know the type of cars I find attractive are not modern luxury cars. I'm more impressed with someone who can restore an old junkie car into a timeless, one-of-a-kind vintage masterpiece. My favorite era for cars is probably the early '60s, but I can't name one specific model. Just noticed that I tend to admire the look of many cars from that era, and generally in red or black.

Something like this:

And I think old VW Beetles are nice for a more affordable vintage car:

 

[Hiraeth]

Oh! I forgot to mention custom painted cars, like Janis Joplin's totally awesome psychedelic Porsche. That is more up my alley idealistically and I think would be a better embodiment of my personality overall. It would be amazing to have the chance to work on something like that one day as an artistic venture. Probably wouldn't do a very good job though, but I can dream.

Okay I'm done, hah.

 

[Coriolis]

Cars are tools. I expect mine to work reliably, and to be able to do the things I need it to do. Appearance is secondary, except in a "form follows function way". The only truly aesthetic quality I expect is for it not to stand out overmuch or be ostentatious, unless such a vehicle is the only one that meets my practical needs. Fortunately it does not. I do prefer manual transmission, as I have more control over handling, especially on hills.

 

[Galena]

I've never had one before. But the reason I want one now is simply to be able to get around without trouble in settings without good public transportation.

 

[Forever]

I mean if car isn’t horrendously ugly like pain peeling off or too affected by the sun. I think any standard Japanese car will do from the recent years.

I guess preferably new though as would I have it

 

[anticlimatic]

I put automobiles under the tool category and barely notice their aesthetics, nor do I perceive them as any kind of extension of myself beyond their basic mechanical ability to move me and whatever stuff I need through time and space at high velocity.

That said I appreciate old cars because working on them feels like stepping back in time. I enjoy getting to know old systems of logic.

 

[Tengri]

I appreciate certain aesthetics and the reliability of modern cars. My granduncle owns some 30s and 40's era Cadillacs, 50s muscle car, an 80-something Chevy Camaro that he babies, and goes to multiple cars shows a year. There's definitely a generational quality to the subculture and the people that attend are interesting to talk to - some very mechanically inclined, others just collectors. Since it's not something I was raised with and was never drawn to it as an adult, I'm just an outsider looking in curiously. The 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III is a work of art, as are many wartime cars. Such clean, elegant lines. In reality though, I look for utility, gas mileage, and hatch space in my cars.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

To be honest I find most cars made after 1990 to look very similar. Generic sports car look. Generic SUV look. Generic sedan look. ETC. I can't usually tell them apart. I can't look at some tiny detail and know it's a ford or a chevy. Older vehicles were more distinctive and you could usually know them from one another easily. Now, even companies that used to make very unique looking automobiles (i.e. Volvo and VW) seem to be making increasingly generic looking vehicles.

I like some older vintage cars but I can't really afford them and I don't know anything about rebuilding them. Cars are also stressful to me, they're nickle and dimers and if I had a choice I'd rather use public transit or a personal jetpack to get around. I wouldn't mind driving a Challenger except it's a gas guzzler and I can't afford the repair costs for that beast. A Tesla would be ideal, but again, way out of my price range as I can barely afford to keep my 13 year old car running.

As for the joy of taking something apart, I much prefer working on things like bicycles and musical instruments. A bike is a cheap, practical alternative and musical instruments are a hands on gateway to my first love.

 

[Frosty]

Not much. Just something I use to get from point A to B. My car has quite a few miles on it but drives fine so I love it. I do sometimes wish it was a brighter color so it would be easier to see... but at the same time I dont mind its color right now because it sort of blends in and well- the whole ticket thing- flashier cars get more tickets I heard.

But yeah. I dont know anything about cars except that they drive and you arent supposed to crash them

 

[phoenix31]

I don't find anything appealing about cars. They are simply a convenient way to get from place to place. And it would be nice if mine didn't need so many repairs, haha. My ex used to say how he didn't want to take this trip or that trip because he didn't want to put miles on his vehicle, and I always thought that was ridiculous. The whole point of having one is to get you where you want to go. And they depreciate, so they're not really worth a lot of money as an asset...I'd rather put any money I do have toward other things.