As car enthusiasts, we love to collect cars, fawn over them, and even wash them sometimes. But most of all, we love driving them. And yet, more than the average person, we might find ourselves not driving our pride and joy instead. That’s my question to you—why aren’t you driving your car?
Of course, this can happen for all sorts of reasons. Number one is usually because your car is broken. If you’re a gearhead, you might have bought some stupid BMW that’s ruined your life, or an old wreck in need of some restoration. If your car’s out of service, I feel you, fam. I get that you wanna be back behind the wheel.
Alternatively, gas prices could be getting you down. They’re not exactly cheap these days, and it’s worse if you’re running a car on premium. Sure, you could save money with a Costco membership, but who has time to wait in line? Well, Adrian, apparently, but not the rest of us.
Or perhaps… perhaps you don’t feel the need to drive. Maybe you’ve given up on hitting the drive-thru at In & Out, and you’re cooking instead. Or you’ve… switched to public transport?! Or maybe you’ve just got nowhere to go. Lately, I’m finding myself in the latter category.
Sometimes, though, I like it when I can drive, but I don’t have to. I particularly enjoy road trips with the boys, when I get to chill out in the passenger seat of my own ride. Or even the rear bench! It’s cool seeing your own car from a different perspective, you know? You get to feel what it’s like to be a passenger in your own sweet whip.
In any case, those are all the vague reasons I could possibly come up with. Now give me yours. Why aren’t you driving your car at the moment? Inquiring minds, well… they’d like to know.
Image credits: Lewin Day (I’m in the photos, duh)
My ’84 AMC Eagle wagon has been converted to a home-made off-roaders. Only problem is the viscous coupling in the transfer case has failed.
This makes it pretty sweet around corners in the rain (which doesn’t really happen in the desert), but opens the possibility of getting stuck in a gravel parking lot if I turn too tight!. Ask me how I know
I have the unique problem of location as it relates to my love of cars.I have a fun hatchback as a daily, and a 94 Miata as my weekend car. But, the problem is that I live in an apartment, and 90’s RWD cars are regularly stolen. So I drive it way less out of the fear of something happening to it! Which is sad.
It’s stored someplace safe most of the time. So that’s good!
Although, this has made me want to pick up another car with more modern security features.
All three! My engine blew up and I live in an apartment, so I have no garage to wrench on it unless I plan time in a friend’s garage, but I’ve been too unsure of how to go about that and avoid bogarting his garage for multiple months. So I either share my partner’s car or just public transit around. It’s fairly convenient, free for the summer, and I’m saving up a lot of money that my car is just waiting to get back to devouring. I miss my car but it stays parked, for now. It’s the rational decision.
I’m bored with my cars. Time to shake up the garage with a very nice model A truck I’ve been watching or a nice’35 Chevy truck, but definitely a truck. So many liabilities for driving at speed, it’s time to go slow..
My only car sees low yearly mileage because I commute by public transit so I can enjoy my 40 year old heap when I do drive it. I’d enjoy my ’85 300D a lot less if I had to deal with its idiosyncrasies in bumper to bumper traffic every day. It’s more fun on short jaunts to cookout anyways.
Married and working at home since the pandemic and living very close to essential needs means I don’t have a need to drive very much. I often have to do oil changes way before the mileage interval.
Because I just bought a truck and I can only drive one at a time!
What an interesting article to pop up.
Radwood, the ‘80s and ‘90s automotive and lifestyle show, is coming to Detroit this September. Detroit is a 7-hour drive from me, but the ‘80s and ‘90s are a slight nostalgic obsession of mine and the music, TV, movies, style, and cars of those decades have shaped a big part of who I am today. Plus, I own probably one of the last remaining mint condition Pontiac Sunbirds. Hence, Radwood has always been a dream of mine to go to.
But, my anxiety-ridden self never trusted my 65,000 mile 1990 J-Body car to make the trip. Even though it has had a lot of recent upkeep and maintenance (entirely new A/C system, entirely new cooling system, new exhaust, new front brakes new valve cover gasket/oil pressure sensor/distributor, new heater core, new tires as of 2019 and 8,000 miles ago, etc.) and has minimal remaining issues. I just kept picturing all the horrible things that could go wrong. And I let myself miss Radwood.
Not this year. Just bought my show ticket and arranged plans to meet two friends who are also going. One with a 1988 Pontiac LeMans (yes) and one with a 1989 Pontiac Grand Prix. You only live once!
My 99 Miata is doing well and I have been driving it except when the weather is bad or it is excessively hot. It has been 90-100*F lately with heat index of 105-110. Going to put on a new exhaust, front and rear sway bars, and attempt to reinstall a/c for the first time in 7 years on it this weekend.
My 2000 S10 is also doing well and I drive it when there is bad weather or I want to use the a/c.
2004 Mazdaspeed Miata – just got the new engine installed. Drove it once to fill the tank but it desperately needs to be tuned after all the changes. Appointment early next week then will be primary driver again.
2004 Mach 1 – Needs a clutch, I have the part just waiting to start on it until the Miata things are done. Should only take a weekend.
I work from home. Where am I gonna go?
7 years ago my office moved from the suburbs to the city, my 24 mile commute became a 1.5 hour train ride 3 days a week. Then covid and my job is now work from home and 60+ hours a week. Most of my driving anymore is shuttling family members to Dr’s appointments or running errands So I drive my wife’s soulless CUV or my beater.
It also doesn’t help that my cool stuff is all stored 30min away so I either have to drive the beater up there and swap it out or take the truck and trailer to bring a car home. I realized this spring that my most-driveable car in the fleet hasn’t been driven in at least 4 years, nothing wrong with it, just parked in storage and haven’t had time or motivation to get it out. I paid for plates and insurance this year so I hope to at least drive it enough to use a tank of gas and burn off the varnish it’s currently running on.
My toy has some compromises that I am not ready to fix.
I put an aluminum diff cover on my Pathfinder. The diff cover is for Zs and Gs, holds an additional 500ml of gear oil, and keeps the LSD cool with its extended fins.
Now, somehow, Nissan decided that Zs only needed one bolt and bushing to mount their diffs to the sub-frame (as opposed to two on the r200 for the Pathfinder).
Z1Motorsports sells a diff brace (goes on passenger side), which I installed. Everything was great for a bit, but the unequal left to right wallow in the back has gotten worse, probably as the dampers are a little more worn, or I am old and notice more.
So I need to either return to a normal diff cover and/or rebuild the shocks. As I only use the vehicle for runs to the mountains for fire roads and trails (a minimum of 1.5 hours, max of 5), she sits more than I would like.
I am using her as a recovery and rescue vehicle in an event later this month, and have gotten to the point that I am towing her to the event, as I have kind of ruined her for longer trips until I take care of the rear suspension and/or swap out the 35″ MTs for ATs.
In the meantime, I get around in my Titan, wife’s Mustang, or wife’s BMW 4eIdrivesomething something EV.
It was totaled and I’ve been driving a rental for a month while insurance sorts it out. Found out this morning I have a week to buy something else.
It’s 90+ every day, the A/C is busted, I need half a dozen bushings, and I’m sick of begging shops to take my car because we both know finding parts is going to be a treasure hunt. When parts dried up in the pandemic, they never came back for 30 year old Acura’s.
Today I was twatting around in someone else’s Tesla Model 3 Performance, so not driving my cars. It’s amazing how quickly I got bored of mad acceleration and instead really focused on the most challenging aspect of driving one of those, which is trying to use the steering wheel mounted buttons to indicate that you’re turning off a roundabout. It’s a completely inappropriate way to control that function, and the worst kind of switch to use too.
The lack of noise also kicked off my tinnitus so all I can hear now is a high pitched “eeeeeeeeeeeee”. I’ll play some music next time, or keep a window open.
I only do 6000 miles a year, but I try to drive both cars once a week because they are brilliant.
Yesterday I snuck out in the rain to do some skids in the 86, and Sunday I’m taking the Lotus out to watch an engine I worked on get raced. I don’t care if they win as long as it’s still going at the end.
I’m in a unique position right now, 2 of the 3 are broken and 1 isn’t currently registered. So I’m driving my Dad’s truck until I can get 1 of them (legally and safely) back on the road. Hopefully tomorrow.
ZJ 5.9-death wobble, parts are in, just need time on my uncle’s lift.
Mazda Ranger-clutch slave cylinder rod froze and broke the interlock.
Cutlass-didn’t transfer a plate because I was driving the Ranger due to the Jeep being broken….
Alfa Giulia is the daily driver, with a long commute, between 1000-1200 miles a week.
67 mustang, I have owned for 25 years, and never put much more than 1000 miles a year, needs a dusting and check of the fluids before every ride, so 5-10 minutes of prep before a ride makes it a hassle if your just making a quick trip to the store or anything.
98 Z3 (wifes 2nd car) she drives the wheels off of it as long as there is no rain in the forecast, even in the 90+ degree weather we have been having
72 F-250, engine is currently on a stand (may be back in this weekend!)
Its 113F/45C and extreme UV outside so I’m staying inside away from windows enjoying the wonders of A/C thank you very much.
Also SFBA gas prices, emissions guilt, traffic, crowds and all that.
It doesn’t work
I drove my TR250 to work today and the Porsche 924S last week. I like to take them out for errands or to stretch their legs on nice days. I don’t put a ton of miles on them, but they get used. Mostly stay in in cold weather or if I just get too busy.
Because I can’t get the rebuilt carb settings right on the MGB and there may be other issues, so I bought a Miata and now I’m spending all my time driving that.
My commute to work is 2.7 miles (6 stoplights along the way). Short commute is great, but, while I technically “drive” I don’t get to enjoy my car much. I’m also working 60+ hour weeks, so not even really driving much in my free time either.
It won’t pass emissions and I need to rebuild the engine, hence the ’89 Montero is parked in a safe spot with expired tags for the time being. I don’t have a garage of my own to do a long term project. The BMW runs fine, I drive it all the time.
I stopped commuting by car, and bought a belt-driven e-bike with panniers and mudguards for my workday commute of about 12-13km each way. Regular street clothes, and no more sweat than a brisk walk of the same duration.
I’ll readily concede it’s not for everyone, but we have well-maintained paths along the river that goes between my neighborhood and the city, and it means I no longer have to punt my cold-war manual Saab convertible through peak hour traffic twice a day. Sure, the 900 is a delight, but I might as well save it for more recreational driving and cars and coffee mornings on the weekends.
The bike will have paid for itself inside 16 months in terms of offsetting the cost of petrol or even just busfare (even after buying a battery tender for the old Finn) and it’s even shortened my commute time, as I used to park outside the CBD to avoid parking costs and walk the last couple kilometers in. And being able to do 25-40km/h on a bicycle is quick enough that it’s even scratching my latent motorcycle itch, something I’d given up for the sake of extended family harmony.
Plus, this way I’m using the car so infrequently I can access a conditional registration scheme at a reduced cost. So overall it’s been a win-win!
The Volvo 245 is currently without functional air conditioning, which makes Denver traffic, well, hellish.. and the miata isn’t getting driven due to ongoing autoimmune issues that wipe me out in sunny warm weather… so ive been driving my fiat 500e almost exclusively… fortunately blasting the AC seems to have litte effect on range.