There are the car people on the track for whom money is no object, or at least never comes up in conversation. They’re the ones with the Italian supercars, and the best of them throw the wrench at you and say, here, kid, take it for a spin. There are the track car folks with battered E36 M3s who have day jobs and are constantly saving up for their next mod, or at least race seats, so the next time they do a hot lap they won’t fall out. from the window There are the Real Racers at the track with day jobs, but also sponsors, for whom money is less of a day-to-day concern and more. a matter of lining up their next benefactor. There are also the car people at the track who show up in their Fiat 500 Abarth, which is also their daily driver, who know they can’t push too hard because a wreck would be devastating in so many ways.
In case you missed it:
There are car people who never show up at the track, and instead buy a Porsche 911 because it’s been around for 40 years and still is, which they keep in a garage during periods of non-use and pay their maintenance bills. maintenance. time because money is just a number. There are car people who drive Kia Seltos, who haven’t thought about cars a day in their life. There are car people, somewhere in the Seltos/Camry/CR-V and 911 crowd, who drive luxury German cars like E-Classes because they work in industries where they have to succeed, because they’re lawyers or financiers . or some shit. There’s the convertible car crowd, which is really all over the map. There are the car restoration folks, who spend small fortunes trying to impress at their next Concours d’Elegance. There are the project guys, whose goal is less maintenance and (re)production of cars. Then there are the off-road and #vanlife and full-size truck guys, whose cars are as important, financially speaking, as their primary residences, because, in many cases, they are.
However, I would argue that the majority of car owners in the US, and probably the world, do not fall into either of these categories, but into the category of car as a gadget. Your car is a tool, you don’t need to think until it stops working, like a mobile phone or a vacuum cleaner. Car maintenance is expensive, but so is life, and for most of us there are needs that demand your money more urgently than the next transmission fluid flush. Beyond that, there are more fun things to spend money on, like mind-altering substances.
According to a survey that Tom highlighted earlier this week, a good majority of car owners are doing just that: spending their money on something other than maintenance, or at least waiting, presumably until their conscience gets the better of them or their last paycheck or they die his car Here is a table with some of the survey results:
And for a clue as to why:
A lot of people, then, are a bit lax when it comes to car maintenance, but it’s unlikely that they are one preference, but more of a dollars-and-cents option: If you’re behind on car maintenance, you’re probably behind on some other financial goals, too. After all, your car is running and may even have passed its last inspection, although just having a running car is often a luxury. And you won’t be hitting the track anytime soon, unless someone you know has something cool and the right attitude. He can be a very good friend to have.
