You name your babies when they’re born, and usually we name our pets…so why not your car?
Just like people, cars can have personalities, vices, gaseous exhalations and make obnoxious noises. For those of you who have never named your car before…YOU’RE MISSING OUT!
Unlike a human being, a car’s name doesn’t have to be all nice and normal. It can be more along the lines of a dog’s or racehorse’s name...like Dun Run Out of Cash, Hillbilly Hobbit, Winnie the Pooch, Fat Cat.
When I was a child, the naming of the car was a grand event. On the rare occasion my parents bought a new car, all my siblings and I were anxious to name it. We’d have a meeting to vote on what to call the new Family Wheels. Here are some of the cars I’ve known in my life: Vanda (our 15 seater blue van), Chippie (our brown Toyota corolla), Clifford (the big red car), Fred (my husband’s old Ford truck in high school), and Bruce (my cousin’s car named after Bruce Springstein because it sounded constipated).
With a name, comes responsibility. When your car acts up and sputters, or doesn’t start when you turn the ignition, you have the right to curse it by name (and what a GREAT feeling that is to yell at your car and maybe even get out and kick it in the tire as you scream it’s given NAME). There is no better feeling. See what I mean below in the next scenario where you’re car has just died on the freeway in 5:00 traffic.
What you say to a Generic Car: “You worthless piece of junk!” (Now this is okay if your car is actually named WORTHLESS PIECE OF JUNK--sounds like a racehorse name).
What you say to a Named Car: “Bugs, you're a shame to all Volkswagens! I’m beginning to wish I’d bought something built in Detroit you worthless piece of junk!" (Notice how you can still work in other names besides its real name, which is a bonus in my book)
See the difference? Just hearing his name muttered in rage might be all the incentive Bugs needs to give a little sputter and start back to life again. I’ve actually had a car engage its engine after I ranted at it by name. So for that reason alone, you should name your cars!
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8 comments:
Charissa I loved this post! I will admit David and I bought a brand new car way back in 1999 and are still driving that thing and it still does not have a name. eeek, the embarassement!
growing up in a family that named them, i've always thought it was completely normal and necessary! I was super excited when i met my husband and he named his too!
While it's kinda fun to name the cars, there's actually a layer of depth to the whole thing, right? It's a unique quality that separates the car among its similar peers, more or less. The name, no matter how odd, connects us to our car.
-Leisa Dreps
I agree, Leisa! It’s like naming a newly-born baby. Haha. Our cars, even the old ones, have their own sentimental value. So, naming it wouldn’t hurt. In fact, you can even celebrate its anniversary too, on the day you bought it. Sound’s hilarious, right? But oddly enough, it’s the thought that makes it extra special.
Angelica Emmanuel
That sure brings back some old memories! I remember when my dad bought our family car. We named it “Willy”, from our favorite movie Free Willy. The car was big enough to fit us all, so we thought that it was an appropriate name for the car. And I agree with your point. Giving your precious possession a name will make it more valuable. Therefore, you will feel compelled to take care of it, no matter what.
(Stelle Courney)
I agree with you, Charissa! Cars, just like new born babies, have their own traits that should be taken into consideration before being named. It’s like fusing your car with an impression you’d like everyone else to recognize and associate with your car.
- Patrick Gauer
Giving your car a name is indeed a fun activity to do. Well, I take it seriously! Haha. The last time I did this was when my sister bought a brand new car. I suggested a lot of possible names, as in a lot! Haha. But, my sister didn’t consider any of those. However, I still gave her Honda a name…well, secretly. :p
Carry Demaggio
“Some guys give their beautiful sports cars such sexy names that they actually fall in love with them (Yes, names can do that).”--- LOL. But this one is true! My brother loves his car so much and he really talks about his car from time to time. And you know what? Some people might really think that my brother is just talking about his girlfriend, but they just don’t know that my brother is really referring to his car. Haha!
Junior Perrera
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