i got in a discussion with a friend who was basically asking me why i fix up my car, which he sees as materialistic, pointless, and a waste of money. i see fixing up cars as a hobby, some of the best times i have ever had in my life are chalked up to cars, be it racing, working on them, or just chilling with other enthusiasts. but why do we fix up cars? is the need for speed? nothing better to do? lack of other hobbies? people have been fixing up cars since the beginning of the automotive industry, but why do we invest so much $ just to get our cars to run faster? sorry if this is pointless and stupid, i've just been thinking about it for a while. i'm not accusing anybody of throwing away money into the wind, considering i've invested quite a lot also, just wanted to hear other people's opinions.

sorry if this is in the wrong forum :rolleyes: just didn't know where else to post it where it would be read.

Well for once, to get the respect from others. To feel superior to others. If one has a better looking, or faster car than another enthusiast he will feel superior and better.

The other is for speed. Acceleration has always been fun, be it sky diving, jumping from a bungee jump or accelerating in a stock civic EX...oooopppsss...that didnt fit in. Or accelerating in a mclaren f1. The adrenaline rush that one feels is pleasurable.

For pride. Pride in fixing your car and making it look better, run faster, improving it.

I have yet to do much to my car yet. As i dont have the money for it cause im saving for a RX7. But i have modded a few cars in my time.

The reason i do it is because i enjoy spending time with guys and gals that share the same intrest. Beleave me its hard to have a discusion with your gf about a rotary engine or compression ratio.
I also do it as a hobbie. I enjoy making my car work better than waht a factory of engineers made it do. And i supose for others to see. But that is more of a side effect, cause i do up cars formyself, if someone likes it that just makes it all that much better.

Well for once, to get the respect from others. To feel superior to others. If one has a better looking, or faster car than another enthusiast he will feel superior and better.

The other is for speed. Acceleration has always been fun, be it sky diving, jumping from a bungee jump or accelerating in a stock civic EX...oooopppsss...that didnt fit in. Or accelerating in a mclaren f1. The adrenaline rush that one feels is pleasurable.

For pride. Pride in fixing your car and making it look better, run faster, improving it.

You nailed it.!!!!!!!! Nothing funner then hanging with friends family and sharing what you have to say about cars. What makes the car faster better looking. Even though most people out there today are trying to make that civic the fast and cheapest thing on the street. But really its the fact that you made it and i put that together and look how good it looks and when i drive down the street how many heads i trun. Also, Maybe to even hear people talk about you like they know you, but really they don't and just know you because of your car. (thats My dream)

Good post. Keep is going.

Humans are also the most competitive animals on Earth...

I believe it is a reflection on individualality. As Carrrnuttt said we are competitive and part of that competitive drive is also seperating ourselves from others with the same car. By changing my car it is now my car and it reflects my personality and desires (fast and aggresive, for what I can afford). Some people use bumper stickers to reflect their individuality, some put dice in the mirror, some make their car faster, some just like to make their car go BlingBling... do you see where I am getting at? Everyone modifies their car to suite themselves, even if you don't modify your car you are still making a statement. In the end it is the desire to seperate yourself from the "normal"

these are alll great and i agree totally with them all, nothing like sitting around with other carnuts talking about engines and turbo setups, even when you can't do it, other people see it as a waste of time money and energy, we see it as an investment in ourselves, it builds us up to look at something and say, "I made that with my own hands and some tools and a dream", thats what it's about, a dream, we envision what we want and it is a reflection of our personality, the color we paint it, the mods we make the car we chose for the job, for some people painting or other types of art do that for us it's spending hours trying to get the perfect air to fuel ratio and then look at that timeslip,

It's fun. It's like art. You paint a picture then admire it. Others can, too, if they wish.

i agree that your car is a representation of what kind of person you are, same with how you drive it. also, getting a certain satisfaction out of knowing that you've taken a stock eco car and turned it into a sleek racer.

Why do i like modifying cars (well other peoples cars....i didnt even bother with my vx hatch-wacked frame damage-gettin the rex soon)? I dont know the whole reason...i get a huge endrophin (sp) release from hearing a BOV, hearing high RPMs, seeing cars go 150, being in a car during a race....Its damn crazy...I dont know what it is but Its there! I love cars and i love speed.

And i dont get why the hell your friend said it was pointless or whatever. Why do people collect art, do woodworking, garden? What do you end up with? A painting, a table, a flower? While they may not be comparable to modifying cars in scale, they have the same principle there-its a interest. We all have hobbies and we all have interests, they just differ from person to person!

Also, Maybe to even hear people talk about you like they know you, but really they don't and just know you because of your car. (thats My dream)

Im with you on that one. Theres only a few serious racers here and I only know about three of them personally, but to my friends I know all of them simply because I know their cars and names. Cant wait until thats me being talked about. :iceslolan Mar 20th!

I believe it is a reflection on individualality. As Carrrnuttt said we are competitive and part of that competitive drive is also seperating ourselves from others with the same car. By changing my car it is now my car and it reflects my personality and desires (fast and aggresive, for what I can afford). Some people use bumper stickers to reflect their individuality, some put dice in the mirror, some make their car faster, some just like to make their car go BlingBling... do you see where I am getting at? Everyone modifies their car to suite themselves, even if you don't modify your car you are still making a statement. In the end it is the desire to seperate yourself from the "normal"

exactly. i love customization. being a fan of cars, and being able to modify my car is fun and exciting. i like making things my own, and when it comes to one of the 2 most important material things in life (house and car) , it's great that you get a choice as to how you want it to look.

:)

I made my car fast to compensate for my small weiner

LOL, great post ricochet

I did too... mines just not that big.