I'm guessing most of you guys here have done the same. Actually, I'd bet there is a probably one woman here who has traded a boyfriend for a car. I figured February was the right month for this kind of article.
http://www.autotraderclassics.com/articles/templates/generalArticle.xhtml?articleId=61398
hahaha Kudos sir!
I though it went "I got a gun for my wife. Good trade, huh?"
When I bought my Miata my girlfriend and I had been dating 3+ years. She would have much rather that I had spent the money on a ring.
Seventeen years later I still have the Miata.
In 2003, I pulled up in my friend's '71 Camaro at my high school girlfriend's house (this car currently has a best of 212.9 mph in the standing mile spinning tires to the .5 mile mark at Maxton. Back then it was a grumpy .40 over, high comp, 350 with a 4 speed, and 28" slicks with open exhaust).
Her neighbours hated the thing, idling in first gear going about 10 mph they were yelling for me to slow down, the car was so loud I guess it sounded like I as flying. The only thing you could hear in this car other than the exhaust was the gravel sandblasting the wheel wells from the slicks. I felt cool as hell driving that thing.
Anyway, I pulled up she heard me coming, came out, took one look and said, "That thing is soo white trash." Without saying anything, I got back in, fired that sucker up and took off.
Love the line, "Would marry the first grl with her own rolling toolbox".
Mine was always, first girl who could rebuild a carburetor, which turned into do you know what a carburetor is, finally can you drive a manual.
Got lucky with my wife on the last two. When my wife met me there were car parts degreasing in the bathtub and I had three major projects.
Any girl who can weld is worth marrying.
Bill Clinton comes off Air Force one with two Razorback pigs, one under each arm. He tells the Marine he got one for Hillary and one for Chelsea. The Marine replied "That was a fine trade sir."
Remember to tip your waitress, I'll be here all week.
jrw1621 wrote: When I bought my Miata my girlfriend and I had been dating 3+ years. She would have much rather that I had spent the money on a ring. Seventeen years later I still have the Miata.
Mines better. She asked for a keyring... with a Miata key attached!
Well, I'll tell ya... even though I had a 5.9 litre engine on a stand in my mudroom... even I wouldn't put up with anything other than me degreasing in my bathtub.
slefain wrote: I'm guessing most of you guys here have done the same. Actually, I'd bet there is a probably one woman here who has traded a boyfriend for a car. I figured February was the right month for this kind of article.
Great stuff, Brian!
I can't help remembering that car on a cold weekend in Bristol and hoping Robert Mitchum would roll up with a trunk-full of shine.
Keep em coming; you're doing great!
oldsaw wrote:slefain wrote: I'm guessing most of you guys here have done the same. Actually, I'd bet there is a probably one woman here who has traded a boyfriend for a car. I figured February was the right month for this kind of article.Great stuff, Brian! I can't help remembering that car on a cold weekend in Bristol and hoping Robert Mitchum would roll up with a trunk-full of shine. Keep em coming; you're doing great!
That was the trip to Bristol that David in accounting rode with me for a few miles, and Mike Tweedy almost rear-ended us in his Buick 225. David tried to dive UNDER the dash while Tweedy drove around us in the median, waving. I still have the Bristol stickers on the car. Atlanta to Bristol in November, with the top down!
Appleseed wrote: Any girl who can weld is worth marrying.
After 4 years of marriage my wife and I were out shopping when she ran into her high school welding shop teacher....a skill I was previously unaware of and one which she denies.
I'll keep her anyway.
When I met my wife, I had a Lotus TC cylinder head on my kitchen table. I needed a clean workspace.
Hess, thats funny, I had the nose cone and front cycle wings from the Super 7 on my kitchen table when the girlfirend(now wife came over the first time). Hey they had just been painted, and I wanted them safe! She said what are those, I explained, she said thats silly. From the look on my face she just said sorry then turned and headed for the bedroom
My wife was pretty pissed when I brought a rusty z-car basketcase home. She's lightened up a little, she even gave me the green light to drag that XJS I posted about the other day home.
On our first date I picked her up in a greasy t-shirt and torn jeans in my autoX miata. Stripped to the sheetmetal inside, stiff coilovers, and r-compounds. It was loud, uncomfortable, and fast as hell in the corners. She loved it. She later told me that she stopped seeing the other guy she was dating because I had a cooler car.
My wife tried to stop me buying more cars once, I just went and towed another one home to make the point.
You can accept it, or hate it, but it is going to happen
Lesley wrote: Well, I'll tell ya... even though I had a 5.9 litre engine on a stand in my mudroom... even I wouldn't put up with anything other than me degreasing in my bathtub.
I had two clearly.
I was unsuccessfully autocrossing a Z-24 in ESP 15 years or so ago when I spotted a Fiero for sale. Always wanted one, explained to the missus that there would be a lot of cubic dollars thrown into the Cavalier to be competitive, that the Fiero would be less costly to autocross....
Well, after an engine swap, suspension upgrades, and a whole host of other things, the Fiero got completed.....also bought a lot of tools just to work on cars, too, along the way. Probably wasn't any cheaper than upgrading the Cavalier, but I learned a lot and had a lot of fun!
While I was about 75% complete with the Fiero, I just decided I had to have a TVR. Found one and said that I wanted to get it. I don't think the missus talked to me for about a week, but then she relented and said to go get it.
Fast forward to 2008 and again, I woke up and decided that I needed an aircooled car to add to the collection. At this point I was done with the Fiero (as done as completed cars ever get!), working on the TVR (complete and total makeover/resurrection), and thinking I wanted an older Beetle. I found one in Oregon that was chopped, larger engine, etc. Pics from the seller looked good. This time, the missus said I should look for a cheap airfare to go and look at it (I'm in TX) before I had a "piece of crap" delivered here sight unseen. Good call on her part -- the beetle left a lot to be desired. About 3 months after that, I found the Puma in SF, CA. Had a good friend who was local look at it for me and pronounced it fit to buy. The missus said, "Merry Christmas!" and told me to get it.
Sometimes finding the right woman is a bit of an evolution -- if she really loves you and supports you, she supports the hobby as well. She doesn't understand the car thing at all, has no interest in spending time in the shop helping out -- she does like helping pick out the colors -- but the time in the shop is my time.....helps keep my head on straight...
This time around...the girls know, up front, that I'm a car guy and it's not something for them to "deal with"...it's a huge part of my life.
There is, of course, give and take...but being single these past couple of years had made me realize who I am and that I'd be a fool to try to not be a "car guy" to make a woman happy.
What I'm learning is that some girls are fine with it (I was led to believe this was not the case over a decade of marriage to someone that was NOT fine with it).
Clem
In 1988 I was competing at the Runoffs at Road Atlanta and ran into an old racing friend. He asked me where my wife was. I told him"She gave me an ultimatum, her or the racecar. Damn, I miss that woman!" Current wife is very suportive of my racing.
Several years ago I was dating a girl who wanted to move in with me, but thought I had too many cars. She especially didn't like the rusty (...and at the time, non-running) datsun wagon sitting in my back yard. She tried to offer an ultimatum: "I could never live with someone who has three cars." She was wrong. 
What she didn't know was that I was complaining to a friend about that conversation, and said, "I'll get rid of her before I get rid of the datsun." It turns out that I was right.
(What did she expect, I already had plans for that car.)
cars, bike dogs...
No one should put up with any ultimatiums, especially when dating. My brags to her buddies that she always knows where I am...the garage
Mental wrote: My brags to her buddies that she always knows where I am...the garage
I've often said that a woman who's worried about where her man is should buy him a 1960s-1970s british roadster....
JoeyM said: I've often said that a woman who's worried about where her man is should buy him a 1960s-1970s british roadster....
Thats magazine worthy!
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