It's a question I'm often asked that draws a sigh, followed by a generic response plucked from a pool of pre-packaged answers. "Because I like it", "it's a hobby", or my personal fave, "beats freebasing", are just a few of the curt retorts. It's not that I'm rude or impatient . . . OK, so maybe I am. But despite any personal shortcomings, it's a question that I abhor. It's like asking Tony Hawk why he picked up a skateboard, Van Gogh why he painted crooked faces, or Michael Phelps why he prefers a bong to a pipe. It's just what they're into. It's a passion. And if someone has to ask, it's something they will never fully comprehend.
But if I had to dig deep and come up with an answer-a sincere one-the truth is slightly more complicated. There's no one specific reason, and it's hard to pinpoint. But what I can say is that messing with cars most likely stems from the lobe of the brain that spurred me to never like uniforms, tract housing, or Britney Spears. Why conform to the masses? At the cost of sounding "pro-entitlement", your car is an expression of you, so why would you want to drive something that everyone else has? As shallow as it sounds, just like the clothes, shoes, or hairstyle you rock, what you drive is a four-wheeled representation of you. And believe me, when talentless girls like Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, or Kendra Wilkinson have their own show, our society is skin-deep. But hey, if you feel secure rollin' a Buick LeSabre, more power to you.
Beyond just the surface, I've always hearted cars. I played with Hot Wheels ever since I could remember, then grew into R.C. Cars and reading Motor Trend and Road & Track. Messing with real cars only came as a natural progression. I can still remember how excited I was sneaking out with my neighbor in his dad's Datsun when I was 14, getting my mom's hand-me-down Mazda MPV, or finally getting my own DC2 Integra. The thing with cars, like everything else in life, is that the initial thrill will eventually wear off. Imagine eating at your favorite restaurant; on occasion, it's great. Day in and day out for the next year or so? Not so much. After your bedroom and place of work, if where you spend most of your time is in your car, it's going to get old fast. That's where the bolt-ons come in.
Whether it's a performance part or an aesthetic one, modifying improves (hopefully) the characteristics of a vehicle, revitalizing and refreshing your experience with it, making driving your car interesting again. That's where it becomes addicting. Because that part will eventually get old and then you're onto the next one, and the following. The next thing you know, you're reading up on the latest parts, what others are doing to their cars, you start going to events, and what was once a hobby becomes a lifestyle (or for some, a career).
Editor
Carter Jung
carter@importtuner.com
facebook.com/carterjung