Frazz by Jef Mallett for June 16, 2023

One granddaughter, whose dad is a good mechanic (though not a professional auto fixer) was fixated on buying cars that looked good… to her. She spent much time and $$ on things like decorative wheels and pin-striping. It was hard to not laugh at her… but I persevered and now, 10 or so years later, she’s finally noticed how expensive her hobby was and is now driving a much less flashy car.

True car guys used to keep spare parts in their vehicle in case something broke along the way. I fixed my old vehicles on the road many times fifty years ago during my trips between New York and an army base in Maryland and never missed formation on Monday morning. Can’t do that anymore with all that computerized stuff under the hood, the lack of space between the engine and the wheel wells, and the extra hoses and wires over everything.

My first ride as a child was in a ‘39 Pontiac, with a rear seat that was so far back, there were foot rests for short legs behind the front seats. Cars had character, for all their repair needs. Later on there were Firebirds, Camaro’s and Chargers. Then cars began to be less interesting. I see nothing in new cars to justify buying any produced in the past couple of decades. [One of my vehicles will turn 20 in November, and the other will be 16 in September. I’m good with those.]

The car gets me from A to B, hopefully without emptying my wallet. Other than that I really don’t care. Cars are more complex now, I can no longer do an emergency rebuild of a carburetor on the road but I don’t need to and I’ve no longer the space to work on all the other stuff. All in all I do find it better.

That’s 2 words.

IIRC, doesn’t Frazz have a Yugo?

I love the JUST A CAR part. Cars have never been an interest of mine. My brother and most of my friends thought it great fun to watch a guy fix his car, hours under the hood. Could have cared less-and still do. Over 70 I walk mostly or take Public Transportation when I must. Bum a ride now and then. My interest in cars is right up there w/ Golf, Baseball, and Fishing.

To me, my cars – It’s a toaster. But it does seem your identity does seem to involve your curated tastes in how you use toast lately.

Always been a car guy, probably a horse guy in the last life… but one at a time. Leno’s got a problem…

A car is a box for carrying you from point A to point B. That’s it. Even as a teen I didn’t understand the big deal about this kind or that kind.

My first car was a two seater 1960 Austin Healy ‘bug eyed’ Sprite (American version). You did not lift the hood, you lifted the entire front end, hood, grille, fenders and all. Ultimate access to the engine compartment that held a tiny four banger. It had this crazy carburetor with a couple little aluminum pots that you had to take off every once in a while and wipe out to get fuel going again. The car was basically a motorized skate board with a body. The convertible top had to be pulled out of the miniature boot (trunk) and stretched over a frame that you assembled and hooked on to the body. Your derriere was riding about 3 or 4 inches above the pavement. The suspension was not great, you bounced passing over a shadow. Seat belts, radio, horn, heater? You joke. Mercy, but I loved that miserable little car. Oh, to be that young and foolish again.

My first car was a ‘63 Ford Falcon, straight-6. I did a lot of work on it. It bothered my back to lean/stretch to change plugs, etc. It occurred to me that I could stand between the engine and the fender. Much more comfortable.

Today you can’t see the ground from under the hood; and heaven help you if you drop anything.

Things were better when I was young. The world ought to be punished for leaving me behind.

So true!

LOVE IT! I’m definitely going to remember that response in case anyone ever asks me whether I’m a car guy. I’m definitely an “it’s just a car” guy too!

The answer to the question was “no”, but said is a far more thinking manner :-)

I’m with Frazz on this one. Meh, car.

The most aerodynamic shape is a teardrop which dictates the shape of any modern automobile. I am a motorhead, when I bought my Mazda3 and popped the hood the 1st time, I could not locate the transmission dipstick, Mazda hid it underneath the air cleaner which you had to take off to get to the said dipstick. Years ago I had a 1967 Mustang that I stuffed a 429 Super Cobra Jet V8 between the shock towers and with the 4:89 gears in the back got 11 mpg on the freeway and I miss it lol my Mazda gets 38 mpg on the freeway and 32 combined but I take it to Bruce my mechanic because I get claustrophobic looking under the hood lol

To me, the most boring fandom is that of trains. At least cars don’t run on rails.

Preposition and punctuation are everything. Such as “Who’s cooking, Grandma” vs “Who’s cooking Grandma”

He’s more of a pretentious, “I run too close to cars” guy.

I was never one though it helps to learn from your vehicle.

That’s 2 wordsof an