Art of Gears
Fansided

Non-car people are wrong, and here’s why

By Brandon TeVelde

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - 2021/05/30: Internal combustion engine seen during the exhibition.The biopic exhibition tells the story of the Moskvich brand, the most popular Soviet automobile. The Museum of Transport of Moscow presented for the first time a collection of serial cars, prototypes of Muscovites and racing cars. In four halls of the exhibition, visitors will trace the path of the car brand from filming the main Soviet films and participating in international rallies to the closure of the plant. (Photo by Mihail Siergiejevicz/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
MOSCOW, RUSSIA - 2021/05/30: Internal combustion engine seen during the exhibition.The biopic exhibition tells the story of the Moskvich brand, the most popular Soviet automobile. The Museum of Transport of Moscow presented for the first time a collection of serial cars, prototypes of Muscovites and racing cars. In four halls of the exhibition, visitors will trace the path of the car brand from filming the main Soviet films and participating in international rallies to the closure of the plant. (Photo by Mihail Siergiejevicz/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) /
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As a self-proclaimed automotive junkie, I often find myself at a crossroads, whether or not to correct people when they tell me they aren’t really “in to cars.” Allow me to explain.

It is typically very difficult to correct somebody who not only doesn’t realize the folly of their ways, but also has no conception that they could even be wrong in the first place. To many people, not liking cars is akin to not liking fish, or not being a football fan. But I am here to tell you these people are wrong. (The exception to the rule being those that do not own or use an automobile, relying on bicycles, walking, or other means of transportation that do not involve vehicles.)

There are many levels of involvement in the car scene. The fully invested and heavily involved types, such as myself, will gladly tear a perfectly good car apart and rebuild it or heavily modify it just for fun. It can be simply for looks or to make a statement with an outlandish paint job and big shiny wheels. Or maybe you are wanting to push the boundaries of ground clearance and grip, building a monster off-road machine.

Or, again like me, you seek the ever-elusive limits of speed and handling. To the outside perspective, the multitude of styles in the car/truck scene have such a wide degree of variance that they may seem unrelated, and exclusive but, they truly are not. We are all driven by the singular goal of achieving something better. Better looks. Better handling. Better stereo. Better memories. The list could literally go on forever.

And, dear reader, perhaps you find yourself in disagreement. Perhaps your goals are more aligned with the pursuit of MPGs, or cleaner burning fuels and electric cars. Or maybe you don’t care about any of that. Maybe, you simply own a car out of convenience, or for commuting back and forth to work. Perhaps you are inclined to argue that you aren’t in to cars. Allow me to prove you wrong.

I have yet to meet a single creature that doesn’t eat. No humans, no dogs, no cats, etc. All of us require sustenance of some sort. And while I know there may be people on our planet who do truly not enjoy food and only eat to stay alive, I have yet to meet any of them.

You don’t have to be a chef or have mastered even a single recipe to be a fan of food. We all have a preference and an interest in what we eat. Ordering every single meal and never getting personally involved does not mean you don’t like food. It means you don’t like to cook.

Cars are the same way. Buying a car off the showroom and doing nothing but driving and maintaining it does not mean you don’t like cars. It might mean you don’t enjoy working on cars, or modifying cars, but it does not mean you are not in to cars. Every single time that you have exclaimed something along the lines of “Wow, this car gets 30 mpg!” or “Holy stink this thing is quick”, you reinforced the notion that you are a bigger car fan than maybe you thought.

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You don’t have to be out turning wrenches or cutting metal to be part of the scene. Just being here on this site, reading this article, proves that you already are a car person. Maybe you just didn’t know it yet, and that’s okay. Some people will remain uninformed and uninitiated their entire lives. I’m here to tell you that the car scene is all-inclusive. All walks of life, all kinds of cars, all forms of involvement.

And I’m hopeful that the knowledge that you are already include will provoke and promote curiosity. I don’t imagine this news will convince my readers to grab a toolset and get to work on a project car, but I’m hopeful that it can lead to further acts of discovery and involvement.

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