It’s time to set the record straight about car guys.
You know the ones I mean. They love hotrods with loud engines, colorful paint jobs and shiny chrome. They adore that leathery “new car” smell. They like to drive fast.
They work all day at their paying jobs and then spend their free time lying on their backs, jammed under a vehicle – or sometimes bent over, crammed under a hood.
They are happiest when they are taking their babies apart or putting them back together. They wash and wax their cars year-round, even in sub-zero temperatures.
They are always hurting themselves – especially their poor, battle-worn hands. They often have black marks on their hands or under their nails – even if they just scrubbed them really well.
I am in love with a car guy and I have learned so much from him.
Our car guy has a serious, life-long obsession with muscle cars. He likes them big-bodied, loud and fast. He wants you to hear him coming down the road. He loves to hear other hotrods coming, too – he can identify just about any make and model by the sound of the engine.
Loving loud, fast cars is not due to any shortcomings or inadequacies on his part, I assure you. I’ve seen all the car guy memes and stereotypes. Maybe that’s true for some guys, but not mine!
This is not a midlife crisis, either. E has loved racecars since he was a little boy. Yes, it’s true that by midlife, he had earned, saved and worked hard all his life so he was able to afford more cars and a bigger garage. But this is no crisis; it’s a life-long passion.
There are many reasons why guys love cars. For my guy, it is just something he has always loved – and it is also a special bond he shares with his dad, who is also a car guy.
E longed for fast, loud cars all his life and now he’s finally able to have them. He works so hard for our family and he deserves this hobby and passion – which is also, in and of itself, a lot of work.
He always takes care of my car, too. Back when we were dating, I’ll never forget the first time he took my car out, washed and detailed it, then brought it back to me. No one had ever done that for me before. He’s done it countless times since.
A car guy is a great guy to know because they can usually fix anything and everything. Our neighbors know that E is the guy to come to if your car is making a strange noise or not running right. I joke that E’s car hobby is sponsored by all the money we’ve saved on car repairs and maintenance over the years since he does it all himself.
E has an entire tribe of young car guys who long to be like him someday and who love to hang around, watch or help him work on his cars and then ultimately go out for drives with him. He also has a much younger fan club of kids in our neighborhood who adore his cars and love to come by our driveway to see which of the racecars is out on display.
E is the safest driver I know. He puts so much time, hard work and sweat equity into his beloved cars – there’s no way he would take any unnecessary risks with them. He is also extremely considerate and never revs them unnecessarily or does burnouts or leaves tire marks in our neighborhood. He believes there’s a time and a place for those things, but never in our community.
Nothing gives me more pleasure than seeing E’s happiness while driving, washing, fixing up and taking care of his precious cars. And when the weather is good, you know he’s out there cruising. A sunny, cloud-free day is the surest way to get a smile out of this car guy of mine.
Next time it’s a gorgeous, dry day and you see and hear the car guys going out for a cruise, remember that all that engine noise is actually a proven safety feature. You’ll always hear those hotrods coming and never be surprised by them.
So if you know a car guy, give him a hug today. You may just need him next time your own ride starts acting funny.
