Car guys are a different breed because they invest heavily in the past—very heavily.
Non-car guys line up for massive loans at their local car dealer to buy a new car or truck because a decent car is a necessity in today’s world, where kids have bigger agendas than the CEO of a large corporation.
That’s investing in the present and it makes sense, but that’s not how car guys function, so here are five more things car guys do that defy logic.
Jerry Sutherland
CLASSIC MUSCLE CARS
They buy a muscle car close to—or exactly like the one they had in their 20s.
That’s called nostalgia and it comes with a big price—just check out the current retail price of 60s and early 70s muscle cars.
Remember that ’69 Road Runner you could buy brand new at your local dealer for under three grand? That won’t even buy you a used interior in 2025.
Unfortunately, guys who beat the hell out of their then new (or new-ish) muscle cars 50 years ago treat them better now than the Mona Lisa gets treated at the Louvre in Paris.
That’s a sad outcome, because storing your car in a climate-controlled bubble instead of thumping on it now and then is like hiding Jennifer Lawrence in your basement. It’s cruel and very creepy.
CAR SPOTTING
Hunters are constantly spotting wild game—even in the off season.
They look for that elusive 30-point buck because if they see one, it’s catalogued forever in their memory banks. After that, they know where to look when it’s hunting season.
Car guys do the same thing when they spot a potential project in a farmer’s field. They need the time to get home and hook up a trailer, so they make mental notes about its location. Wives hate this because of what gets dragged home, but car spotting is a fact of life with car guys.
SHORT BOX VERSUS LONG BOX PICKUP
Trucks have always been a tool of the trade for farms and construction sites, so that means the most functional truck is the most valuable.
Not in car guy world. Short box pickups are worth considerably more than standard long box trucks. Yes, the classic truck with less payload will always sell faster than a long box.
Car guys like the sportier lines of a short box pickup because they look cooler and they can handle off-road stuff better–thanks to the short wheelbase. Yes, this makes no logical sense, but logic and the car hobby are distant cousins at best.
SUMMERS ARE JUDGED BY CAR SHOWS
Many car guys build a lifestyle around car shows because they’re a great opportunity for socializing with other car guys.
There’s an opportunity to win a trophy, and car guys get to exercise their old iron. Shows justify a road trip and road trips justify old iron. The only thing that wrecks the mood is bad weather, so if the weather sucks on car show days, that means the summer sucks for car guys.
CAR GUYS DISAPPEAR DURING THE WINTER
You’d be surprised how many car guys disappear over the winter. They’re not going to Arizona or Palm Springs—they’re headed straight to their shops.
Car guys look at winter as an opportunity—not a liability. The days are short, and the nights are long, but that doesn’t matter inside a shop because stuff is getting done and projects are moving ahead.
Yes—car guys do weird stuff, but that’s what drives the hobby. The world’s a better place for it.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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