If You Hate Cars, You May Still Love Cars

I considered titling this, “10 Ways You’re Liking Cars Wrong,” but really, there’s only one way to like cars wrong, and that’s to think that there’s a way of liking cars wrong. Even not-liking cars isn’t wrong, it’s ok to consider a car an appliance, the car won’t care. On that note, it is also ok to feel affection for a toaster, or to name your cars, or imagine that they would care. This is what is so great about cars, they are just blank slates for what you need them to be. They can be tool, or companion, or pet. So why do so many people consider them a drag? 

Well, I blame people who love cars. The automotive market has so long been discussed and sold to us by a narrow band of automotive enthusiasts that we have all internalized a particular idea of what “liking” cars is, and which cars are worthy of being liked. When car magazines and websites focus exclusively on racetrack performance or collectability, and on the other side, non-car magazines expound on the dangers and negative societal effects of cars, it gets kinda hard to justify enjoying a car for any reason other than rebellious burnouts or resale value.

The first thing most people say to me when the topic of cars come up is an apology for what they want, “I know this isn’t cool, but…” and then they go on to say they feel guilty for wanting a pickup truck because of the bad mileage or they think I’ll find them foolish for wanting a Mini Cooper because it’s so cute. One way to make car shopping and owning more enjoyable is to release the idea that the car you are interested in has to be the car everyone says you should get. To quote that wise sage, Selena Gomez, “The heart wants what it wants,” and that’s fine. What do you want?

Are you shopping for the prettiest car? The cheapest? A classic? Something new and shiny and under warranty? The most efficient or the most powerful or one that can fit a string bass and six Labradors? Are you drawn to Audis? Do you desire hatchbacks and dread minivans? Do you love minivans and feel ashamed about it? Do you not know the difference between a Camry and an Accord and you don’t care? All fine! You can shop by looks or brand or safety rating or ease of loading a girl scout troop in it, and that’s just as valid as shopping by the go-fast numbers in the little spec box of most car reviews. 

Full disclosure, I’m a professional automotive journalist. I am one of those people who drives cars around all day and uses words like “CVT,” with a slight sneer and no explanation and does love rebellious burnouts, but that was not always the case. I was absolutely terrified of cars until I was a Senior in college. I only learned to drive because I ran out of friends who would pick me up for parties, and taking the bus in heels blows. Once I did get into cars, I got all in, and now I like racetracks and horsepower numbers and know what all the inside bits of an engine look like. But I’ve never forgotten what it felt like to not know those things, and I know from experience that you can live a full and beautiful car-life without ever getting grease under your fingernails.  

 So instead of 10 ways you’re doing it wrong, here are 5 alternative ways to like cars right.

1. Beauty Pageant.

Each time you get in and out of your car you will have to look at it. In most cases, it will sit in front of your house or in your driveway and everyone who goes by will look at it too. It is not shallow or silly to choose a car that makes you happy when you see it. You’re going to put it on like an outfit every time you drive. Pick a color that flatters or delights you. Look for a shape that pleases you front, side, and rear. This is a completely subjective choice, anyone who tells you you’ve done it wrong, is wrong. To get you started, some cute cars (IMHO) are the Mazda Miata, Toyota Corolla Hatch, and anything by Mini Cooper or Jeep. Some elegant machines to consider are the Hyundai Sonata, Audi A4, and all the recent Volvos. SUVs now come in everything from the twee little Nissan Kicks to the architectural Kia Telluride or futuristic Tesla Model Y. And then there are trucks to look tough, and every beautiful sportscar you could imagine.

2. For the Future

For many people, choosing a car comes with a side-serving of guilt. Cars are inefficient transport, they pollute, they use up natural resources, they are bad for the environment. All true. In the past, the only option for folks who had to drive, but wanted to use as little fuel as possible was to get the smallest, cheapest, most bare-bones machine on the road. You can still do that if you want, the Mitsubishi Mirage gets nearly 40mpg, but these days you can get a hybrid or electric car and enjoy more amenities while supporting the development of new more fuel-efficient technology. There’s no perfect non-polluting car out there, but when you shop hybrid or electric—and you have so many options now—you’re telling the auto manufacturers that you care about climate issues, and you want them to keep pushing forward on designing a cleaner future.

 

3. Tech Check 

Deciding how much, or little, technology you’d like in your car is a logical place to start these days. Modern cars can be like driving a Vegas casino, all flashing lights and dinging warnings and giant glowing screens. This can be fantastic or distracting, and it feels like every car company has got some different little trick going on inside, whether that’s Hyundai’s in-dash turn-signal camera or Mercedes’ AI voice control. If you’ve yet to be in a car with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, those options may prove to be the make-or-break decision on your final buy, as could be safety helpers like blind spot monitoring mirrors or SUVs that watch for street-side traffic and auto-lock the rear doors to keep kiddos safe. Test drives and YouTube videos are the best way to get a feel for how much high-tech assistance you want in your daily drive.

4. Speaking of Safety

You almost never see safety discussions in auto enthusiast publications. Why? Well, it’s not really something most reviewers can or want to test themselves, and there’s also this underlying attitude that a good driver won’t crash a car, so it doesn’t matter. Unfortunately, there’s a high likelihood that each of us will be in at least a minor collision during our time behind the wheel, and there’s nothing more sensible than choosing a car that can keep you, your passengers, and any unfortunate pedestrians as safe as possible. Shopping for safety used to be a limiting factor, but now you can find top-rated vehicles in every size and shape. Honda, Hyundai, Toyota, Subaru, Mazda, Lexus, and Mercedes are among recent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) award winners and if that’s where you want to start your search, we’ll feel that much safer with you on the road.

5. The Little (and Big) Things

Someone recently told me they liked a car they test-drove, but the cupholders were in an annoying place. “I know that sounds stupid,” they said, “complaining about the cupholder.” It isn’t stupid. You’re gonna use your car multiple times a week, maybe every day. If there’s something that is physically uncomfortable, then you’ll be uncomfortable multiple times a week. Why would you do that to yourself? A bad cupholder could mean years of spilled coffee on your business outfit, and even if it is just a small irritation, who needs more small irritations in their life? The same goes for things like cargo space, ease of putting seats up and down, and visibility. Yes, you can adjust to anything, but why should you? You are powerful and this car is a tool (or pet or friend) for you. Get the one that you like, for the reasons you choose. And don’t apologize for it. Welcome to liking cars.