Our family has a long tradition of naming our vehicles. Our large white Buick stationwagaon was “Moby Dick;” our large brown Oldsmobile stationwagon was “Charlie Brown;” our trim Olds Cutlass was “Li’l O;” our Volkswagen Karhman Ghia was “Boogety Boogety.” And that’s just the ones that come readily to mind.
I am a female who has owned several cars through the years that have all had names. Actually, I more try to figure out what the car’s name is more than arbitrarily assigning them a name.
Right now I am driving a girl named Susan, but I have had guy cars. George an old corolla wagon I drove for years has a special place in my heart. In fact, I even think of my car as having a personality to go along with the name. George was older, understanding, forgiving, and thought I was slightly nutty (Perhaps there could be a reasonable argument for that claim).
I do think I take better care of my car because of the name, I feel like I have a bond with the car, and I feel guilt when I go to long between oil changes or let the car get to messy.
I think a car deserves a name. My 96 Saturn was affectionately known as ‘The Golden Beauty’…I loved that car. I now have just bought a used Volvo…still thinking of name…perhaps Silverado.
I could not believe my ears when I heard you guys say you didn?t believe in naming cars. While I have to admit, through personal experience, that not every car wants / needs / deserves a name, it is absolutely insane to think there isn?t a reason to name a car.
July 29, 1987. At the age of 40, I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to attend college, along with my 16-year old daughter. My daughter needed a car so I decided to give her my Rabbit and get my first Honda, a Civic. We drove to Monterey to pick up the car. My daughter was thrilled (at the time anyway) to have the Rabbit. I picked up this silver gray 88 Honda Civic, a little concerned abut the red pinstripe going down the side as I?m fairly conservative with my cars, but the guy convinced me to live a little and give it a try. It?s been 20 years now so I don?t really remember every single detail of the ride back home to San Leandro but I do know that she and I bonded from the get-go. We were as one. She responded to every turn of the wheel, every depression of the gas or clutch as if we?d been driving together forever. She enveloped me in her seat and we zoomed down the highway like we were the only ones on the road. I got my license plates a month later and they read 1JBX026 ? Jesse Big Kiss! Yes! That was her name, Jesse, and that?s how everyone referred to her.
About 10 years later I moved to Reno and went to work for a lawyer in whose law office I?d previously worked. From time to time he?d ask me to run him someplace and in conversation I mentioned that my car?s name was Jesse. For some reason he didn?t chide me or make fun of me and really seemed to understand the story. The next thing I knew he was telling me that after he?d told his daughter about Jesse, his daughter decided to name his 1990?s green Mercedes Dave Matthews. It was perfect! Yes, Dave Matthews made perfect sense.
Jesse and I went through some hard times. When I was still in the Bay Area she was stolen from me and not retrieved for five days. The ne?er do well thieves had treated her pretty poorly. They?d taken the battery, the outside mirrors, run the crap out of her and smashed ketchup and mustard into her pretty gray seats. The insurance company said it was pretty much 50-50 about repairing or totaling her. I asked them to go ahead and fix her and she was taken to the Honda service place I?d always taken her. Those guys knew exactly how I felt about Jesse and they gave me back a car that although not quite 100% after being so abused was very close to it. We were all very emotional about the event.
And then, a number of years later, I rear ended an idiot on an off-ramp who decided to throw on her brakes at a green-yellow light that anyone else would have gone through. Being barely employed at the time I really couldn?t fix her up anymore, and by then she was showing signs of age in her body. Inside she was still all hot rod and ready to go but outside she was looking like an old lady who needed a little makeup.
Again, my daughter needed a car and my brother in Las Vegas wanted me to buy his 92 Accord. So, at about 165,000 miles, I gave Jesse to my daughter (knowing full well she didn?t understand all that was special about this gal even though she?d heard me talk about her for years), flew to Las Vegas, and drove the car home. I tried to name the car but by the time I bought her she was so devoid of personality after being driven by my sister-in-law that nothing worked. Poor gal. She didn?t have a chance. My sister in law could never quite ?get? that she needed to drive the car one more inch into the garage to keep the garage door from coming down on the bumper. The idle was really rough and the motor mounts were crap. She had lots of oomph with her dual exhaust and could really haul on down the highway (I got stopped for going 90 on the way home from Vegas out in the desert where only the tarantulas were out), but she had no soul like Jesse did.
Every time my daughter came by I would ache at the condition Jesse was in. I had occasion to drive her a couple times over the next couple of years and it broke my heart that she was still spirited and responsive but nobody cared enough to keep her up a little better.
Long story short, my daughter sold Jesse for $500 at about 200,000 miles to someone who now drives the holy crap out of her. I see her from time to time and feel guilty.
I?ve got a 2006 CRV now and I?ve named her Jesse 2 but it doesn?t really work. As I said, not every car needs a name. The CRV is a good enough vehicle but I don?t think I?ll ever again have such a close relationship with a car as I did Jesse.
And by the way, a few years ago a friend of mine drove his big old Dodge pickup out from Michigan, hauling a 5th wheeler, and if that truck?s name wasn?t Tom I?m a monkey?s uncle!
I recently aquired a 1997 Pontiac Bonneville, and with it I was endowed with its uncanny powers of getting a great parking spot. This car received its name when I kept exclaiming each time I got the highly-sought-after parking spaces “Spot On!” which is a British version of ‘Right On!’ My car is named spot.
When I was in high school I used to drive a '71 Chev Pickup with Glasspack exhaust. My High School mascot was the Vikings, and my cousin named the truck Viking Thunder, or Thunder for short. I think that human names for cars are a little weird though.
Naming your car
You asked about naming your car.
A few years ago I was surprised to hear my 45 year old
daughter say that her husband had “spent too much money
on his Italian mistress, Sophia.”
Seems he had expressed his mid-life crisis by buying a used
Alfo Romero. So they had agreed to name the car “Sophia”
and give it a place in their family.
(Much better than the alternative – my daughter said.)
How can you two lunk heads work on cars & not know they have gender? As someone who was single for 42 years, I have always had female cars; I get along better with women than men. The only male car I ever had was a disaster. Also, since many cars have the morals of alley cats, you have to be careful what you park yours next to – that’s where Yugos come from.
Roger
Greenville, NC
Yes, cars should be named. I see them as dependents: usually more cooperative than children (and you don’t have to send your car to college), although unfortunately the IRS does not allow an exemption. I have named all my cars, plus my husband’s cars. My “rules” are as follows:
- If it has a stick shift, it’s male; otherwise, female.
- The last name is the make of the car.
- Middle names are optional or can come later, allowing for quirks of personality.
I have had Ginger Sara Vega, Kalki Siva Subaru, Marcel Argent Renault, Shoebox Mooshu Subaru, Whitefeather Eagle and Porter Islandtruck Nissan. My husband has had (since I’ve known him) Tweetybird Buick, Sack Honda, Sactu (Sack Two) Honda, Jean-Luc Saturn and Bianca GMC, and now we share the island truck.
By the way, we live in the Turks and Caicos Islands, where most people think this naming thing is insane. However, there’s one rental car guy who has named two of his cars so far – Jody (because I was the first person to crash it) and Crash (because it has seen a number of accidents from renters).
Jody Rathgeb, Whitby, North Caicos Island
I am 63, my husband is 75 and after all those years of owning cars, we never gave any of them a name - - -UNTIL April 2007. We bought the cutest little Chevy HHR. The car is definitely a “she” and had to have a name because she made us smile whenever we saw her, all our friends agree she makes them smile too. I, of course, was the one to name her and, get this, I dubbed her “Precious”. Well, hubby immediately nixed the idea saying he would never call a car “Precious”. I continued to refer to her by name and believe it or not, a short while later he followed suit. Sure, why not name your car, especially if it’s CUTE. Enjoy your program, we listen every week. Bob & Darlene Steder
I have known four cars with names over the past fifty plus years. We lived in post war Germany in the early 50s, and my Mum and Dad drove a 40s green Adler named Larry after the harmonica player. In the 1950s we lived in West Africa and Dad found an old chassis and engine which he got up and running, then added seats made from planks of wood, and the framework of the vehicle was also wooden planks which were painted bright yellow. She had black mudguards and her name was “Buttercup” and she was the pride of our family.
During my ill-spent youth in the 60s Dad gave me a minivan which my friends and I drove all over South Wales. She was painted metallic gold, and inside there were blankets and sheepskin rugs and we bounced around in that without seatbelts - it was before they were required. Her name was “Goldie” and we were known far and wide as the Goldie Gang - not that we ever got up to much mischief really - those were simpler times, I guess.
And until this year that was my last named car. I now have a brand new Acura TL which I love with a passion. It has a voice activated navi system which talks to me, so she had to have a name. Although we had a few communication problems at first - my friends say she didn’t understand my British accent - we now get on really well, and she sets my temperature, changes my radio station and makes phone calls when I ask. I am not sure if it is the car, or the talking lady who has the name, but as I spend most of my time listening to 50s music she needed a 50s name, even though she is a thoroughly modern Miss. Her name is “Tammy”, and yes, I say “hello” every time I get in her to drive, and pat her steering wheel when she has navigated me to some new destination. It seems I agree with a number of your listeners - some cars need and deserve names because they are friends, while others are - well, just cars.
I’m the type of guy who gives a funny nickname to everybody, even my dogs have a dozen or so. But I’ve never named a car. My truck is called “The Truck” and my wife’s car is called “The Car”.
I take much better care of my cars than do my sisters who give their cars a name. I will admit in high school my brother and I shared a car the family called, “The Rust Bucket”. That’s more of an honorary title though.
Of COURSE your car should be named! Male? Female? Well, that depends on if it’s a manual or automatic! Sheesh…! A quick story here - I re-named a car that went from my sister to me and soon afterwards I was in a horrific accident. The moral, of course, is NEVER change a car’s name! And by the way…I LOVE listening to you guys. Thanks for your knowledge and your humor!!
My granddaughter named her car Dot (department of transportation) I named mine #&%
Ummmm… sure name your car. See if I care. There have been a few named cars in my family (tho never mine). I just don’t see any point in it. It’s a car. I talk to my car on occasion, but it’s never had a name any more than my computer or my house!
How you treat your car has nothing to do with whether or not you give it a name. Look at how some people treat their kids.
At our house, all of the vehicles have names. It started when one of our sons acquired a used car, meaning we had 3 vehicles in the driveway. It just seemed easier to call it by name, so he named it Kermit. After all, it was a green Celebrity.
Next came our big red Yukon. My wife named it Clifford, after the big red dog in children’s books.
Next, the used Nissan pickup I bought. It’s a pretty blue green color, and I was going to name it Algie. But when driving it home the first day, I was nearly hit by two different idiots but escaped without damage. So the truck’s name is Lucky.
Finally, Kermit died and was replaced with a used Corsica. Name? Napoleon.
Larry Hller
Salt Lake City
DEAR TOM AND RAY,
LOVE THE SHOW AND SEEMS LIKE I’VE BEEN A FAN FOREVER…
GREAT TOPIC ABOUT NAMING YOUR CAR. I believe the main reason for naming a car is; On a cold cold morning in Michigan and you are cranking and cranking and cranking with neary a sputter, a name gives you something to coax your engine into life. Saves cursing and as my mom practiced the technique, it probably brought her more comfort than actually communicating with an inanimate object, her car.
If you can remember back to Roy Rogers movies and the TV series, We had Trigger the horse, Bullet the dog, Dale the wife, and Nellie Belle the Jeep. Nice little family. Did Nellie Belle come when it was called by Pat Buttram? I think it did on several occasions.
No self respecting horse owner would omit naming his steed so it seems natural to carry over the custom.
The only reason I can think of to name a car is if you are overheard talking to your car your neighbor or family won’t think you are a nut job. Practicing good mental health is an art.
New subject..........A neighbor once commented to me that he wished he got along with his brother as well as I did with my brother. You make loving your brother notonly acceptable but very desirable.
Keep up the great work you do.
John W. Kent
Only 2 cars have been deemed “nameworthy”. Shortly after we were married, my new husband talked me into buying a Toyota Tacoma pickup. It was as basic a model as we could get. I hated it. He thought I would “bond” with the car if I named it, so I named it JANE - as in Plain Jane. He listened to me carp and moan about that truck for 2 years. Then we replaced it with a Lexus RX300. He named that car: Ivana - because she was fully loaded.
I currently have 2 cars. I call the first one FORD and the other MAZDA. That is pretty much all they name they need.
I have ALWAYS named my cars.I usually give my cars Biblical names.I have found that each car that I gave a female name to,I have had ALOT OF TROUBLES WITH!!The worst used car that I ever bought was a 1986 Ford LTD II.I named that car Jezebel.When I give the car a male name,it seems to run MUCH better.The best used car that I ever bought was a 1972 Chevy Impala.It was 22 years old when I bought it. I named it Enoch(after the Biblical character who walked with God and never died.)I currently have a 2003 Kia Spectra and his name is Kish(The father of the first king of Israel)and I have a 1974 Dodge Dart whose name is Lazarus.(This is my restoration project car and I’m hoping that it will rise from the dead ,like Lazarus did.)
Your questions:
Do people take better care of cars that they name? Do they feel closer to them? You bet!
Are cars always named with feminine names? No.
Below are a few examples from my family.
Twinkle Nose
My first car - A light green '68 Mustang that had the option of seeing the turn signals from the car’s front seats. There were two recessed areas on the hood of the car that had tiny light bulbs that flashed in time with the turn signals. This car was named Twinkle Nose, or Twink for short. She was a rare beauty.
William
My sister had a late '80s white Volvo Model 240 station wagon; big and boxy. It looked like a refrigerator, turned sideways and on wheels. At this time in history, William “The Refrigerator” Perry was popular in the sports world. He was a massive defensive tackle of Clemson University / Chicago Bears fame. My sister’s car was named in his honor / likeness.
Basil
My sister’s 1989 Acura Legend coupe. Very dark green in color, hence the name.
Pronounced: BAZ-il; not BAY-sil; like Basil Rathbone.
Bonnie Blue Butler
My niece’s light blue 1992 Volvo 240 sedan. Although my niece is a Yankee (born and raised on Cape Cod), her mother (my sister) and I were raised in the South. Because of Bonnie’s delicate color, this car was named as a tribute to the daughter of Gone With The Wind’s Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler.
Erin
My current '96 Corolla - I’m still driving her; great car! She is so dark green she almost looks black. Toyota officially labeled her color as “Dark Emerald”. Hence the Irish name Erin (also because of my Irish ancestry.)
Love your show!