Back when I was a kid (1963), my parents bought their first car, and named it Betsey (63 Dodge Dart, yes with push button shift). I don’t think they named any of their other cars after that. I’ve occasionally named cars that I’ve owned. But, since buying my present car, I’ve felt the need to name it, but haven’t found one I like yet (2008 Subaru Outback).
I believe that as creators, we all impart a piece of our souls to all that we create and our karma (no pun intended but there it is) attaches to our creations. Every vehicle, in so far as we recognize the presence of its creator and its current owner, names itself. I listen carefully to the vehicles who come into my care. There was Pookie Adams, a 1967 Pontiac Tempest; Misha, a baby blue K-car; Freddie, the forest green 1993 Dodge Caravan; and Black Tie, our formal “charcoal grey” 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan (because I don’t like black cars). Vehicles that do not resonate with either of us have seldom stayed long, or felt comfortable. Tango Red, our Ford Escape, was with us less than a year, and survived our first accident in twenty years. The QE Two, a 2000 Lincoln Towncar Cartier, is our current transient, looking for its real home. Even the wheeled walker my beloved came to require was called the “Packard,” after his first vehicle. He never named a vehicle before we came together, but easily identified both Freddie and Black Tie, our first vehicles together. I’ve driven cars that did not offer their names and rentals, which are often reticent to share their identities. Getting into a car to drive connects the driver with the creation of unknown others. As drivers, we are physically, mentally, and spiritually united with our vehicles; as passengers, we are fellow travelers. My driving mantra is “O gods of the roads, please protect the four-wheeled, four-legged, and the winged from the four-wheeled and the two-leggeds who drive them.” And yes, we name our homes, our bikes, and any thing we recognize and connect with on a soul level. Namaste.
Are you guys serious? How long have you been in the car business?? doesn’t everybody name their cars/trucks??? My first car was the Orange Bom (a GMC hornet with the gear shift on the steering wheel - the BEST CAR EVER!!!), my next car was Alex, next car was Alex II, next truck was Alex III, current car (Toyota Yaris) is Pigwidgeon. (All males.)
COME ON GUYS, GET WITH IT! sheesh.
that was Orange BOMB, not Orange Born
My wife nick-named her Subaru Forester “Gumpy.” His formal name is Forester Gump. I like it.
Had a Ford Ranger named (Betty Ford) - she was the color of a White Russian and never let me down when getting out of a (sticky situation) aka hiking area… Now I have “Stella” - a beautiful blue Subaru - more Grateful Dead than “Streetcar Named Desire” - but it is fun having friends yell “Stella”!!! Naming and being happy for things that get us where we need to go is a natural, ain’t it?
My Subaru, Bessie, has a distinct personality. I think giving her a name means we treat her with more respect, praise her accomplishments more frequently, and feel a strong connection with the beautiful beast that makes our lifestyle possible. Going over steep passes or through treacherous snow storms, we thank and encourage her. After she caught fire in Death Valley, we promised her, by name, to take better care of her. It is well known that stripping people of their identity allows us to treat them less humanely, why not the other way around? Use that power for good! Long live Bessie!
Lucibelle is utility orange (think Lucille Ball) and a grand dam in the tradition of the South, a belle. I believe that quantum intention has real physical manifestation. I believe that rubbing her dash and saying “Thank you Lucibelle” has contributed to the fact that she has never died anywhere but home, work or a friend’s. I know, you’re looking at the fact that she died, but it usually only costs 1-200 to fix and I can usually do it myself. She is older than most of our children, a government issue 1/2 ton, short bed utility pick-up, retired from the Corps of Engineers, she spent quite a bit of time in the pasture and was used only as a fishing truck until I took possession of her over 10 years ago. She has taken me through most of the Western states and gets me safely around town every day. I think that deserves a name, don’t you. Oh yeah! I talk to plants too and there’s scientific research to back, at least that, up. (I also had a Suburu wagon once “Sal”… I had a mule her name is… but no other vehicles have been named.)
Already answered in Facebook but this looks more official. 
For the record, after listening to the show today, I have named every vehicle I’ve ever owned. They were always male so that when they let me down, it was just life-as-normal. No, I didn’t take better care of them but I felt more guilty when I didn’t! There has been Fred, the Ford Vega, Alfred the nice Nissan Maxima, Knightley, the first nice Nissan - a Sentra, Bruce, the Chevy/GMC van 108, Harpo, the '67 VW Beetle, and Finnegan, the Honda Civic who rose from the dead. The only female car was Blanche, the Sable wagon who looked like an Imperial Stormtrooper!
I’ve only named two cars, my first new one, an orange 1971 VW Bug named “Pumpkin” for the obvious reason, and my latest, a 1991 VW Vanagon Syncro, with two names, “Spirit” because I bought it and drove it home the day my brother across the country died of a heart attack and the first trip was to the airport for his funeral, and “Shoebox” because the Vanagon looks like shoebox, drives like a brick in a shoebox and holds a whole lot of stuff like a shoebox.
My young daughter used to name our cars. I went along with it because she was little. That’s the only time we ever named them.
Grandma…The car is like a little old lady that is still giving it all she has, but is very temperamental and takes a lot of care just to get around. My husband suggested to think of it like this so I don’t get so frustrated at all the inconveniences. I have a 2001 Honda CR-V and she is still running, but her time is coming to an end. Every morning I have to refill the water and make sure we have enough oil to get us around. She should last till we save up for a new car, but I do find myself saying, “Come on Grandma, we can make it just a little farther!”
Actually, I don’t name my cars … I ASK them what their name is … if you ask, I guarantee, they WILL tell you. Maybe it’s a guy’s name, maybe a lady’s … just ask … and no ~ I’m not kidding … !!
I could tell you some really interesting car name stories … especially about my 1978 butter yellow Mercedes … Vera Kate ~ now there was a great car name story~!!!
maggie
We named our Ford Taurus recently, only because we needed a name for our new Getaround account—a peer-to-peer sharing in Portland, Oregon. It’s actually been fun: Morris now has a Twitter handle, and our renters seem to enjoy having the name. I’ve only named one car before, but it was because a friend said I needed to. That was in Tennessee, just north of Soddy Daisy… It may be a Southern thing.
I suspect that naming or not naming cars is cultural rather than related to the sex of the owner. in the '70s my uncle named his farm trucks Big Red and Big Blue. My mom’s cars names started with Rusty. My late husband named his truck Twuk. My two vehicles have been Bitsy and Blue. No vehicle names don’t have to be female. If that’s what Bob is more comfortable with then I back up calling the truck Markie.
We had a 2000 jeep that we bought for our son. Very odd problems kept showing up that were not easily explained. Later we found out that the vehicle “may have been in a flood” and that the past owner was a pilot and electrical engineer who liked to tinker on his car. After one particular day where problem after problem flared up making life in general miserable for my son he came home and proclaimed. “Well I have named the car!” “Really I replied and what did you name it?” With a disgusted look he said “Legion for its demons are many” If you know your bible stories you will remember Jesus cast out numerous demons from an individual but before he did he asked the demon for its name and the demon replied “Legion for we are many”
Since the Supreme Court of the United States of America has determined that a corporation is a person I think then one can extrapolate that a car is a person and therefore worthy of a name.
I do not name my cars, but would like to remind you that boats are named, usually with a female name, and it is a well known fact that it is TERRIBLE luck to rename a boat. It will end up on the rocks and sink.
I’ve had my toyota pickup since 1994. we’ve been alot of places. I named her Beauty so I can ride in Beauty as the night.
When graduating high school, I bought a used, white 1966 VW Bug in order to commute to my summer job and then to college. Several of my classmates had Bugs as well, but all different colors. We named my car Honkie. I sold it two years later, but a month after selling it, the poor girl who bought it woke up in the hospital. Apparently the master brake cylinder failed as she was going through an intersection. I found out that she also removed the “Honkie” name plate from the dashboard as soon as she bought the car. Fate? Karma? We may never know.