Our Relationships With Our Cars, Better Than With People?

How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways (I love my cars)
By Rod Kackley

My ex-wife drove my car down to Nashville last week — why that happened is a story for another time — and she named it “Herman.”
I had forgotten that about her. She is one of those people who personify their cars. But I come from metro Detroit. The Motor City. The land of automobiles where brand loyalty is everything. Where you didn’t dare drive a foreign car until the 1990s unless you wanted to be branded a rebel, or worse.

Do you name your car? Do you talk to it? You are not alone. A survey reveals our relationships with cars mimic our relationships with people.

And often, they are better.

If there's one thing we can commit to, it's our cars.  AutoTrader.com recently conducted the "Automotive Relationship Survey" to determine the emotional reasons why it now takes longer than ever before for us to break up with their cars.

According to the survey, we tend to personify our cars to the point that the relationship with them mirrors relationships with living beings in our lives.

More than 70 percent of respondents feel "very attached" or "somewhat attached" to their cars, with 36 percent describing their vehicle as an "old friend" and more than a quarter saying they feel sad when they think about parting ways with it. Dependability (65 percent) and comfort (52 percent) were the primary drivers of attachment.

The survey also revealed gender and generational differences in the relationships people have with their cars. More women than men said they were attached to their cars because of the way it looks (48 percent of women vs. 29 percent of men), while more men than women bond with their cars because of fond memories of the adventures they shared together (57 percent of men vs. 20 percent of women).

Survey respondents aged 18-24 were most likely to be attached to their car for its looks (50 percent), while respondents aged 55-64 were most likely to be attached to their car because of the way it drives (60 percent).

"The emotional attachment people feel for their cars is interesting, but not completely surprising," said life coach and relationship expert, Dr. Michelle Callahan. "In addition to the large financial investment, a car can become a significant emotional investment – it's there with them for major milestones in their lives like weddings, new babies and graduations and it's literally the 'vehicle' that makes being physically present in these moments possible."

Given this attachment, when it comes time to let go of a car it can be an emotional moment. More than a third (36 percent) of people wanted to see their car "go to a good home" and over two-thirds of those surveyed (65 percent) would want to "say goodbye" to their car by spending quality time together on a road trip or by driving a favorite road.

I understand this. I did feel an emotional tug when the tow truck took my 1997 Chevy Lumina (with more than 275,000 on the odometer) away from the house for the very last time.

I can tell you a story about every car I have owned from the 1965 Dodge Coronet with the back-panel damage that jammed the trunk lid — I needed a crowbar to pry it open — to the 2011 Kia Rio I am driving now.

"Summer is known as the season when people find new love. So while breaking up is never easy, this is a perfect time to let go of relationships that are holding you back," says Dr. Callahan. "There are things you can do to minimize the emotional fallout from a breakup—and that applies even to your vehicle.”

“The good news is you can make a clean break and when it comes to cars, there can be a significant financial upside to doing it right."

~ LCP ~ 

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