Honestly, I think that song would go better set to a slide show of old photos of proud car owners with the machines they love so much - the salaryman with his daily driver, an old farmer with an ancient and beaten to hell pickup truck, a James Dean-type all greasy and dirty as he puts the finishing touches on his roadster, etc...
I think part of what makes cars very special to us is that these vehicles are very much a part of our individual identity and, under our control, they even become an extension of our will. A person's preferred ride and how he/she drives speaks volumes about said person.
Me, for example... My beloved '98 Mazda B2500. It's no luxury liner. It's a small, compact truck with a 2.5 liter four-cylinder engine and a 5-Speed manual transmission. No power windows, locks or mirrors. However, despite its size and lack of creature comforts, it works hard. Just like I do. You ask it to haul a load cross country and it says, "No problem, boss. Where to?" Much like myself, it's ready for pretty much whatever, whenever. And before I started having suspension problems, I swear this truck loved cruising on the highways.
Although one of the things I think speaks loudest about it is that pretty much everything that is likely to break is something that I am capable of fixing. It's just a matter of getting the parts and, in some cases, borrowing some specialty tools. Granted, now and then I gotta take something to the machine shop to be ground down... brake rotors and drums, flywheels, and the like. And doing tires is specialized enough that I leave that to other people. But for everything else... Let's just say that I honestly am looking forward to being able to do my own engine and transmission rebuilds. I fully intend to keep this truck - my first vehicle - for the rest of my life.
I think part of what makes cars very special to us is that these vehicles are very much a part of our individual identity and, under our control, they even become an extension of our will. A person's preferred ride and how he/she drives speaks volumes about said person.
Me, for example... My beloved '98 Mazda B2500. It's no luxury liner. It's a small, compact truck with a 2.5 liter four-cylinder engine and a 5-Speed manual transmission. No power windows, locks or mirrors. However, despite its size and lack of creature comforts, it works hard. Just like I do. You ask it to haul a load cross country and it says, "No problem, boss. Where to?" Much like myself, it's ready for pretty much whatever, whenever. And before I started having suspension problems, I swear this truck loved cruising on the highways.
Although one of the things I think speaks loudest about it is that pretty much everything that is likely to break is something that I am capable of fixing. It's just a matter of getting the parts and, in some cases, borrowing some specialty tools. Granted, now and then I gotta take something to the machine shop to be ground down... brake rotors and drums, flywheels, and the like. And doing tires is specialized enough that I leave that to other people. But for everything else... Let's just say that I honestly am looking forward to being able to do my own engine and transmission rebuilds. I fully intend to keep this truck - my first vehicle - for the rest of my life.