The DU Lounge
Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsDid you/do you name your car?
What is your car's name?
(Posting about my car (named Critter) in another thread inspired this question.)
Ptah
(33,032 posts)Your kids sound like they've got the kind of mind that might one day be attracted to DU lol!
Paper Roses
(7,473 posts)Big Brown Bomber
Great van, 350 engine, the old powerhouse got us everywhere. Sold it w/ 244,000 miles to kids driving from MA to CA. When they returned, they came to see us and thanked us for this great old van. They put many more miles on it and the bomber was still going strong.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)What year was it?
Great name.
Paper Roses
(7,473 posts)We kept it in great shape, my husband was a great believer in 3000 mile oil change and other maintenance. Paid off.
We bought another Beauville in the mid-1990's. Put a lot of miles on that one too but the body and the engine could not compare.
I do remember that this one did not have the power that the Big Brown Bomber had.
Never liked it enough to name it.
Hong Kong Cavalier
(4,573 posts)'78 Volare : (no real name, actually)
'80 Volare: The Aluminum Pelican
'93 Colt: Zum
'07 Caliber: Harold the Hoopty Car (Was inspired from a card in the game Chez Geek)
cwydro
(51,308 posts)An 80 something Escort (whatever year they came out) called "Tory Blue Rider"
A really old Toyota I bought for 200 bucks in the Keys, yellow and black - that I called "The Bee."
A Ford Ranger I named Francis, no idea why.
Another Ranger named Bert.
I still have a big red Dodge Ram, named Rad.
Some of my vehicles have a gender, and some do not.
Hong Kong Cavalier
(4,573 posts)Even though the cruise control didn't work, nor did the AC, and it barely had a CD player in it.
It also didn't want to start if the temperature went lower than 20 degrees.
It was an ugly butter-yellow color and looked very much like this, save for the tires:
(Not sure if the image will display, though.)
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)The Duster was "Dolly" because she had big headlights. The Hyundai was "Kim", of course.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)I think it is anyway lol.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)KamaAina
(78,249 posts)Srsly! She had a near-fatal encounter with a guardrail in Bridgeport, Conn. on an off-ramp strewn with wet leaves around this time of year. It would have cost so much to fix her that Mom threw up her hands and sold her to this guy a friend of hers knew who bought junkers for use in demo derby!
cwydro
(51,308 posts)Still giggling that it took me that long for that to get through to my brain lol.
Hayduke Bomgarte
(1,965 posts)In my younger days when I drove beaters, I did.
Names like Hunk O Crap, Miserable Heap, Piece of Shit or Damn thing.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)especially the beaters need love and respect! You can't call them those names -well, unless you meant it affectionately.
I usually name all of mine.
My current car's name is Grizzle, or Grizz, for short.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)Felicia
Oh, boy. Don't get be started again. I'm trying to behave. LOL
cwydro
(51,308 posts)Plus I learned something!
Now I gotta watch that movie...
bigwillq
(72,790 posts)At least I think so. It's my kind of humor, I'm sure not everyone will enjoy it
That episode was hysterical. LOL. I really didn't mean to offend anyone. Was just cracking a joke. I can't believe it escalated the way it did. LOL
cwydro
(51,308 posts)I watched the movie episode, but the DU episode was freaking HYSTERICAL!
raptor_rider
(1,014 posts)My husband's is Galadriel and mine is Legolas. Had a Gandaulf and Gimli.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)But what type car earned which name?
Was Gandalf grey?
raptor_rider
(1,014 posts)Gandalf the Grey was a Grey Dodge Ram 1500, that I so loved. The engine was magical. Gimli was a Red Jeep Wrangler Sport, tiny in size, however can do what, Legolas a Blue Jeep Cherokee that can do what the Wrangler could. Monsters in mud and snow and sand!!! Galadriel is a Pewter Chevy Tahoe, which is lifted 6", and is the queen up high. Can see things others cannot and can do everything. Where I live, need these beasts to travel these dirt roads.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)Gandalf is a great name for one too!
Ron Obvious
(6,261 posts)... named the computers on our home network Gandalf, Saruman, Legolas, Wormtongue, Meriadoc, Pippin & Frodo
Oh, and the security cameras are called Palantir1, Palantir2, etc.
Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)cwydro
(51,308 posts)I feel ya there.
Tipperary
(6,930 posts)I still miss him.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)Lol.
BlueJazz
(25,348 posts)cwydro
(51,308 posts)Enquiring minds want to know!
Art_from_Ark
(27,247 posts)I had another one I named Piece of Crap.
I had a third one I named Piece of Garbage.
trof
(54,256 posts)Big Blue was a Ford long bed crew cab I had back in the 80s.
That damn truck was about a block long with NO power steering.
I put a steering knob (necker knob? I got from a tractor dealer on the wheel to give me an edge.
It was still a struggle to make sharp turns.
I also later had a cool little red Chevy 'flare-side' (fenders) short bed that was 'Little Red'.
GoCubsGo
(32,086 posts)Scut is a Ford Farkus...I mean Focus.
Sounds like my Critter.
Throd
(7,208 posts)Hangingon
(3,071 posts)cwydro
(51,308 posts)Is that you Bob?
I loved his truck. Not as much as he did, but it was a great truck.
Hangingon
(3,071 posts)Aristus
(66,386 posts)The Silver Tyrant.
Until a few years ago, I owned a 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser that I named Gatsby.
My newest car is a gray 2011 Acura TL that I call The Gray Monk.
The Silver Tyrant and The Gray Monk were inspired by a poem by William Blake. Two of the characters in the poem were the Gray Monk and the Purple Tyrant. I changed the color to conform to the color of my Datsun.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)I resolve to put more thought into the next one.
Critter got her name simply because she came to me free...and she is white (I hate white cars), and small (I had a truck for the previous 10 years.)
So I just called her Critter. Plus, we had a bad snowstorm here a couple years ago, and she just crittered right through it. I was proud of her.
I'd really like to get her painted another color though. I like your color names.
But Gatsby is a really, really good car name.
Aristus
(66,386 posts)Critter is a perfectly acceptable name for a car. Kinda cute and affectionate.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)Sigh.
Ron Obvious
(6,261 posts)So I might e.g. tell my wife that I'll be taking the Aston Martin, the Ferrari, The Rolls, the Porsche, or the Lamborghini on a particular day, or my wife might take the bug or the 2CV.
It's descriptive and it works well.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)Why you making Angelina drive the bug??
And y'all should at least have a damn Prius just for appearances, ya know?
Ron Obvious
(6,261 posts)Appearances, schmearances.
Thanks, I snorted my wine!
WinkyDink
(51,311 posts)cwydro
(51,308 posts)Hell, your DU name would be a great car name!
discntnt_irny_srcsm
(18,479 posts)A 1966 Caprice Station Wagon with a 396, dual exhaust, Muncie M-20, Rochester 4bbl.
Mileage report:
Highway - 18
City - 10
With good music playing - 6
csziggy
(34,136 posts)I bought it new off the lot with 7.5 miles on the odometer and flat out drove it to death. Brownie drove all over the country, mostly in the Southeast but I broke it in with a trip to San Francisco in the winter of 1977-78. The odometer broke at around 175,000 miles, we got it fixed a couple of years later and it broke again around 225,000. I drove it another two or three years after that so I figure it was probably nearing 300,000 miles on that engine Finally Brownie died - cracked engine block. I could have gotten another 454 engine with a 4 barrel carburetor for only about $1000 more than the truck was worth, considering it was 17 years old and the body was beginning to rust, the interior needed to redone, and it was just flat out worn out.
I never named the black Ford F-250 diesel that temporarily replaced Brownie - it just didn't have any personality other than consistent electrical problems.
The 1999 Suburban I still have is named "Moby" - it's white and as big as a whale. I bought it used, five years old with ~95,000 miles. I've owned it ten years and put less than 50,000 miles on it. Since we're no longer traveling to horse shows 2-3 times a month I figure this truck should last me for the rest of my life.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)I haven't asked posters if they are male or female. but I wonder if females name their cars more than men do?
Or do men just call them ##@**!!
Snobblevitch
(1,958 posts)My first car was Rambler, then Mustang, Beetle, Arrow, etc... They got more boring after that. I've owned two cars named @#!*#¥£!
cwydro
(51,308 posts)I'm developing a theory here that men are prone to naming their cars in just such a fashion.
We women are more affectionate toward our cars...until they break down of course!
But (shame on me), I should have asked that at the beginning of the thread. It might be interesting to know if women name their cars and men do not...
Snobblevitch
(1,958 posts)I have owned many vehicles but I have never given any of them a name. I have a SIL who owned a car she named "Horny". She was young and "ahem"... Anyway, the car pretty much died shorty before the wedding. (It was an AMC Hornet, my SIL is now a grandmother. I'll have to ask my brother if she is still "ahem"...(Actually, I'm not asking anything.) At Thanksgiving, I might bring up the subject of Horny. SIL would enjoy the attention.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)But if you do ask, I'd love to know the answer!
Now I'll have to start a new thread with a simple poll as to whether women or men name their cars.
"Horny"...omg, that is just funny as a name for a car! But if it was a Hornet, I can see that (remembering me as a youngster).
Snobblevitch
(1,958 posts)with her children present, is the perfect place to ask her about "Horny". She will love it. (Middle aged women seem to like this attention, at least if it is in good fun and not stalker type stuff.) I know my SIL and I won't go too far. I'll just ask your question about naming cars. SIL will bring up Horny on her own.
(Damn, now I wished I had a provocative name I had assigened to one of my cars.)
cwydro
(51,308 posts)I look forward to it.
ladyVet
(1,587 posts)I always thought I was the only person whose vehicles had names!
current mini van (green Town and Country): Green Goddess
previous electric blue mini van (can't remember the model, a competitor of the Dodge, below?): The Blue Bird of Happiness
one before that, brown (Dodge Caravan): Brown Betty
white 4 door sedan: don't remember
green car before that: don't remember
powder blue Ford Fairlane: Baby or My Baby
car before that: don't remember
first car ever, a dull yellow sporty thang (Datsun B210): Bic Banana
The ones I can't remember had names, but I can't remember them right now (lot of pain today). It will come to me eventually. (If I've made weird typos, please forgive.)
When I refer to the vans/cars/trucks we have, it's not by these names. The van is just "the van". My oldest sons' car is "the Mazda" and the youngest son's truck is "C__'s truck".
cwydro
(51,308 posts)Mine have all had names, but I can't remember them all now.
OriginalGeek
(12,132 posts)Named Agnes.
Haven't named a car since then - she was my second car ever. I occasionally put oil in, often put gas in and she drove everywhere without complaint. I bet I coulda got 15 people in there counting the trunk.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)That reminded me of a car I had in the 80s that I named Rufus!
My current is "Rosie." Previously, it was "Homer."
That covers all of my vehicles in the last 25 years.
NV Whino
(20,886 posts)It was a 1959 (I think) Chevrolet wagon. Called her The Queen Mary. Because it was like trying to park an ocean liner. Not to mention the shocks were shot and she lumbered down the street like an ocean liner on the high seas.
I had The Queen Mary because the Rabbit (AKA Piece of Shit, AKA The Lemon) died. For about the fortieth time.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)I once sailed on the Queen Mary. At the age of 6 weeks.
So I love this!
NV Whino
(20,886 posts)Fortunately while parked in the driveway. And, alas, The Queen Mary, met an untimely demise.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)I'm sorry for your Mary though.
So many of my four wheeled loves have met some such ending. Sigh.
NV Whino
(20,886 posts)Really, I cried driving it to the junk yard, left front fender flapping in the breeze.
No name for that one, but the color was half way between school bus yellow and CalTrans Orange. Lovely vehicle. It was the longest long bed that Toyota ever made for their small trucks.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)I still miss her.
And it's so upsetting that I can't remember her name, dang it!
In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)With over 206,000 miles, My Precious is still fun dependable transportation.
Texasgal
(17,045 posts)2011 Chevrolet Malibu.
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)Short for Emerald.
Yes, she's green.
Manifestor_of_Light
(21,046 posts)Remember that deep green that was popular in the early 90s? Well, I had a 4 door Mazda 626 that color.
Traded it in last year when it blew a head gasket. Low mileage but way overdue to be canned. Called it Greenie Weenie.
Now I have a white car which is a lot cooler in the summer, so maybe I should call it Whitey-Tighty? Ya think?
Waayyy back in the ought-Sixties, my big sister was the coolest kid in town because she had a '67 Sting Ray convertible, with a black ragtop. Black leather interior. It was silver. Gorgeous car. I think we called it "the Vette". I think she secretly drag raced it on a track south of Houston off I-45. I would have liked to have seen that.
She and her boyfriends, that she met working on cars, decided your basic monster Detroit 427 V-8 didn't have enough power. So they took the block out and shaved the heads to increase the stroke, and therefore the compression. Boosted the horses from a mere 390 to 415, I heard.
She had her own socket set, Motor's Auto Repair Manual, and timing light and used to do my tune ups on my riceburners.
She is no longer with us and I miss her a lot.
She got one of the first rotary engine Mazdas, an Rx-3, and called it Ol' Betsy.
Then she got an RX-7 in the early 80s and the color name on it on the sticker was "Tender Blue", which was a medium metallic blue. So we called it "Tender Blue".
I had an RX-7 as well that was metallic charcoal gray so I called it "charcoal". Later got unimpressed with Mazdas because both of mine had serious transmission problems.
I once dated a guy with a Dodge 2-door shitbox, that was a Challenger or Charger or something similar, and he had a pile of duct tape for a shotgun side window that you couldn't roll down, and had to open the passenger door from the inside. He apologized and said, "It's a real chamber of horrors". I thought that was hilarious.
For some reason, I can't stand the yellow and orange metallic colors they have now.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)Wish I could do stuff with cars...
blaze
(6,362 posts)I never really cared about my cars that much. They were just transportation.
Until I bought my little, black Smart Car in 2009. I love that car as much today as the day I bought it. It's so much fun to drive and frequently draws comments and jokes from complete strangers. I'm happy to stop and talk to anyone, anytime about my little car.
I really wanted to name this car, but nothing ever really stuck. But I just pat the dashboard and say, "Good car!"
Fun thread cwydro!
cwydro
(51,308 posts)Didn't know anyone else did.
Bertha Venation
(21,484 posts)Our Yaris is Bertha. (I wonder how we came up with that.) Our Camry is Florence. I named her for my grandmother because Grandma would've loved that car. The last car she owned was a land yacht, a screaming yellow Cadillac Coupe de Ville with a white vinyl top and white leather interior. Of course a Camry isn't a land yacht, but I can see her riding shotgun, commenting on the smooth ride and the interior. Yes, Grandma, this is your car.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)That's the Sanskrit name for a god or goddess's vehicle. (So, like, the god Ganesh is always pictured with a rat; that is his Vahana, whom he notionally rides from point A to point B.)
It's a Land Rover Defender. We know from its tax papers that it was once in Kenya. How it got to India, we're not sure. Having driven it, I assume it killed its handler, broke free from its tie-downs, and swam the Arabian Sea.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)I like the story too!
Recursion
(56,582 posts)Best car I've ever had, even counting the 1973 Ford Ranchero I fixed up in high school.
Finicky as hell, stalls on a dime, can pass anything but a diesel pump. But, damn, it's a good car.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)Hey, you live in India?
Recursion
(56,582 posts)About 100 degrees tonight. The turkey cooked itself.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)That answers my next question; I assume you're an American?
Ever read any of the Rumer Godden books? Those books made me fascinated with India way back in the day...I so would love to visit.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)I read Thursday's Children. It was really good. I should really read more of her.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)Another called Take Three Tenses is a lovely book, but I think that one is set in England.
Haven't read them in years. She's a beautiful writer and made me fall in love with India.
lastlib
(23,244 posts)I named her 'Carla Belle'. A total wreck of a car under the body, but beautiful on the outside!
It was a joy to drive--until it snowed! (absolutely helpless in snow! That was why I sold it for a front-wheel drive Bonneville.)
Like they say -" If it wasn't red, I wouldn't drive it!"
Doctor_J
(36,392 posts)alarimer
(16,245 posts)It's a Mazda 2 and a really funky color. Sticks out in any parking lot.
Generic Brad
(14,275 posts)We called it "Little Putt-Putt".
Our current vehicle is nondescript and does not warrant a name.
BarbaRosa
(2,684 posts)Because it's a white ford.
is great.
mopinko
(70,121 posts)old mercedes sedan named heidi, aka the beat bush mobile, covered in bumper stickers.
for a while i had 2 blue subaru foresters at the same time. both ended up in the hands of my sons. one was called the dooberu, the other the newbaru.
i had a chevy suburban that had a lot of names. mostly the mom mobile, but after she, too, was totally covered in bumpers stickers, she was the obamanator.
she died at 289k miles and is now a chicken coop. and a great one at that. i suppose i should come up with a new name for her now.
i need a good name for my jeep. 85 grand wagoneer woody. midnight blue. she is in pretty good shape, tho always a mess. she is the farm truck. i go back and forth about selling her. she is worth good money, and i am abusing her. otoh, she is fun to drive, comfy, and roomy enough for most of what i need her for.
what i really need is a pick up, tho.
Iggo
(47,558 posts)Wait.
That wasn't my car.
fizzgig
(24,146 posts)the f150 is bessie three.
my previous volvo never introduced herself, so i always just called her girl.
MasonDreams
(756 posts)w/ no major repairs. Change your fluids on time! I can sleep in it and haul a few 2x4x10footers! w/ trunk closed