What does your car say about you?

[mysteryowl]

A global portrait of people and their rides, from Shanghai to Santa Monica.

You can view all the pictures at this link.

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/jan/10/martin-roemers-homo-mobilis-photography-book-car-vehicle-owners-portraits

It made me smile and reminds me of the paring up of people with their pets.

[rampartd]

1. nissan sentra : reliable, economic, practical

my last one was a pontiac minivan , but i needed the back for tools and such.

i generally drive a car until it will no longer move, and would rather pay $1000 for a repair than $20 k + tax license dealer prep and options for a new car.

[Boomerproud]

12. That's my wheels too. Too old to be flashy and faddish.

nt

[The Madcap]

2. I had Sentra back in the 90s

Stick shift. Stripped down. Drove it for 15 years. Worth every penny.

[Unwind Your Mind]

7. I had an '89, black with stick shift

Drove it nearly as long as yours

I noticed the manuals lasted longer than the automatics

[The Madcap]

11. I shudder to think I drove it so long

Without an airbag. Of course, there weren't as many giant pickups back then, so it didn't feel as risky.

[Unwind Your Mind]

13. I don't remember worrying about that

But, I was in my twenties

[The Madcap]

15. I don't think most cars had them back then.

It was either a 91 or a 92.

[Grim Chieftain]

9. I had a Sentra in the 90's too, and loved it

I traded it for a new black Camaro, and when I drove it on campus for the first time, the students treated me like a goddess. It was hysterical. Suddenly, they saw me in a whole new light.

[Deuxcents]

3. '19 Honda Civic hatchback and plan on it being my last vehicle

[ProfessorGAC]

4. Mine Says, "This Guy Doesn't Care About Cars"

It's an old convertible. Big dent in the door caused by a careless driver in a parking lit.
I only vacuum it once a year. I never get it washed.
I do the regular maintenance so it still runs good. But, it starts when i turn the key, stops when i hiy the brakes, and tge top goes up & down.
Those 3 things are the entire set of criteria for me.

[Chemical Bill]

5. Mine says I'm boring...

with an added pretense of work or outdoor activities. I drive a Honda CR-V with a trailer hitch and a roof rack.

Someone once suggested to me that you could tell everything you need to know about a person by their age and car. This seems to hold up, at least to me.

I was really happy when my wife went from a Mercedes wagon to a Mazda SUV.

[Intractable]

6. I've owned several cars in my life. None were my "pick" per se.

My car says I am an opportunist.

When it comes to auto ownership, I always took what fate has brought to me.

At various inflection points in my life (for example, a relative passing on), a car became available.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

8. I drive a 2017 Honda Civic, stick shift.

It says I'm boring, but reliable.

I'm 77 years old, have never voluntarily driven an automatic (why I hate rental cars) and when I can no longer drive a stick, I'll know it's time to give up driving.

Interesting comment about sticks lasting longer. I only replace the previous car (a Subaru Outback about 15 years old at that point) because I was bored with it, not that it actually needed replacing.

[Chemical Bill]

16. I love a stick shift.

I had a '90 something Civic. It had about 70,000 miles when I got it, but the speedo didn't always work, and eventually quit, so I don't actually know how much I put on it. They aren't boring, give yourself some credit. And you can leave it with the keys in it, because nobody drives a shift anymore.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

22. What in the world is a speedo?

I wouldn't actually leave the key in on purpose, but I truly think it's essentially un-stealable for that reason.

[Bayard]

10. I drive a 1997 Chevy dually with a, "Farm," license plate

It says I haul a lot of stuff.

[duckworth969]

14. 2004 Jeep Liberty says I'm not fussy

Great heater, always starts, tires are good, exhaust repair 2024, new radiator 2023, new front ball joints 2025, insurance is cheap, v6 has some giddy up and go, gas mileage not so good but I’m a bit of a lead foot, don’t use sunroof (I hear they leak ez), no a/c (🤷🏼‍♂️ , if it weren’t for the damn rust on the side panels she’d be much more impressive

[CountAllVotes]

17. Just renamed my car "Old Frosty" yesterday

Last edited Sat Jan 10, 2026, 08:04 PM - Edit history (1)

It was freezing outside. I found it covered with ice and frost. It is an old Camry with over 250,000 miles on it.

It started right up and the defrosters all worked like new.

I let it run for abt. 10 minutes or so and drove away in a defrosted car and thought to myself, "It may be old but it is a fine piece of machinery".

Still going regardless of what some may say

to you Old Frosty!

[Dulcinea]

18. Mine says "Suburban mom who needs to move kids back & forth to college...

...and takes a lot of road trips." I drive a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica minivan. It has the Stow & Go feature where I can collapse the seats to make room for college kid stuff, also to bring stuff on vacation like my husband's bike. Not flashy, but practical. It also has satellite radio, very useful when driving through the sticks.

[Borogove]

19. I don't think my car likes me very much, so I would guess that it badmouths me a lot.

[Aristus]

20. A dark gray 2019 Nissan Maxima.

It’s a sedan. So the first thing it says about me is: “I will never, ever drive a fuckin’ SUV!”

A gray paint job on a car in the drizzly Pacific Northwest is basically camouflage. So the second thing it says about me is, I know how to blend in. Let the red cars and the yellow cars get all the traffic stops and all the speeding tickets. I haven’t had a speeding ticket in over twenty years. Cause they can’t see me!

It has a turbo-charged V-6 engine. So the third thing it says about me is, I know how to get from Point A to Point B. I don’t lollygag.

[Morbius]

21. That I'm a failure, most likely.

A couple years ago I totaled my Ford Focus, and I bought a 2014 Mazda 5 minivan. I work as a courier so a minivan gets me extra business. Anyway, it has LOTS of problems and on Friday last, 1/2/26, the engine just up and died. Lost compression, my mechanic told me, and it needed a new motor (rebuild not expected to be possible). This runs about $7000, and there were electrical problems too so it wasn't close to worth it.

So I found another Ford Focus on Saturday for $7000, plus taxes and gap insurance. And on Tuesday I got rear-ended in a hit-and-run on the expressway. Bumper shot; car drivable. Didn't get the entire license plate number so the police can't do much. My insurance carrier quoted me something like $1255 for a new bumper, including giving up the car for five days, and I have a $1000 deductible. So I decided to shop around and find a better price at an auto-body shop.

So Thursday afternoon it was kind of slow at work so I went to an autobody shop to get a quote and by the time I arrived the car had developed a knock. Turns out I have a broken rod. Needs an engine rebuild. Starts at $2500 and goes up from there. Illinois law says on all car sales there's an engine/drivetrain warranty for two weeks or 500 miles, whichever is less. This happened 560 miles after I got the car.

So I have two car payments and no working car right now. Driving a rental; $240 a week is a pretty good deal in the Chicago area.

I contacted the dealer where I bought the car and they said they would look at it. They've had it since Friday; I plan to contact them tomorrow morning, but I don't expect much.

What does my car say about me? Nothing good at all.