Anyone else NOT baby their car? (cosmetically)

[Str8Ghostin]

Now before you get the wrong idea, I don't mean you shouldn't take care of your vehicle, of course you should - especially as an enthusiast. And if people want to keep their car as mint as possible then of course they should it's their car and it makes them happy. I don't mean mechanically I mean cosmetically.

As for me, this car is my daily driver, commuter and track vehicle. I commute roughly 3 hours (160 km) Mon-Fri for work and do about 4 open days and 2-3 time attack events from Spring-Fall here in Ontario Canada. Using it this much results in the car getting very dirty very quickly, stone chips and scratches. Do I let this stuff bug me? Of course not, it's a 26,000$ purpose-built car and I view it as such.

My buddy has a BRZ and freaks out a the smallest imperfections, it looks like he's never comfortable driving the thing. Checks over every inch of the car every time he gets into/out of it, washes and waxes it every week, doesn't drive it in the winter, finds a small clear coat micro scratch and freaks out, had to get it opticoated, etc.

Now I'm not hating - can't bash anyone for taking care of their car to the fullest extent, it's a great thing and I wish I had the patience for it but I simply don't.

Anyone else like me? Sorry for wall of text!

[Tcoat]

[extrashaky]

Same here. This is my daily driver. I put 30,000 miles on it in the first twelve months of ownership. Shit's gonna happen.

I was pissed about the first couple of door and hood dings, and I do park away from other people and give the big trucks plenty of room to try to avoid more damage. But beyond that, I don't stress about it. The most important thing to me is that it keeps running for as long as possible, so I make sure I do all the appropriate maintenance.

[Jonsey]

100% agree. It is an amazing car and I love mine, but this is a $26,000 general production car that can be easily replaced. I also track mine and with the thin paint we have on these cars, it did not stay pristine long and my car has just 10,000 miles on it. I certainly want it to look nice as long as possible, but I get my enjoyment from the car behind the wheel and not on the outside looking in.

[Str8Ghostin]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

Same here. This is my daily driver. I put 30,000 miles on it in the first twelve months of ownership. Shit's gonna happen.

I was pissed about the first couple of door and hood dings, and I do park away from other people and give the big trucks plenty of room to try to avoid more damage. But beyond that, I don't stress about it. The most important thing to me is that it keeps running for as long as possible, so I make sure I do all the appropriate maintenance.

Well said sir

[NWFRS]

I'm confused.

Isn't it possible to daily drive these cars AND take care of them? Scuffs and dings happen, sure, but I can't imagine not dealing with it right away. As soon as you start letting the little things go, I feel like that's sort of the beginning of the end...

Next thing you know, your car is covered in dents and you're fifty years old with a pile of stuffed animals and fast food wrappers on your back dash...

[sprintertrueno86]

Originally Posted by Str8Ghostin

My buddy has a BRZ and freaks out a the smallest imperfections, it looks like he's never comfortable driving the thing. Checks over every inch of the car every time he gets into/out of it, washes and waxes it every week, doesn't drive it in the winter, finds a small clear coat micro scratch and freaks out, had to get it opticoated, etc.

Sounds like me

But no, rock chips and scratches from driving are inevitable. What pisses me off are door dings, scratches from shopping carts, or other people scuffing up your car. If my car is going to get scuffed up, it's going to be me doing it, not some careless a-hole in a parking lot.

[strat61caster]

Yes, but I do want to do better, it deserves a quality buffing to get the swirls out from my shitty washing skills and a nice thick coat of wax to last.

But I'd much rather take a nap or beat on it 'round a track

[Tcoat]

Loads of rock chips from all my highway time and scrape on my bumper from a big ice chunk and these don't bother me.


Only thing that does bother me is when I got hit by a taillight lens that flew off a car in front of me and landed on the top of my bumper. Damn it Michigan you need some safety standards for your cars!

[Str8Ghostin]

Originally Posted by NWFRS

I'm confused.

Isn't it possible to daily drive these cars AND take care of them? Scuffs and dings happen, sure, but I can't imagine not dealing with it right away. As soon as you start letting the little things go, I feel like that's sort of the beginning of the end...

Next thing you know, your car is covered in dents and you're fifty years old with a pile of stuffed animals and fast food wrappers on your back dash...

If its something that actually requires attention (not a .000000001 mm size paint chip) like a deeper scratch then yes I have it repaired, I'm talking about BABYING the car.

[Zatherine]

Totally agree with you on those points. I drive my car as a daily driver and I don't really baby the car like some of my friends. Of course that said I wouldn't like some serious damage on the car. But honestly the babying phase for the car was like the first week or so for me. After I scratched the bottom of the front lip going down a driveway that ended the phase swiftly lol....

I'm still paranoid about certain things though when parking at work. I'd pick spots that are less likely to get my car dinged or spots with passenger doors facing my car. ...but this is something I do with all my cars so I wouldn't call it babying.

[Target70]

I have owned my car for about 1 year 3 months. I have never washed my car, except a cup of water and a paper towel on bird crap to keep it from eating through our thin paint down to the metal.

[Tromatic]

I'm learning to relax and live with the dent I caused by dropping a soft-cased rifle onto the passenger side roof above the door. Still makes me furious with my stupidity, which is an improvement over rage.

[Burrcold]

I'm pretty OCD but I still 100% enjoy the car and don't let it get in the way.