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Permalink Reply by Rob Sexton on February 2, 2013 at 8:42am

Definitely keep a change of clothes- double up on the socks and undergarments.  I live in Michigan and always keep a heavy blanket/sleeping bag in the backseat, or a light blanket during the summer (also helps separate your butt from the leather).  Consider a set of basic tools because, even if you aren't a mechanic, a wrench can get you out of a tight spot.  That includes wd-40 and duct tape.  I keep a "fire box" in my trunk- matches in a plastic bag, 2+ Bic lighters, char clothe- all in a rubbermade to keep it dry. Wratchet straps, tie-downs, and bungees in the trunk, jumper cables, and a fire extinguisher rated for putting out fires burning with gas/oil.  I also keep a few cleaning supplies in the trunk- Armor All leather wipes for touch-ups and spills, Armor All wipes, tire foam, and a quart of oil.  I also have a few kinds of rope.  My windshield refelctor stays in the trunk also- I drive an old Cadillac and I use the reflector a lot in the summer and winter to keep the UV off the leather.  Also good protection against heat.  Also, don't make the mistake I did when I bought my first car and remove your jack and spare tire.  Just don't do it.  In fact, buy a better jack because the one's that come in cars are junk, and a reliable jack is handy for non-auto related jobs.  

For your glove box I recommend getting organized.  I keep my registration and proof of insurance in a labelled envelope.  Nothing is more embarassing than hunting for these documents in a traffic stop or, worse, arriving at the SOS to renew a tab and realizing you don't know where the heck that stuff is.  I also keep records and reciepts of any work done on my car- even oil changes.  Its good for your own records (especially if work you just had done ends up failing) and its a bonus for anyone you may sell your car to. I have a notepad that I write down any information I think I may need, like the numbers for my air and fuel filter so I don't have to hunt for them at the store when I replace them.  

I always keep spare fuses in my arm rest, along with a small tape measure.  I like to subscribe to the "be prepared" mentality, and i hunt a lot so my car is geared a bit toward emergency situations.  I keep a lot of stuff in my car for the "just in case" scenarios.  I used to keep cell phone charger(s) in the arm rest, but my cig lighters don't work anymore so I took them out.  

One thing I like and never got around to doing is zip-tying a spare set of keys to your car.  A friend of mine's dad always did this and one time he found himself without his keys- all he had to do was pull the spare set from under the car and he was on the road.

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Permalink Reply by Native Son on February 2, 2013 at 11:12am

OK guys, now we're getting into the territory of one of my uncles.  His car was a 4X4 pickup (even back in the 1950s).  Almost always had a camper shell on it.  And carried enough tools in the truck to completely rebuild the thing.

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Permalink Reply by Dish on February 2, 2013 at 3:05pm

I keep fuses, light bulbs spare belts, full size spare in the bed (have a f250) n got a tool box with a 255 peice tool kit, slim jim,heavy duty jumper cables (not only fer jumpin, but pretty handy if you aint got a tow rope) the four ended tire iron (tire star?) PB blaster, (wd40 on steroids) wool blanket just in case (NW wyoming gets a might bit snowy in the winter) gas can (I have two tanks but 10mpg)

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Permalink Reply by Corey C. Jordan on February 3, 2013 at 12:25pm

Has someone mentioned that it helps to drive a manly vehicle in the first place?

Here's some examples of vehicles that are not, IMHO, manly....

 There are many more....

Beginning with one foot in the bucket doesn't help.

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Permalink Reply by Vytautas on February 3, 2013 at 12:35pm

I know a Marine Corps officer who drives a prius. I wouldn't question his manliness.

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Permalink Reply by Shane on February 3, 2013 at 1:00pm

I know a Marine Corps Scout Sniper who drives a Prius.  I question his manliness daily.

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Permalink Reply by Cisco Carson on February 3, 2013 at 4:38pm

I'd have no problem driving the last car, even digging the color.

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Permalink Reply by Chuck Knight on February 3, 2013 at 7:14pm

A Camry, a 2nd generation Prius, and what appears to be a Datsun 210 made before 1980.  Interesting choices.

 

One is the best selling mid sized car in the world, known for its build quality and longevity.  One is the best selling hybrid in the world, known for revolutionizing drive systems and introducing any number of advanced technologies to the masses.  And one is a relic from another century, but which was so well made that they routinely lasted for 250-500,000 miles of driving, at a time when most American cars lasted 50K, at best...helped introduce the American market to what is now known as Japanese quality.

 

Very interesting choices, indeed.

    

So, Corey, what do you find un-manly about these specific cars?

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Permalink Reply by Corey C. Jordan on February 4, 2013 at 12:31am

That's easy Chuck... The top one, a Corolla (not a Camry) is a reliable vehicle. So is a bicycle. They handle badly, have weak, fade-away brakes and starter motor on my Shelby makes more power... Worse, they are utterly and completely boring. Along with with Camry, they are the prime choice of poops. Almost without fail, if there is a long slow line of traffic, and a large truck isn't at the front, it's a Corolla or Camry. People buy these dogs because they are reliable. That's because people who really don't enjoy driving, shop for cars like most would shop for a refrigerator. They want to take it home, plug it in and forget about it. Moreover, one consistent trait of humans is that if they don't enjoy doing something, they rarely do it well.

The Prius? Another boat anchor that has great reliability. Where I live, they are often bought just to use the expressway HOV lanes, where they jam up traffic driving too slow. It's also a great ride for those who failed their economics course. Pay $28,000 for a car that gets 47 mpg highway, as opposed to a Chevy Cruise Eco at $18,000 which gets 42 mpg highway. How many years do they have to drive that golf cart to save the 10 grand difference at 5 mpg? Typically, much longer than the average owner keeps it. Better off with a Ford C-Max, with more interior room, better power, better brakes, better handling and better economy (for the same cost). Where the hybrids shine is in urban driving. Anywhere else, and it's simply a bad choice. 

As too Japanese quality... The Toyota Quality System evolved from American Dr. W. Edwards Deming's work. Deming taught the Japanese. Later, American car companies learned that Deming's approach was more than simply valid and had to develop similar quality management system. In Japan, the Deming Prize is still valued highly.

But, to get to why I selected the cars I did... A Corolla isn't manly or not manly. Mounting a wing on one is pathetically unmanly. Especially, if it's not radically modified. The Prius... A leading cause of low T in adult males. The Datsun B210... One of the worst cars ever imported. Automotive journalists of the time hated it so much, they hoped that the container ships would sink in route.

Men should know something about automobiles. I'd wager there's more than a few on this forum who would struggle to figure out how to change a flat. You know who you are. Bolting on a wing from a formula car to the trunk lid (as in that Corolla), only makes one look stupid to those who are car guys. Save your money and invest in a year's supply of ExtenZe. It's just as useless, but at least no one knows you're completely insecure at a glance.

Here's a simple way to determine if you have a manly vehicle or not...

Imagine that you live in Sturgis, South Dakota. During the annual motorcycle rally, if you parked your car on Main Street, would it naturally become a public urinal. If not, you're probably okay. If you don't have such confidence, than there's nothing you could put inside it to offset that issue.

 

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Permalink Reply by Chuck Knight on February 4, 2013 at 12:49am

Hmmm.  The trunk of that Corolla looks almost identical to the back end of a Camry from before the latest redesign.  Wow!  Live and learn.

 

Agreed about the unnecessary affectations, like the spoiler wing.  That just screams "wannabe."

 

But, as I said earlier in this thread, choosing an automobile for practical reasons, rather than "fun" reasons, makes the choice no less manly.

 

(And, besides, I bought my Prius pre-owned, and for a significant discount)

 

As for the Datsun, I learned to drive in a 1981 B210...it was a fantastic car that, you're correct, was panned by critics at the time.  It was small.  Its styling looked funny.  It lacked power, if memory serves the one I learned in had a 40hp engine.  But, that thing took a licking and kept on ticking.  My family *gave it away* after 15 years and a quarter million miles, to a family which kept it at least another 100,000 miles as a daily driver.  From an *engineering* standpoint, it was a masterpiece!

 

The b210 collector society, today, recognizes it as the triumph of practical engineering that it was.

 

We seem to be in full agreement on one thing...a man should know enough about a subject to make an informed decision.  Total and complete agreement on that one.  But, where we differ is in our sense of priorities.  Each of us must make up our own minds what is important to us.

 

Doing the research and making that informed decision is a very manly thing to do, whether it leads him to a GTO, or to a Nissan LEAF.

 

BTW, concerning your comment about Sturgis.  You would choose your car, based on whether a drunken realtor or dentist, playing the part of a badass in a "biker costume" would choose to urinate on it, to impress his soon-to-be ex-wife?

 

The *real* bikers I've met appreciate engineering excellence as much as, and possibly more than, anyone I've ever met, whether it be expressed in the form of a muscle car or a hybrid.  They just love the machines.

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Permalink Reply by Cisco Carson on February 4, 2013 at 1:07am

BTW, concerning your comment about Sturgis.  You would choose your car, based on whether a drunken realtor or dentist, playing the part of a badass in a "biker costume" would choose to urinate on it, to impress his soon-to-be ex-wife?

 

That needed to be repeated.

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Permalink Reply by Brian Splash on February 4, 2013 at 1:10am

Agreed

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