Mike Romeo drives a classic Mustang convertible named Spinoza (for Benedict)
Today’s question, courtesy of Elaine Viets.
Do you name your cars?
My last car I named Dashiell (for Hammett). My current car is Romeo (for Mike).
You?
26 thoughts on “Reader Friday: Name Your Car”
Ralph, and a bunch more, I can’t remember.
Named my boat Bubba.
Know someone who drove a Ralph for many years. Perhaps she will stop by and share the story.
I left Liz (Elizabeth), my minivan, in New Jersey, when we moved to California (didn’t want to drive a ten-year-old car across the country in August). I still miss her, five years later.
When I took my youngest daughter shopping for a second-hand minivan, and we were happy with her, my daughter said that if I named her, I had to keep her – and I immediately said, “This is Elizabeth – Liz.” My daughter climbed into all the seats in the three rows to make sure her even taller siblings would fit – and we drove Liz home.
We christened our car “Duncan” because birthed as a “wee lad.” Three cylinders and 50+ miles per gallon, a golf cart passed us during our first outing. Does he compare to our quick-to-depreciate German iron and the requisite snob appeal? No, but Duncan gave us just what we needed to get around in our retirement community inexpensively, and the sound of his itty-bitty horn lights us up with each honk.
The only car we ever named was “Christine” from the Stephen King story. Unbeknownst to us when we bought it, the car had been in a flood which screwed up the electronics. Lights went off and on w/o warning. Doors locked and unlocked by themselves. The last straw: I left the engine running in park and went to get something out of the trunk. It put itself in gear and drove off w/o me, running into water pipes and a wall.
We sued under the Lemon Law. That’s when we learned it had been underwater but cleaned up and sold to us as new.
I hope you’re going to use the story of that car in one of your books.
Florida has a law that if a car has been in a flood, it has to be junked.
My car is named The Skittle. It’s a lime green Chevy Spark and looks like a green Skittle. My motor home, where I live full time, is named Rigsby.
We used to call it “the Rig” but that was way too generic. Her full name is Eleanor Rigsby. Yes, it’s a play on the Beatles song. (Huge fan)
After my dad passed on to glory, I inherited his 2002 GMC Sonoma pickup truck. My wife named the truck after my dad using his middle name, “Clarence.” All of my coworkers know this and fondly refer to Clarence when I drive it to work on occasion.
Neither my wife and I name our cars, past or present. Her Honda Fit does have a decal that reads T.A.R.D.I.S.
I called my Honda Fit “Zippy”
That’s an apt name for a Fit 🙂
I drive 25,000 miles a year. My car and I are very close. It is simply “Little Car Cute”. It is a Prius, my second one. It is pretty small and can fit places more normal sized cars do not. And does things that are “little car cute”.
It currently has 290,000 miles on it. It is a 2010. The moon is 240,000 miles away.
Once you go 50 mpg you don’t go back.
Our Kubota ATV is orange and black. We call him “the Tiger.” I inherited an old yellow John Deere tractor from my father that had a backhoe on it at one time. My dad named him “Samson.” Our newest vehicle is a sky-blue Honda CRV. Her name is Pepe’ Le Blue.
Last 3 vehicles: Breeze, Pele, and Ruby. Nothing imaginative, just playing off their colors.
My first car was a 1955 Chevy wagon, salmon pink. Bought it for $200 from my great-aunt. I was 17 when I first started driving it back and forth to high school, a distance of about 11 miles. I remember the first time I drove it into the parking lot, because it was the first time any of the boys noticed me . . . I mean, yeah, it was the car. I don’t remember it having an official name, but my Dad called it Big Bertha sometimes.
And further back, when I was between 8 and 12 or so, Dad had a CJ3 Jeep high hood. Mom and Dad belonged to the Jeep Jockeys. I believe they were founding members of our town’s Jockeys. We’d go jeeping almost every weekend. Dad’s Jeep was named Hogbody. It was the job of my brother and I to high side the Jeep on steep inclines.
Good times.
The most iconic car I have owned was one I bought when I was young, single, and foolish. It was a Jaguar XKE convertible. Although I didn’t name her, in retrospect I should have called her “Diva” because I spent a lot of time taking care of her problems. (You’d think a car engineered in Great Britain would start when it rained!)
Although I haven’t named any of my cars, my trusty treadmill is “Millie.”
My John Deere tractor is named The Muncher.
My red pickup is named Short Round.
One of my characters named her car Bessie, courtesy of my dad. My father named every vehicle he owned. We call our truck Suge Knight or Suge for short. I don’t recall how or why I came up with it. Neither of us are fans of the ex-rapper turned music exec.
My first car was a used Dodge Dart called Goat because it refused to start. The rest were designated by a color or the type of car. My last two cars were murdered within two years of being owning by being tee-boned. My current car is “This car is fire engine red. For the love of God, see me.”
Not the Greatest Of All Time, hey Marilyn? 🙂
My current car is named Angel, because that’s what he drives like. He’s a gray-green 1987 Jaguar. My car before Angel was Black Beauty. My first car, which I bought for $400, was the Blue Bomber.
The Car Guys of NPR fame said to never give your car a name… it jinxes it…
…but enny whey…
My first car was a 1970 VW Rabbit in what was called chromate green, but was really closer to Hulk green – hence the name Dr. Bruce… it was pretty mild mannered until it wasn’t, then it was a real beast…
My daughter-in-law named her blueberry-blue Honda Bosley – after the Charlie’s Angles majordomo (instead of the hair replacement outfit…)
ah, duh… Charlie’s ANGELS… 😣🙄
I recently wound up with a brand spanking new Toyota Camry for work. I’ve taken to calling it The Nanny. This is not a term of endearment. Why are these cars so popular???
Ralph, and a bunch more, I can’t remember.
Named my boat Bubba.
Know someone who drove a Ralph for many years. Perhaps she will stop by and share the story.
I left Liz (Elizabeth), my minivan, in New Jersey, when we moved to California (didn’t want to drive a ten-year-old car across the country in August). I still miss her, five years later.
When I took my youngest daughter shopping for a second-hand minivan, and we were happy with her, my daughter said that if I named her, I had to keep her – and I immediately said, “This is Elizabeth – Liz.” My daughter climbed into all the seats in the three rows to make sure her even taller siblings would fit – and we drove Liz home.
We christened our car “Duncan” because birthed as a “wee lad.” Three cylinders and 50+ miles per gallon, a golf cart passed us during our first outing. Does he compare to our quick-to-depreciate German iron and the requisite snob appeal? No, but Duncan gave us just what we needed to get around in our retirement community inexpensively, and the sound of his itty-bitty horn lights us up with each honk.
The only car we ever named was “Christine” from the Stephen King story. Unbeknownst to us when we bought it, the car had been in a flood which screwed up the electronics. Lights went off and on w/o warning. Doors locked and unlocked by themselves. The last straw: I left the engine running in park and went to get something out of the trunk. It put itself in gear and drove off w/o me, running into water pipes and a wall.
We sued under the Lemon Law. That’s when we learned it had been underwater but cleaned up and sold to us as new.
I hope you’re going to use the story of that car in one of your books.
Florida has a law that if a car has been in a flood, it has to be junked.
My car is named The Skittle. It’s a lime green Chevy Spark and looks like a green Skittle. My motor home, where I live full time, is named Rigsby.
We used to call it “the Rig” but that was way too generic. Her full name is Eleanor Rigsby. Yes, it’s a play on the Beatles song. (Huge fan)
After my dad passed on to glory, I inherited his 2002 GMC Sonoma pickup truck. My wife named the truck after my dad using his middle name, “Clarence.” All of my coworkers know this and fondly refer to Clarence when I drive it to work on occasion.
Neither my wife and I name our cars, past or present. Her Honda Fit does have a decal that reads T.A.R.D.I.S.
I called my Honda Fit “Zippy”
That’s an apt name for a Fit 🙂
I drive 25,000 miles a year. My car and I are very close. It is simply “Little Car Cute”. It is a Prius, my second one. It is pretty small and can fit places more normal sized cars do not. And does things that are “little car cute”.
It currently has 290,000 miles on it. It is a 2010. The moon is 240,000 miles away.
Once you go 50 mpg you don’t go back.
Our Kubota ATV is orange and black. We call him “the Tiger.” I inherited an old yellow John Deere tractor from my father that had a backhoe on it at one time. My dad named him “Samson.” Our newest vehicle is a sky-blue Honda CRV. Her name is Pepe’ Le Blue.
Last 3 vehicles: Breeze, Pele, and Ruby. Nothing imaginative, just playing off their colors.
My first car was a 1955 Chevy wagon, salmon pink. Bought it for $200 from my great-aunt. I was 17 when I first started driving it back and forth to high school, a distance of about 11 miles. I remember the first time I drove it into the parking lot, because it was the first time any of the boys noticed me . . . I mean, yeah, it was the car. I don’t remember it having an official name, but my Dad called it Big Bertha sometimes.
And further back, when I was between 8 and 12 or so, Dad had a CJ3 Jeep high hood. Mom and Dad belonged to the Jeep Jockeys. I believe they were founding members of our town’s Jockeys. We’d go jeeping almost every weekend. Dad’s Jeep was named Hogbody. It was the job of my brother and I to high side the Jeep on steep inclines.
Good times.
The most iconic car I have owned was one I bought when I was young, single, and foolish. It was a Jaguar XKE convertible. Although I didn’t name her, in retrospect I should have called her “Diva” because I spent a lot of time taking care of her problems. (You’d think a car engineered in Great Britain would start when it rained!)
Although I haven’t named any of my cars, my trusty treadmill is “Millie.”
My John Deere tractor is named The Muncher.
My red pickup is named Short Round.
One of my characters named her car Bessie, courtesy of my dad. My father named every vehicle he owned. We call our truck Suge Knight or Suge for short. I don’t recall how or why I came up with it. Neither of us are fans of the ex-rapper turned music exec.
My first car was a used Dodge Dart called Goat because it refused to start. The rest were designated by a color or the type of car. My last two cars were murdered within two years of being owning by being tee-boned. My current car is “This car is fire engine red. For the love of God, see me.”
Not the Greatest Of All Time, hey Marilyn? 🙂
My current car is named Angel, because that’s what he drives like. He’s a gray-green 1987 Jaguar. My car before Angel was Black Beauty. My first car, which I bought for $400, was the Blue Bomber.
The Car Guys of NPR fame said to never give your car a name… it jinxes it…
…but enny whey…
My first car was a 1970 VW Rabbit in what was called chromate green, but was really closer to Hulk green – hence the name Dr. Bruce… it was pretty mild mannered until it wasn’t, then it was a real beast…
My daughter-in-law named her blueberry-blue Honda Bosley – after the Charlie’s Angles majordomo (instead of the hair replacement outfit…)
ah, duh… Charlie’s ANGELS… 😣🙄
I recently wound up with a brand spanking new Toyota Camry for work. I’ve taken to calling it The Nanny. This is not a term of endearment. Why are these cars so popular???