Love at first vroom? 4 in 10 are in love with their car

A new study found that while most car owners like their cars, four in 10 have gone so far as to declare love to their vehicle.

In the survey of 2,000 U.S. car owners, 90% said they feel a fondness for their car and 40% confessed they love them.

Given the bond car owners have with their cars, more than one in five (21%) have bestowed their car with a name. Respondents shared cute monikers like “Big Bertha,” “Boogie Mobile” and “Purrrsilla” along with funny names like “Zoom Zoom,” “Vroomer,” “Oogie Boogie” and “Betty White.”

This love of cars and the consequent naming of vehicles might, in part, be attributed to all the memories shared between a car and its owner.

Conducted by Talker Research and commissioned by Ziebart  (https://www.ziebart.com), the study found the average person can point to 11 major life milestones that have taken place in their current car.

In the survey, respondents shared their most meaningful memories, including everything from once-in-a-lifetime road trips to teaching the grandkids how to drive.

One respondent even said, “My wife delivered our first child in this car, my son Johnny. [We] named the car after him, ‘Big Johnny,’” while another said, “I found a hurt dog on the side of the road [so] I pulled over and I helped him. Now he’s mine [and] I love him so much.”

And many disclosed that their best moments in the car have been simple, carefree moments, which one person perfectly encapsulated when they said their favorite memory was “cruising down an open highway at sunset, music playing, windows down and the warm air rushing in. That perfect blend of freedom and serenity — no destination, just the joy of the journey.”

The survey also showcased how drivers use time spent in their car for a bit of peace and quiet amidst the noise and busyness of their day-to-day.

Twenty-seven percent of respondents noted they use their driving time to think about life and plan for the future and a fifth (21%) mentally process work and big events in the car.

So, with both milestone memories and small pockets of reprieve happening in cars, when it does eventually come time to let their cars go, 49% said they’ll be “devastated.”

In fact, nearly one in two (48%) said they’re currently driving their “forever car” — a car they’ll use and maintain until it literally won’t run anymore.

“Our cars are oftentimes a focal point in our lives,” said Thomas A. Wolfe, chief executive officer at Ziebart. “As one of life’s largest and most meaningful investments, our cars deserve a bit of love and care to ensure we can keep them around and get the most life out of them.”

According to the study, almost half of car owners (46%) have taken their car care up a notch over the last 12 months in order to lengthen their car’s life expectancy.

Practically, this looks like doing interior (57%) and exterior (51%) cleaning, checking tire pressure and tread depth (43%), and oil levels (43%) more often.

A third (33%) are also taking their rides in for check-ups and tune-ups more frequently.

Along with mechanics, many are cognizant of their car’s exterior. Over a quarter of car owners (26%) are worried about rust and 23% said paint deterioration is one of their top concerns.

More than a fifth (22%) are anxious that their cars’ undercarriage will be damaged and a good number (17%) are paying attention to interior leather and fabric deterioration as their cars age.

“When it comes to car care, it’s easy to remember to keep up with mechanical maintenance,” said Wolfe. “What people often forget is that things like rust can be very damaging to a car’s longevity. So knowing how important our cars are to us, don’t forget to keep an eye on rust, chipping paint, undercarriage damage and fabric or leather interior deterioration.”

CUTEST AND FUNNIEST CAR NAMES

• Betty White
• Big Bertha
• Black Beauty
• Boogie Mobile
• Cutie Patitudie
• Lady Love
• Miracle Girl
• Old Bessie
• Oogie Boogie
• Powder Puff
• Princess Leah
• Purrrsilla
• Silver Bullet
• Snow White
• The Baby
• The Batmobile
• The Beast
• Vroomer
• White Lightning
• Wilma Jean
• Zoom Zoom

TOP APPEARANCE AND PROTECTION CONCERNS AS CARS AGE

• Rust (26%)
• Paint deterioration (23%)
• Damage to the car’s undercarriage (22%)
• Interior leather or fabric deterioration (17%)