Why we love driving

[DntWrryBeHappy21]

cars...it may be that its in my blood (few mechanics in the family) or just my fascination with how all these little parts within an engine work together to make something so heavy move so quickly. I always used to love cars, even when i was in kindergarden I would take my diecast metal cars and pretend i was driving them around at unheard of speeds. As I grew older i would watch my parents drive everything from starting the car to applying the brake to put it into gear (automatics). Then one day I decided to try it myself...and my moms car happened to be in the way of my lawn mowing so I moved it. I was about 12 I think. She freaked out but the family got used to the idea and whenever a car needed moving they let me do it, and it was fun for a kid my age. I worked at a garage doing basic automotive work at 13 and an autobody shop at 15 and both were wonderful experiences. Now that I have a liscense and can drive legally its amazing. No matter what mood im in, getting in a car playing a song i like nd just cruising is an amazing feeling to me. and also some of my friends dont understand my passion either but they all agree when im in the drivers seat, I look like im at home and thats how i feel too.

[wildpaws]

[QUOTE=KatarHol;114110]I grew up with my dad's '71 Formula 400 Firebird and to hear it at idle was like crack for my young ears,it wasn't like other V8's,it had a distinctive type of idle,must have been a Pontiac thing. In Smokey and the Bandit,when he stops to pick up Sally Field in the middle of the road,it's there....that sound...........there is nothing on earth like the sound of a V8,any V8.
QUOTE]

I've been a performance enthusiast since before I had a car, quickly developed the love for the driving experience after getting my first car. And I know what you mean about distinctive idles, the first time I heard a first gen. Z/28 I knew I had to have one, so I bought a new one in '69, they had an insane idle and cruising through the BBQ on friday night at idle was awesome. I used to drive for hours late at night after getting off work at 2 AM, cruising the highways, straightening out curves, just enjoying the driving and the machine.
Clyde

[aston70]

My brother is 12 years older than me. I can remember sitting in his lap steering his 65 mustang around the subdivision. I always helped him paint cars and work on them too. He would always take me to car shows and crusing around Gatlinburg, TN. I guess those things gave us a reason to spend time together.

[CHVY4LF]

Its hard to say ive always been a car guy but i think alot of it was watching my dad restore a '78 while i was young and the way the torque looked me back into the bucket seats really started my love of muscle and i also am the bigger car enthusiest of my group of friends. Also the feeling of going 90-100+ and feeling like i am one with the car is the greatest feeling ever. Not to mention the feeling of being completely relaxed behind the wheel, before gas cost so much, i would go drive just to releave my stress or anger. Nothing calmed my down more then the sound or sqeeling tires or the smell or burning rubber. I nice deep V8 rumble still brings tears to my eyes.

[str8himalaya]

Why i love to drive is kinda a broad question but i'll try my best. I have a need...a need...for speed! Seriously though there is just something about getting next to someone, and knowing that you can't be beat no matter how hard they hit the gas. Just you and the road, just something that relaxes you, until you have to fill up The reason i love the camaro? My dad. He had a 1967 camaro as his first car. He kept it, and then bought the 1969 Z28. I drove it once before he got rid of it. The day before the guy came to pick it up. He gave it up because he had too, we were in a tight spot and he had no choice. He did it for the family, and i promised him if i ever got the chance to get another classic, i would. This is my classic, and he will get the first ride. It's about the pride of the name, and i'm going to make sure that i follow through on my promise!

[2KZ28_For_Now]

I grew up in a fortunate time. One of my first memories was riding in a family member's 69 Vette, with the big-block lope, the "rude" exhaust sound, the look of the gauges in the interior, and everyone else around us looking at us as we passed by.

I also remember seeing an original '69 Yenko Camaro pass by me while riding in the passenger seat of another family members' car. The wild graphics and over the top sound just stuck in my mind.

The sights, the sounds, the smells. It was just burned into my soul at an early age.

Once I was old enough to drive cars, I never looked back. I've owned a '76 Olds Cutlass, a '76 400 Trans Am, a '69 Camaro resto-mod coupe, a 199x Chevy pickup, a 198x GMC 3/4 ton pickup, a 2000 Z28, and so on..........

I've ridden in, and driven, many many more kick-azz rides.

You either have the desire for driving and owning certain cars, or you don't.

Nearly all of us here already have, or are brewing that desire as we speak.

[EllwynX]

General driving? I've always just enjoyed driving. I've never had an overly powerful vehicle, but they've all been fun to drive ('82 Camaro, '91 Camaro, '95 Cavalier, '00 S10 Xtreme, '02 Camaro) up until my current '05 Aveo. That is a very big reason I hate the Aveo so much. It's very dull to drive. It's an A-B vehicle only. I knew that when I bought it, but I didn't think it would bother me as much as it has. I like a car to have at least some 'oomph' and handling when I take a corner quick.

Control is a part of it I'm sure, but I'm a bit of a Control Freak anyway. I HATE being driven by someone else and get VERY anxious/nervous when someone else is in control. I can't go anywhere with my mother or a friend of mine without getting in an argument if they're driving. I feel powerless when I'm not driving.

My father likes cars, but he's not what you'd call an 'enthusiast'. He just gets a new one every 2 or 3 years 'cause he gets bored. I'm the same way.

I remember when I was little he'd let me get on his lap and 'steer' (I thought I was) his old blue truck (Chevy something back in the 70's). And he'd let me shift for him sometimes (I was better with a stick shift as a little kid than I am as an adult LOL).

Why Camaro specifically?

Because it was my first car is the most logical reason. I tend to develop strong brand loyalty. Had my first car been a Firebird (as I originally wanted to be honest) I'd be a total Firebird freak. Same if it had been a :::shudder::: Mustang. Thankfully I thought the Mustangs were ugly as sin when I was getting my first car. That and my parents looked at mostly Camaro's (having had a couple themselves).

I won't even purchase Pepsi if I can help it. Coca Cola all the way!! LOL

[fldrummer]

Originally Posted by TheMadHatter99

Out of my group of friends I am the only car enthusiast. Most of them are musicians who prefer giant vans or cars with huge trunks to lug their equipment around and thus can't understand why I am so into cars and driving. They see it as nothing more than moving from point A to point B and, although I've tried to explain my passion, I don't think I've done a good enough job.

So, I'm putting the question to all of you, why do you love driving? Why do you love cars in general and the Camaro in specific?

('New to the forum, here, but I've been lurking for a while). They probably don't get it 'cuz they've probably never driven/rode in a fun, fast car before. I'm a musician too--a drummer for that matter--and I manage to stuff my whole 5-piece drum kit, cymbals and hardware into my G35 coupe (wouldn't have bought it if it didn't fit, btw); the trunk opening and depth better be at least as good on the Camaro, so I can do the same in a new SS/RS next year. ...I've just never been a truck/suv/van kind of guy and have always loved sexy/sporty/fast cars. I had a friend in high school whose dad owned a silver '63 Stingray and that friend took me for a few spins in it. I just love acceleration and good handling. Ever since, I've always wanted a sports car, particularly the last-gen Trans-Am WS6. Unfortunately, through high school and college, all I had were a couple [chevy] station wagons and by the time I could afford a WS6, GM had already discontinued them for over a year. I would've gotten the GTO, but the trunk design (spare tire hump) ruined that possibility, hence, why I chose my G35 coupe... However, I've been salivating for more power and torque and loving everything about the new Camaro since I saw the concept 2 years ago. I just hope I can catch up on my current payments and sell the G without a loss next spring so I can snatch up one of the first SSs in town ('not gonna be like some of the suckers around here that paid $20k dealer markups for a Challenger though ).

[BowtieGuy]

It all started with a five speed 454 Silverado SS. Who knows where it will end?

[Zieke]

for me i simply love the feel of my camaro. the power, the history, the fun rebuilding it, leaving rubber where i please, teaching ricers who the top dogs really are, and i just love the sense of speed my car portrays while im driving.

[jamesc1123]

Well, my dad had a 1973 Corvette, which he sold to my Uncle, who gave it to me. I'm also a mechanical engineer major, which may have something to do with it too. The workings of an engine are amazing. It seems like magic at first, but when you dumb it down, it's just lumpy rods to open and close holes while explosions are transferred to mechanical energy which moves gears that move the wheels.
It's fun and relaxing to drive a nice, performance minded car. It's not as much fun in a car that's designed for going from point a to point b. Families used to just go for drives for something to do. Why the majority of people it seems went away from that, I don't know

[str8himalaya]

Originally Posted by jamesc1123

Well, my dad had a 1973 Corvette, which he sold to my Uncle, who gave it to me. I'm also a mechanical engineer major, which may have something to do with it too. The workings of an engine are amazing. It seems like magic at first, but when you dumb it down, it's just lumpy rods to open and close holes while explosions are transferred to mechanical energy which moves gears that move the wheels.
It's fun and relaxing to drive a nice, performance minded car. It's not as much fun in a car that's designed for going from point a to point b. Families used to just go for drives for something to do. Why the majority of people it seems went away from that, I don't know

Lol, i was in mechanical engineering. I graduated with aerospace engineering, its a good field! Glad to see a fellow engineer!

[RamRod]

I love driving because I have complete control of what happens. The feeling of the open road is like none other. I love driving whether its in my Camaro or on my Harley. It just brings me a sense of joy.

The reason I love Camaro's? My dad was in the military and so there was this place on base called the "Lemon Lot". I was a newly turned 16 year old back in 1997 and we decided to go look for a "new" car for me. We went to this "Lemon Lot" and what did I see? I red 1968 Camaro. It was glorious. It had an awesome body and an awesome interior....but no engine. The guy was in the process of rebuilding it but was being sent overseas and could not take it with him. He was selling it for $2000! I fell in love. We didn't buy it though. That's why I love Camaro's. Something about that car that day lit a fire inside of me, heh.

[JEFF2010SSMANUAL]

When I was very young my older brother got me into cars, by the time I was 8 I was already going to the Chicago Auto show every year. I have always been a car FREAK and always will be.

Traxxas 3.3 REVO, JATO, 4TEC. When not driving around.

3.3 4TEC with slicks 0-60 3.1 seconds on 33% and a hot plug.