[GTO]

One doesn't have to paint to appreciate art.

One doesn't have to play the guitar to appreciate rock.

One doesn't have to know how to cook to appreciate fine food.

Similarly, one doesn't have to love driving to be an enthusiast. People can love cars from the backseat, admire their engineering or just treat them like pieces of art (which they are). Someone once asked me why I love cars so much = I feel they are the only combination of art + engineering + functionality in one. No other object combines all three like an automobile does.

P.S. The best time to enjoy driving in India is early morning.

[Abhi5868]

Excellent write up

As far as the question goes, I personally don't think there's a link between being enthusiastic about the cars and actually driving them. Especially with the ever increasing traffic and cars becoming more accessible to the masses, taking your ride would only mean inviting more headache for yourselves. It can also be compared to being a foodie but not knowing an alphabet from the cookbook, you understand all the flavours and the magic going into a dish however not like to make it yourself.

[TROOPER]

I guess a simple answer to your question would be in the fact that many of us here fell in love with cars when we were kids and had no clue how to drive. And that's exactly what happened with you too, as you have mentioned in the initial part of your post.

If driving were a prerequisite to being called an enthusiast, then what should aviation enthusiasts do?

Just like GTO said, cars too are an art. That's why we can just stand and appreciate them.

No need to feel guilty. The odometer doesn't define your love for cars. Do the occasional empty highway early morning drive if you like. Or just get up early Sunday morning and give your ride a nice wash and wax and admire it.

[dark.knight]

I think very early on, people got carried away with the term car "enthusiast", understanding it to mean a person who likes to burn the tarmac in a car with no springs and redlining the gearshift to the double ton mark always.

The very word enthusiast means - someone who appreciates, with no mention of the details in specific. A sports enthusiast may not know the sport at all, a cooking enthusiast may not know how to light a stove and a movie enthusiast sure doesn't make movies, but still watches them in glee.

I think that for every car that redlines, we need a car that wafts away in comfort, for every car that gives up pops and burbles in the exhaust, we need one that is eerily silent, and for every car that is seen as an epitome of sporty, sharp and timeless, we need one that is familial, curvy and modern.

When I was a teeny tiny kid, I remember this one book about cars, one car per page and having models from Suzuki, Fiat, Ford, GM, Pontiac, Toyota, Honda etc.. that book might've been the reason the foundation was formed in becoming a car enthusiast, then it evolved to riding shotgun and claiming that seat always, learning to drive in a humble Santro with perhaps the poorest center of gravity, to learning the art of driving, handling and control. Even though I've never owned a fancy car, my list of driving them is as long as it can get, from a Maserati to the German trio, a Lambo recently and electric cars as well. I can pretty much change engine oil, coolant and do basic service of my vehicles as long as it isn't ankle deep in grease or dirt, and I do a far better job of washing & waxing than any detailer out there.

Of late, I've come to appreciate the back-seat more, to understand silence, to enjoy the seat comfort and to catch that 10 minutes of motion-meditation (act of watching the scenery as one moves) in an otherwise chaotic world.

My policy is not to love the car, but to love the time with the car, and like a marriage, the right car will give you enough and more memories, that is what you're paying for. That first scratch, that first dent, that first traffic tussle, first puncture, first "eureka!" moment when driving, that to me is why most people fall in love with cars, because of the varied experiences they have and one doesn't even have to cross 10 kmph to experience all of the above.

Drive safe.

[WhiteSierra]

For sure, You can be a car enthusiast and not love driving, but love to be driven around!

Since everyone are sharing their experiences, I'd love to share mine.

My Dad is a Cardiac Surgeon, he loves cars to the core, but doesn't drive. The reason behind this is a Heart Surgeon's hands should be very precise and stable, even a small shake or a vibration of 0.1 mm here and there while operating on surgeries like beating heart bypass surgeries, bloodless bypass surgeries, valve implantations, etc will lead to catastrophic effects. A Surgeon's hand should be very precise. That's the very reason he doesn't drive in potholes filled roads, roads with undulations, etc. His hands are rock solid, very stable and doesn't move a little if he keeps it straight for a minute or two even for his age now, but mine doesn't stay stable as I drive a lot.

His love for cars started when my grandfather bought a brand new Hindustan 10 when he was 4 years old, they went all the way to Tirupati in that car in early 60s. He learnt driving in a LHD willys jeep belonging to our relatives who was working for a forest department. He later went to Australia for training in Advanced Cardiac surgery procedures at St. Vincents hospital. He also worked there for a couple of years before moving back to India. When he was in Australia in late 80s, he was driven around in Mercedes Benz S-Class, Nissan Patrol (outback drives, fishing and camping). This explains his love for safe cars and SUVs.

He also bought numerous books (not magazines) about cars, history of cars, how to maintain cars, different models of cars, Cars in U.S.A, Australian cars, 4x4's, offroading and many more from Australia which we still preserve. I'll share those pictures soon. When we were kids and used to go for toy cars shopping, he also used to buy car magazines like autocar india, overdrive, top gear etc, I've covered that part here. (The great Indian Car Magazine War) He's also an ardent F1 fan who hooked up both me and my brother, I still remember watching F1 sitting in my Dad's lap when Damon hill and Villeneuve were racing.

I believe he is a true enthusiast because he knows almost everything about a car, he loves cars and mostly SUVs, which is the reason we retained all our three Tata Sierras. They clocked over 2 lakh kms each, Qualis did more than 4 lakh kms and Innova did close to 2 lakh kms, while other recent cars also put decent kms on the odo. All our cars combined put together 10 lakh + kms over the years. He did multiple trips from Hyd to Bombay, Bangalore, Patna, Madras, Tirupati, Vijayawada, Vizag, Warangal, Karimnagar, Rajamundry etc, He loves to go on long drives, he enjoys the engine sounds, old hindi songs and nature, so do we. I should give all the credits to my car madness to my Dad, as we had a very early access to cars, he used to take us to Gokarting at Runway 9 since I was a kid, I drove a GoKart for the first time when I was 7 year old, I learnt driving Sierra in my school ground when I was in 6th std (had to request my driver a lot back then), I also used to sneak out with friends with one of the sierras when no was at home. Back in those days there was no traffic, not many people around. I know under aged driving is illegal, but that was thrill back then,, and I guess most of them learnt driving similar way. Even now my Dad prefers to be driven around, and is very comfortable with it, he has profound knowledge about Automobiles, mostly Cars, F1 racing and Harleys.

[DicKy]

No need to get confused between enthusiasm for driving and commuting.

Don't get me wrong.
Commuting and commuter cars are the basis for the auto industry. There wouldn't be a Supra without Corollas/Camrys, no GTR without the Sunnys and Micras, no Bugatti without Polos and Golfs.
And no Mustang or GT, without Ford wanting to sell budget family cars.
If not for commuting, cars would be like how horses are today.
Utilitarian in some cases, but mostly for recreation and as a rich people hobby.

But leaving the whole current economy, millenials argument aside. Our roads do really make life hard for those who drive.
And doubly for those commuting. Two wheelers, three wheelers, jaywalkers, animals. You name it. They can make your day a hell.

Lifestyles play a bigger role here. Some lucky souls get to commute by decent highways to a reserved parking lot, while some have to jostle through narrow roads for 20kms to places where parking is road side lottery.

About being intimidated at TeamBHP meets. Please don't be by the cars that show up, but feel free to get intimidated by the enthusiasm shown.
My first TeamBHP meet, a BHPian showed up in an MR2 and e46 3er compact, another came with his restored Fiat, another came in his daily City but had a Suzuki V-Strom at home and a BHPian who did the GQ run in his CT100!!!
My buddy came in his brand new Harrier and I showed up in our Etios with my kid brother.
It was as if a 3D pointer was above my head screaming 'keyboard bookish enthooosiasth'

Intimidated by the vehicles?
No, all were attainable in the near future if I worked hard.
Intimidated by the enthusiasm?
Yes, though in my defence was/is in financial shambles for now. But not forever. (Again, GQ run in a CT100 needs.....not cash)

Don't think of yourself as any less an enthusiast. Heck, I know zilch about Formula 1 since Schumi retired, and my video games are still stuck in the NFS era (last one was The Run)

And you enjoy highway runs. So you do enjoy driving, just that you hate commuting in our horribly mannered traffic, especially crowded one like Bengaluru.
In my three months of internship in Bengaluru circa 2016, did my whole field work by walking, bus and metro. Cant blame anyone deciding not to buy a car for commuting, with that horrible traffic.

Here is my 3 paisa. Ofcourse assuming corona didn't happen. Or it get backs to normal.

1. Get the stick shift right.
Take a friend's help or a driving instructor's. Master the manual gearbox. Not that you need to drive manual to be an enthusiast, but for our roads, if you have mastered the manual transmission, then you have that much more confidence. Confident enough in your driving skills, that a moron biker brushing your car wouldn't dent your driving enthusiasm.

2. Long trips, maybe a track day.
Personally have never driven on a race track. But I feel that a day at a racing track would confirm if you really love driving and it's just the traffic that scare you.
Also even more long highway trips. Will help you find the rhythm.

3. A car change, maybe?
Not aware of how much you love the A-star. It is a perfect city car. FTD in its own respect. Like, what do you get now in the market? Spresso/WagonR/Celerio AMTs?
You could spruce up the car, but wouldn't be a sea change.

Saying so, just because you have found the perfect balance in public transit for your commuting needs.
Your car could be a weekend one, for airport runs and long trips. FE and ease of city driving may no longer be that important.
If budget permits do look at a FTD used car for starters. May ignite that passion for driving.

And don't take the enthusiasts must drive bit seriously.
Like said by others, aviation enthusiasts don't fly planes, movie buffs may not be able to take a good video shot, book readers may not be able to write properly. Foodies may not even know ingredient names, let alone cooking.
Heck, history enthusiasts don't even live in the past.

Cheers. Chill maadi.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by avi550m

. I would love to know if I am the only person in this boat, or whether there are others out there for me.
.

There is no formal, binding, discussion on what constitutes a car enthusiast. You are enjoying numerous aspects of cars. That is as good as it comes. Don’t get bogged down in semantics. (because that’s what I think it is)

I know lots of people who claim to be very interested in sports. But all they actually do is sit behind a telly and watch others do the actual sport. Does that not make them cricket/football/tennis/etc enthusiasts? Of course not!

Everybody is entitled to his/her own experiences, interests and so on.
I know guys who spend more time restoring cars than driving them. Fair enough, whatever takes your fancy.

I have a thread on this forum about what I call “fiddling” with my cars. On the first page I explain what that means to me:

How you enjoy a hobby or interest is very personal. When it comes to car I like:

- owning several second hand ones, rather than buying one new
- driving them all, all over Europe,
- joining car clubs, helping out with the various club chores
- buy/read (classic) car magazines
- collect every brochure, manual, parts list available of the cars I own
- clean them
- get every tool known to man
- fix the cars, do some restoration jobs
- visit classic car shows and meetings

So my car enthusiasms and enjoyment comes from a wide range of very different topics and activities. Driving is just one aspect of it. For some it might be the most important, perhaps even the only aspect of being a car enthusiast. But there is no rule that you need to follow.

Continue with what you enjoy, what you find interesting. If you come across somebody who believes you are not a car enthusiast for not actually liking or wanting to drive, that is their problem. Never yours!

Being enthusiast has nothing to do with how many cars you own, or how much you know about cars, how many miles you have driven, how fast you have driven or anything like that.

Enthusiasm is an emotion, comes from the heart. Don’t let others dictate what you feel!

Enjoy!

Jeroen

[lamborghini]

My father would fit this description.
He used to enjoy and love driving back in the day when traffic was manageable, but over time he now only drives when we are are on holiday.

When buying any new vehicle, he does go into indepth research and even browses team bhp official reviews. Probably knows the feature set and the like better than me when we get a new ride home.
Heck, makes getting some upgrades much easier - like nicer tyres, etc.

That being said, its been around 10 years since he took a break from driving in bombay and he does want to get back at it - to the extent the garage updates since the last few years have resulted in primarily automatics that can be self driven with ease.
Interestingly we discussed this the other day, and we agree that it doesn't make sense to drive to work daily with traffic and road conditions the way they are, but to drive for fun - such as an expressway run, etc.

[charanreddy]

To each his own. There is no need to compare and feel peer pressure in car enthusiasm atleast.

I am very different. My office provides personalised cab service, I still prefer to drive and spend almost 10K per month in fuel and maintenance , 30% in peak traffic. Those 1.5 hrs every day are my ‘ME’ time. I am free to think and be with myself and I value that in our daily grind.

I like music and vocals and can name singer by listening to the song( hindi , Telugu only). I can’t sing worth a damn.. so repeating my self : to each his own.

[sharatravan]

I was a guy who fits this thread title to the T - Love Cars and Bikes but not driving in the city - until recently. I bought my car and bike not because the auto-lover in me wanted to, but out of sheer need for convenience.

The hassles of daily commuting in a city like Mumbai or Bangalore just don't make the car ownership worth it, but that doesn't mean I don't deserve to read about the technicalities of the automobiles, admire Lambos and Ferraris, read auto magazines, follow motorsports and advise near and dear ones on their next best automotive purchase. I firmly believe that the term 'Enthusiast' is nothing more than plain semantics - ask most people on its meaning and you'd be amazed at the kind of responses you'll get on what constitutes being enthusiastic about something.

A person may love driving on the highway but not within the city(like me - most of my driving has been long drives on the highways), some people may not be drivers at all but just love being inside the car, some people know inside out about cars technically but might not be drivers at all - there's no fit definition for being an enthusiast. Like Jeroen mentioned in one of the earlier posts, it is an emotion coming straight from the heart; don't let some flawed definitions govern how you feel about your relationship with cars.

[AmitRavi07]

I can totally relate to the feelings here. I love to drive on highways, but, I dread to cross every city that the highway passes through. While on a short drive today, I saw a bike on a side street merging onto the highway. I slowed down expecting the bike to not stop, and that is what exactly happened, the bike turned into the two lane highway without even looking left for traffic. I always think what kind of guts do these guys have, here I am afraid of crashing into a 100Kg motorcycle, and the other person is not even afraid of 1.5 ton car.

I hate to take my bike and car out in city, in fact before marriage, I did not take my bike out for city commutes at all, used either taxi or my cycle to commute to office or any other establishment in the city, bike was exclusive for weekend long rides, which I enjoy.

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by avi550m

I don’t know, maybe I need to find certain things to love about driving again, or just go out there for weekend runs. I would love to know if I am the only person in this boat, or whether there are others out there for me.

Trust me, you're not the only one. Bangalore traffic has done this to many people including my dad. My dad and mom had 2 cars between them from 2000 to 2018. Since 2018, their requirements changed and my dad hated driving in the city to such an extent that mom and dad managed with one car (Ciaz AT) + Ola & Uber (Pre-COVID). Also, the more I read about it, I think cars are too much an expense, especially in a country like India where all car related expenditures are heavily taxed. So, if you can afford it and it makes sense, I'd say get a safe automatic car. If you're on the fence, try renting an AT (when safe) for a few weekends and then decide.

If you think bringing an A-star is inappropriate for a TBHP meet/auto meet, think again. Like minded people see & encourage your enthusiasm, not your ride. Of course, there'll be an odd non-enthusiast relative/friend who'll look down as you own an A-star and nothing fancier(in their view). You just have to deal with them or ignore them

Similar thread: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shift...-imposter.html (Ever felt like an imposter?)

[Ranabegins]

I will take the middle ground here. I love driving but not all the time, most of the time I handover the car to one of my trusted friends as I enjoy looking out of the window and observing the scenery.
I believe that I am not very good at multitasking so when I drive it takes too much of my concentration and I miss the enjoyment that my friends are having in the car and that's the reason I prefer to be on the passenger seat most of time time.

[RonXRi94]

Honestly, commuting in traffic isn’t driving at all. Just a pain in the neck(left calf, actually) more than anything else. Don’t judge your love for driving based on what your commute feels like.

You mentioned you enjoy drives to the airport and hills. Those are the actual drives. Zoom off towards the hills early on a Sunday morning, and see what an amazing experience it is.

Back when I was living in India, I used to commute by Ola share cabs. On Sunday mornings however, I was out by 5am zooming on the deserted highways.

Those were the days

[Sutripta]

I am fascinated by the automobile. Not just the finished product, but by all the various parts of the industrial jigsaw which had to fit together to give us the final product.
Some of the final products are terrible on the road. Still does not prevent these from being interesting.

I absolutely love driving when the car, the road, the environment, the mood all gel together. At that point it's sublime. So much so that I try to actively search for/ try to create such conditions. Beyond that most of the time driving is just an activity. Often passes without comment or thought (autopilot/ zombie driving!), once in a rare while totally unpleasant.

So yes, it is entirely possible.

Kelly Johnson never piloted a plane.

Sutripta