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What's your car's name?

The RogueThe Rogue Shipmate
in Heaven
On the UK thread in All Saints there has been some discussion on elderly cars and every vehicle referred to had a name. So what do you call yours?

Ours are usually loosely based round the letters on the number plate and we currently drive Zebedee. When I was growing up we had a Morris Traveller and whenever it wouldn't start Mum would say "Come on George" so it was called George.

Comments

  • TheOrganistTheOrganist Shipmate
    Not me, but I have a friend whose G-Wagen goes by the name of Gwen.
  • HedgehogHedgehog Shipmate
    All my cars (all VWs) have been called Sarah Jane.* Currently up to Sarah Jane V.

    *Strictly speaking, the first in the line was "Sarah Jane Bunny"--a 1978 diesel Rabbit. Brown. Little round headlights. Luggage carrier on top. World's Best Bunny.
  • Nick TamenNick Tamen Shipmate
    Hedgehog wrote: »
    All my cars (all VWs) have been called Sarah Jane.* Currently up to Sarah Jane V.

    *Strictly speaking, the first in the line was "Sarah Jane Bunny"--a 1978 diesel Rabbit. Brown. Little round headlights. Luggage carrier on top. World's Best Bunny.
    My first car was a ‘78 diesel Rabbit, too! I named him “Elmer,” for Elmer Fudd.

    I somehow got out of the habit of naming my cats, but my daughter has named her cars. Her favorite books as a child were the Junie B. Jones books by Barbara Park. We who had to read them to her loved them too; we still quote them in our house.

    Daughter’s cat is named Junie, and her car (a ‘17 Subaru Forrester) is named “Mrs.,” for Junie B.’s kindergarten teacher. (Per Junie B., “Her name is Mrs. She has another name, too. But I just like Mrs. and that’s all.”)


  • ArethosemyfeetArethosemyfeet Shipmate, Heaven Host
    Our series of combi-vans have gone by the name Beastie, in the most recent long wheelbase version Beastie Mòr (i.e. big beastie). We have just purchased a smaller, electric Nissan env200, and it currently lacks a name. Our soon-to-be-retired Skoda is called PJ, based on a part of its number plate.
  • DiomedesDiomedes Shipmate
    Our sons named our ancient cars The Sloppy Jalopy and The Flying Rust Bucket. The advantage was that, barring terrible weather, they'd always prefer to walk to school rather than be taken by car!
  • RuthRuth Shipmate
    My nephew named my current car, a Honda Fit, The Skittle, as it's the color of a yellow Skittle candy. My previous car, a red Honda Civic hatchback, I bought from my brother, and one of the conditions of the sale was that I not change the name, Squibnocket. But I nicknamed it The Sled.
  • Jane RJane R Shipmate
    Ours is called Lobstercules, after the giant Atlantean lobster from series 2 of The Tick. Because she is about three times as big as our previous car, Xena the Worrier Princess.
  • RockyRogerRockyRoger Shipmate
    The car is Bessie; the sat-nav is Gladys.
  • Lamb ChoppedLamb Chopped Shipmate
    At the moment our ridiculously huge rental (they called it "mid-size," ha) is called The Beast.
  • Stercus TauriStercus Tauri Shipmate
    This is dodgy territory. A shipmate once used the tag line, "Don't anthropomorphise inanimate objects - they don't like it" (or something similar). I take that seriously, especially in the case of a car that you don't want throwing tantrums or wreaking vengeance on you for any reason. I've had enough of that stuff.
  • Jane RJane R Shipmate
    @Stercus Tauri Too late... I'm hoping to survive the New Machine Jihad, but not really expecting to be that lucky.
  • Tree BeeTree Bee Shipmate
    Our cars have names to help us remember the registration plate. Current car is Katy, a previous one was Lucy.
    My Mum and Dad had a red Volvo with a huge personality called Maud; I learnt to drive in her.
  • Leorning CnihtLeorning Cniht Shipmate
    Cars in our household are generally "my car" and "your car", although occasionally they get "the blue car" or "the silver car". I sort of vaguely recognize the license plate, but I don't remember it, just like I vaguely recognize my own phone number but don't remember it.

    When I have occasion to need to know the license plate of the car I'm driving (parking lots where you type the plate number in to the ticket machine, for example), I take a photo of it.
  • SandemaniacSandemaniac Shipmate
    My first car was a Renault 14, oddly styled with all the styling cues going up until the designer reached the rear wheel where he realised that the cars bum would be four feet in the air, so suddenly turned them all down. The result was it looked as though it had a bend in the middle, and was promptly christened the Flying Banana.

    It's successors remained unnamed until I bought a Citroen Berlingo, large, grey and generally handled and accelerated like a battleship, hence it became the Dreadnought.

    That has been replaced by another Berlingo, this one in Post Office red and, because it is French, a van, and red, it is Le Van Rouge.
  • Stercus TauriStercus Tauri Shipmate
    Sandemaniac wrote: »
    ...it is French, a van, and red, it is Le Van Rouge.

    Oh, really good - extra points for that!
  • TwangistTwangist Shipmate
    Does "the twangmobile" count as a name?
    The satnav ladies on my phone are Gloria or Wendy depending on which app I'm using
  • Lamb ChoppedLamb Chopped Shipmate
    Stercus Tauri wrote: »
    This is dodgy territory. A shipmate once used the tag line, "Don't anthropomorphise inanimate objects - they don't like it" (or something similar). I take that seriously, especially in the case of a car that you don't want throwing tantrums or wreaking vengeance on you for any reason. I've had enough of that stuff.

    Heh. I think just the opposite--that if you treat the inanimate with respect (including naming it something decent), it will like you and be nice to you... It's a kind of animism I've had ever since early childhood, and I can't prove objects have any sort of consciousness, but IMHO it never hurts to treat things respectfully nonetheless.
  • TwangistTwangist Shipmate
    Guitars often have names
  • SarasaSarasa All Saints Host
    Our first car a Fiat 127 didn't have a name, but had a giant sticker in the back that said 'Slow down for horses.' We still take that advice when necessary. The second car was called Peter Polo, but after that none had names until our current one Minty, which is a mint green Fiat 500.
  • la vie en rougela vie en rouge Purgatory Host, Circus Host
    Twangist wrote: »
    Guitars often have names

    Names for musical instruments is a whole other subject. I don't own a car, but I do have a cello called Oscar. (19th century German gentleman - don't ask me how I know he's a boy cello not a girl cello, I just do.)
  • Graven ImageGraven Image Shipmate
    When first married, we had a 1936 Ford pick-up truck we named la bête noire. ( The black beast). Next, we had a Ford Victoria, which we affectionately called Vickie. After a while, we just stopped naming them when we both started driving our own cars. They became my car and your car in conversation.
  • jedijudyjedijudy Heaven Host
    My first car was named by all the teen young men who loved to make fun of it. Ugly blue Plymouth they called Bondo Baby.

    The next car (named by me) was a few decades after BB. She was a Solar Yellow Matrix, and was called Buttercup! She was a pretty girl! And yes, @la vie en rouge is right. We do know if they're boys or girls! A few years later, I bought a silver Corolla. He acted just like a high school boy who was always trying to impress his mother by being careful and respectful. I called him Hi Ho Silver.

    My present car is the color of blue car I have always wanted to own! Very much like the blue of the old glass Vicks VapoRub container. She is a Lincoln Corsair and her name is Blueberry Sparkle. I think she likes it when I tell her good night as I go around checking to see if the doors are all locked.
  • mousethiefmousethief Shipmate
    My first car, a 1967 burgundy Ford Mustang, was the Maroon Vroom (courtesy of my then-girlfriend, who was very good at coining names and came up with a number for the spoof of Dune I wrote in H.S.).

    The car we just junked, a 2009 green Subaru Outback, was the Roo Vert (only informally the Lezmobile). Our blue Subaru Forester is (boringly) the Blue Roo, and our silver Subaru Crosstrek is Scotty (after the character in Star Trek (get it?); I disremember the twisted logic that picked that particular character, but at one time I worked it out).
  • Foaming DraughtFoaming Draught Shipmate
    Like @The Rogue, the car's rego (Australian for registration plate, number plate) suggests its name. So we had a Fiat 127, ALF 46Y, had to be Alfy. Now @Clarence's ancient Landrover is SDJ, hence sooperdooperjalopy. My even more ancient Merc is FTY, Fatty (what's that about humans coming to resemble their dogs and cars? Our dog isn't fat btw).
  • Cheery GardenerCheery Gardener Shipmate
    Cheery husband's first car had NJE numberplates (I think the digits) were 103, so he became benje. Our most recent car (red), is called poppy, both for the colour and because it came from my inheritance money and the kids always called my dad Poppy, so I thought it was appropriate.

    I have to make a little mnemonic to remember the numberplates of new cars and the kids love this one of our cars was called You Funny Darling, the next one became [she] Yells for 42 minutes to use all the letters and numbers on the number plate, the kids said it was inspired by my rants.

    Poppy car (mark 2), has a new numberplate and I keep a photo of that on my phone. Unfortunately my inheritance car was written off, smashed up the back at the traffic lights, but I was fortunate to find the same make, colour and year with low kms as a replacement. I think I'll find it easier to let her go than the original Poppy when the time comes.
  • AravisAravis Shipmate
    My car is called Asher. He is now around 18 and still going strong (though he had to have a new alternator recently). If there are ever discussions while driving about his advanced age, I say firmly how very reliable he is and have found that I also gently rub each side of the steering wheel with my thumbs, which is probably the equivalent of scratching a cat or dog reassuringly behind its ears.
  • The_RivThe_Riv Shipmate
    Our cars have no names, but I refer to my road bicycle as "Pegasus."
  • Jengie JonJengie Jon Shipmate
    My parents' first three cars were the little blue mini, the old grey mare and the yellow peril. Then they went off naming them for a while, until their last two, the London Nut Company and Oxford University Press (both due to registrations).

    My two were Calvin a silver talbot samba who was followed by Barth a red Peugeot 205. Well Calvin was definitely male his registration proudly proclaimed he was A HE.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Twangist wrote: »
    Does "the twangmobile" count as a name?
    I'd say so: the last car we had before David died (a very cute little red Nissan Micra) was called the Pigletmobile. ❤️

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