Speed3girl said:
Just wondering if I am out of the norm.
Yes, you are definately in the minority. Now you know.
That said, my wife was/is not particularly
into cars themselves, but she started autocrossing the same day I did, only wants to drive stick, and
gets cars much more than the average car owner/operator (I won't call them
drivers).
When we met she drove an automatic Pontiac Grand Am, and generally didn't think about cars much. I taught her to drive stick, and when she went looking for a replacement for the Pontiac, she only bought an automatic 'cause she found a crazy deal on the exact car she wanted, other than the trans. When it came time to get rid of that, it was 5-speed or nothing!
Some people don't even know what a fun car is. They just want an appliance to transport them from place to place, every time, with minimal effort or thought on thier part. She has moved up from being one of them, to knowing how much fun driving can be, and wanting it to be that much fun. She's not a car fanatic, but she's a
driver. Our time with the Miata made her into that. When we got her P5, she immediately wanted the short shifter, 'cause after driving a Miata, everything seems like a school bus!
She doesn't mind me modding the cars, as long as I don't make them
too unpleasant to drive. Her P5 is the only option for autocross now, so it's got Eibach springs, Tokico struts and the AWR rear sway. She won't let me touch the engine yet, 'cause it's still under warrenty. She's been fine with the MSP muffler on the car until recently, when she started commuting into Atlanta 3 times a week and the noise has begun to bother her. Honestly, while I don't find it too loud, at highway speeds, the sound is omnipresent, you can't
not hear it, unless you turn the radio up, which isn't really her thing.
Anyway, basically, I'm luckier than some. I can do more or less what I want with the cars, as long as it doesn't cost too much money or drive her crazy. She (kinda) listens to me when I babble about cars, and (mostly) understands what the Hell I'm talking about. She likes to autocross, so mods that improve the car for autocross are generally encouraged, again, as long as they don't cost too much or make the car a poor daily driver. When we're finally done with school (BA for me, Law school for her) and have some
income again, I will pick up an RX-8 or MazdaSpeed something as my daily driver or find a project autocrosser/daily driver to play with.
To answer the original question: She complains, but only if I give her reason to! Marriage is all about compromise.
