QotW: What’s your argument for keeping a JNC in a relationship?

JNCs have some tough love when only half of a couple is enjoying it. Sometimes a relationship between two people feels like three if you include a JNC that smells of oil and gasoline. It can get harder to justify that 2-door sedan with bucket seats and no aircon when you want to get away for the weekend, too. In that case, an ultimatum is cast: me or the car. Tell us, what’s your argument for keeping your JNC when your significant other is not feelin’ the love?

What’s your argument for keeping a JNC in a relationship?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What part on your JNC just refuses to stay fixed?”

Comments from last week’s QotW brought both joy and pain. Reading about those never-ending repairs made me feel like I was in a club and not the only one with water leaks like Keith Measures has with his Celica, or TommyGUN and similar posts dealing with phantom rattles and squeaks despite trying to improve upon vintage fitment standards. The pain is real for JNC ownership and we all must take the bad with the good.

J_tso is the winner this week with his short but sweet comment. The image above no doubt is a familiar sight and probably why most RX-7s at car shows are displayed this way, to share in the pain..

I have a rotary.

Omedetou! Your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop.

JNC Decal smash

permalink.
This post is filed under: Question of the Week and
tagged: .

22 Responses to QotW: What’s your argument for keeping a JNC in a relationship?

  1. Martin says:

    My classic cars, are part of my life and my personality. If she is going to hate them, then she is also going to hate part of me. And relationship, which includes this hate, is no good for either of its three sides, woman, man and his cars.

  2. I don’t have this issue. I have a litness test when I meet someone to see if they’re gonna work out.

    Step 1: use my Subaru gl10 for first date (slow, smelly, very unreliable), 2 put on thrash metal, mambo, or Indian pop music (my three favorite non-mainstream genres of music), step 3 drive like a maniac and finally step 4 talk about star wars deep lore. If she stays, she’s a keeper, I know this works because I’ve been with my significant other for 4 years now and she appreciates all of the above.

  3. Banpei says:

    My wife only knows about the tip of the iceberg… So who needs arguments for keeping something that she doesn’t know about in the first place? 😛

  4. Brad D. says:

    Do you have food on the table and a roof over your heads? If the answer is yes then there is no argument. If your JNC makes you happy, your other half should appreciate at least that, if not necessarily the car. If your significant other does not support what makes you happy and does not affect the financial well being of your lives, you have the wrong person on your life.

    My old cars bring a smile to my face, anyone who doesn’t get it can kindly not dictate what I do please!

  5. Randy says:

    It was good enough BEFORE, but not NOW? Uh-uh… Some videos I’ve watched recently – and I’ll edit this down – call this a “s— test.” “Let’s see what [he’ll] put up with” (since, let’s face it, cars and trucks and bikes is most commonly a guy thing). A.K.A.: “What can I make him do/give up because I said so?”

    “Sorry, babe, but the more I learn about newer cars, the more I’m interested in going back to simpler cars that were made to last, and that I can generally take care of myself, rather than dumping untold amounts of cash, starting about a month after the warranty runs out. You want a new Mercedes every year? Go find yourself a doctor.”

    Flip side: “It’s my hobby. I don’t complain about your shopping trips, or ceramics classes, or whatever you have to decompress; this is MY (already paid for) decompression – unless you’d rather I started drinking.” As Brad D. said, if everything else is okay, then this is OFF the table. By the way, if it gets to the financials being a concern, the 30+year old car is likely cheaper to own than the $270+/month car payment on the new(er) nothing-special vehicle.

    Whoda thunk old cars would lead to a discussion about psychology? 🙂

    See y’all at the cruises!

  6. Howard Dreispan says:

    I have a 1989 Mitsubishi Starion ESi-R that I bought new. I am married 34 years and have a19 year old daughter. This car, and I have been through a lot together. My wife has threatened may times to go back to her native Japan over this car! (I also own an ’06 Evo IX-MR – bought new also) It took a few years, but she sees that I don’t hang out in bars, etc. She sees/knows that our daughter comes first, and all family situations also are on top the list. I don’t always talk about the car. It’s in a garage a few miles from my house, so she doesn’t see it. It’s not a daily driver either. I have collector car insurance on it, so I get a separate bill, not one that shows the Starion on it. The less she sees, or hears of this car, works a lot in my favor, lol. Also, the first few years, I told her, I don’t need any holiday, or birthday, etc. gifts! I already have the best one, my Starion! So, that was a great sacrifice that she was impressed with…There are other things over the years that I have volunteered to give up to keep this car. Good luck to all JNC owners!

  7. Negishi no Keibajo says:

    Like somebody said, “the answer is Miata”. Took her to look, and she drove off with it (All white NA Hardtop w/ Eibach springs.) But then she’s kind of a gearhead… She has no problem pulling an engine with me. She used to race planes. Tore down an engine overnight for the next day’s heat.

  8. Gilles says:

    In 73 my wife was working for Toyota in Québec. She can loan a new car every year. Starting with a 73 Corolla Deluxe followed with 2 Celica. Maried in77 we bought a 1977 Celica Liftback GT, that we still have. So Toyota is part of our life since 1973. For every day we have a 2004 Matrix XR.

  9. DH says:

    It’s easy to understand the joy of driving my JNC on my own. So I try to remind myself to take my other half for a nice cruise every once in a while. No argument needed.

  10. Taylor says:

    Oy. Boy, this hits close to home. I was into VWs my whole life until a few years ago when I just tired of the whole scene. It took two years just to make the decision to sell my bus and tell the family. I bought an 87 300ZX and while the car really does make me happy. I love driving it. I love driving my hobby car way more frequently than I did my bus. However, divorcing myself from my bus made my wife and my son sad. And while I do everything I can to include my son in working on the car to show him that you can enjoy this car as much as my VW, it was only a week ago that my wife rode in the Z with me for the first time since I bought it (and I’ve almost had it two years).

  11. Geoff says:

    When my wife was pregnant with our second, she told me, “You should go get another Z so we can both drive Z car so the Z club meetings.”

    Sometime later, I found my ’71 240Z (as a stablemate to my ’92 300ZX).

    That was the end of the conversation, pretty much.

    • Geoff says:

      I should caveat: she has a few requirements on the 300ZX: it has to start with the key, it has to have working air conditioning, and it has to have working cruise control.

      These aren’t a horrible burden, as the Z32 is a great GT car, but not a wonderful race car.

  12. Andrew says:

    I still can’t believe my own levels of cheekiness when shortly after marrying I told my wife, “I think we need to upgrade to a practical, responsible family car. Something with four doors. Something like this 1977 Cedric hardtop!” Somehow she accepted both the existence and the frequent usage of drain plugs on her side of the car surprisingly well!

    • Banpei says:

      Haha! That sounds a bit like what happened to me. After my (pregnant) wide told me the AE86 had to go and I dodged it by presenting plan B: a four door Toyota Carina from 1982. 😛

  13. ahja says:

    My woman talks about taking away one or all of my hachirokus. For herself. :/ No. Noooo.

  14. Kane says:

    Never had to have an argument about it. She knows how much I love Japanese cars and she respects it, She knows its a life style. Just like how I respect the things she loves.

    At the end of the day, If she truly cares for you why would she make you get rid of something you love and makes you happy?

  15. Henry Tomai says:

    Sold my Skyline R32 GTS-t……. reluctantly. But still have my JDM 1980 RX7 Savanna. I guess at least I still have one. It’s a toss up most of the time really.

  16. Don Scott says:

    I would buy a Datsun if it would get me a girl like Mary (Diane Krey).

  17. 615 says:

    The car was before!

  18. Christopher Huffine says:

    I’m 55, been married twice, it’s more of a headache than it’s worth. I don’t even date anymore. I prefer the company of my cars and bikes to any woman. Big plus, I keep more of what I make. If I need or want something for one of my cars or bikes, I buy it. No asking the wife, arguing or having to squirrel away a few bucks a week ’til I have the money. I have five JNCs and three JNM bikes. I enjoy them all, and could not have these at my pay if I was married. My house is getting old (22 years), and I’ve been having to make some repairs and updates, and will have to put a roof on it this year, but I still have enough left over to take care of my vehicles. I do have a daughter that has lived with me since she was 15, but now she is in college, and will be on her own in the next couple of years. That will free up a bit more money at that time. I’ve been divorced 21 years, and am glad I made that choice. For those of you who are married, good for you, if it works. If it isn’t working, better cut your losses while you can, life’s too short to be miserable!

Leave a Reply to Brad D. Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *