QotW: What will you gift your car next?

It’s the season of giving to your loved ones, but no one said those loved ones had to be human. Cars require love and attention as well, and sometimes getting them a much-needed part or devoting some garage time will bring joy to both rider and steed.

What will you gift your car next?

The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s a telltale sign of a bad driver?“.

This question really brought out the digital pitchforks, and with good reason. It’s scary sharing the streets with simpletons, especially when you’re driving an old Japanese car for which parts are very difficult to find.

You can typically spot the automotively ignorant from their erratic movements on the road. BuWicked says it’s the pulling out dangerously into traffic, especially with existing body damage. For LiouxLioux it’s the opposite, coming to a stop before merging onto highway. Then there’s the opposite of that (if something can have two opposites) from Jacob B, when someone slams on the brakes before they get to the exit ramp.

For Jonathan P. and kaidophantom, it’s the weaving through traffic at high speed. On the other hand, according to Taylor C. and LiouxLioux, trying to be too good a samaritan and prioritizing niceness over traffic flow can cause more problems than it solves. For ynori, it’s braking at the last second and nearly slamming into the car in front, a habit that is typically identifiable with certain makes and models in Australia. crank_case put it best by identifying an overall lack of smoothness.

Turn signals were another big identifier. mangocast and Michael Jue pointed out those who don’t use turn signals, while Negishi no Keibajo called out those who left their blinkers on.

For many it wasn’t so much the behavior but the type of car. BlitzPig had a whole list of models to avoid. So did Land Ark, adding that temporary tags required extra vigilance. Franxou and JJ pinpointed the lifted truck as a common culprit of bad driving, and for Lee L it was the Nissan Altima.

For many it wasn’t the type of car but certain signifiers on the vehicle. streetspirit noted that curb rash is a giveaway, for Jim Klein it’s empty alcohol containers, and for six seven  it’s being able to see driver in the side mirror from behind. JJ and エーイダン, got into some very Canada-specific identifiers that we’ll be sure to look out for if we ever travel north of the border.

We were of course tempted to give the win to TheJWT, who said the lack of  a JNC sticker is the biggest prognosticator, but that would be pandering. In the end, the winner this week was Kyuusha Corner, whose rant gave us a good laugh:

Number one is if they don’t park parallel, and somewhat evenly, between the lines. There’s no bigger sign that they care less about driving in even the most basic and considerate of ways, than having no shame or pride in their ability to pilot a vehicle. If you can’t park properly, you shouldn’t be behind the wheel. A distant second would be people who leave 1 or more car lengths of space between them and the signal / car they are stopped behind.

Omedetou, your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop!