R.I.P. Buster…
So, what do you call your vehicle? What? You don’t name yours? Not to fret, mon ami, neither do I. But in some areas of the country, it is routine for people to give their cars and trucks names. Human names. Pet names. Handles they actually use to address the beasts. Like Ingrid, Sparky, Billy Bob, Mona, General Lee, Arthur, or Bubba. Though I grew up in a small Southern town, annointing 2000 pound chunks of steel and plastic with names that could have been picked out of the baby naming book was not a common practice.
When I recently met the ol’ Straight White Guy hisownself, Eric, and his Missus for drinks and dinner in Knoxville, I was reminded of this arcane practice when Eric introduced me to Sylvia, their sporty Audi convertible. I remembered meeting C.G.Hill of Dustbury fame when he came through town last summer on his World Tour 2008. His mohicle was affectionately name Gwendolyn. Then I remembered, and bored Eric and Missus, with the story of the one time that I had a named vehicle.
A number of years ago I bought a new, early model 4×4 Chevy S-10 Blazer, a 1983 as I recall. It was black and gold which was fitting since I was living in Pittsburgh at the time and had become a huge Steeler fan. Soon after taking delivery, I was giving a ride to a friend and business acquaintance. Before getting in, he walked around the vehicle, inspected every detail, checked the power plant under the hood, and kicked the substantial tires. Once his interior inspection was completed, Ken turned to me and gave a nod of approval. Then he asked the strangest thing, “What’s it’s name?”
“Whaddya mean, what’s it’s name?” I replied.
“Well, back in Indiana where I come from, a guy has to have a name for his vehicle. Especially a fine truck like this. You gotta give it a name.”
I allowed as how I had no experience naming my rolling stock and invited him to come up with a name for it. On arrival at our destination, Ken once again walked around the truck, noting details he may have missed before. Then he stopped, looked off into the distance, squinting as if trying to focus on answers written in the ever-present Pittsburgh clouds. After several seconds he confidently proclaimed,
“Buster!”
To which a startled me looked around and said something sage like, “Bust her what?”
“Buster. That’s what this truck should be named.”
“OK, Ken, if you say so, Buster it is.”
And so it was. Long after I escaped Pittsburgh and found my way back to Tennessee where I belong, long after I saw Ken for the last time, that ol’ beatup Blazer was Buster, to me and to everybody who knew me or it. And a right fitting name it was.
Do you have a name for your car or truck or SUV? Tell us the story…
15 Comments so far
No one believes me on this, but eventually a vehicle will tell you its name, and being the anthropocentric sort of person you are, you’ll assume that you thought it up yourself.
[...] Original post by nobody askedâ?¦ [...]
well sort of… like the current one is the Highlander, of course, that is also its make *s*
These days I drive the Elissonmobile, a red 2005 Honda Element. But before that, I drove a whole series of cars:
“You Stinking Piece of Shit,” “The Turd-Knobbler,” and “Die, Detroit, Die.”
Little Red. No real story there. It is little. It is red. Creativity is not my strength. LOL
… you didnt bore us with Buster, Winston…. that was a GREAT story….
I never named any of my vehicles, either.
I have noticed it to be more common for them to be given female names. Why, I wonder? Dr. Jung could probably tell us.
I need to name my current vehicles. I used to name my cars, each and every one.
Wonder what I’ve lost…the innocence of that?
Must see my shrink…
Our VW New Beetle is called Frodo (see http://home.egge.net/~savory/frodo01.htm) .
The FJR1300 M/C is called Jambeau.
The 1971 Honda CB750 M/C is Dark Star (yes I was a Deadhead once). The airplane was ‘Foxy’.
The no-longer-owned Harley “Fucking Piece of Milwaukee shit, useless lump of Iron, etc”.
Betty Beetle, Brian Beetle and Alfie Porsche. We also have the black car.
Brian had his name when we bought him. He’s a soft-top Beetle and only comes out in summer. Betty seemed like a good name for a friend of Brian’s. She’s mine and I drive her all year round. Alfie - I’m not sure where he got his name. He’s Husband’s, who named him. Before that he had Freddie, who had FF in his reg mark and was also named after Frederick Porsche. (Is that right? It was something like that.)
Wow, boys and girls, we’ve got some rather superfluous and bodacious car names out there. Interesting to hear that from Liz and Stu that they also do this across the big pond. Also surprising that Janie has not named hers. I would have thought it a state law in Texas…
CG promotes the notion that we are “anthropocentric” and that vehicles are sentient beings, while Jean believes there may be sexual motivation or bias at work here. Hmmmm… they both may be onto something here…
Thanks to all who came this way and left your droppings…
Bodacious indeed, and subtle
Few will know that ‘Yambeau’ = ‘Jambo’ = Hello (in Swahili); the rest just get a ‘Goodbye’ from that one fast motorcycle
I’ve not made it a habit to name my vehicles, however, a couple years ago I named my mini-van. I call it, ‘The Asexual Mom-mobile”. Nobody ever rolls up to a mini-van to check out the driver! NO. There is nothing sexy or fun about driving one. It’s a total utilitarian vehicle for hauling kids and their ’stuff’. Meanwhile my husband drives around in a sporty little number he’s had since 1994, but is still in mint condition. Something is just not right about that…
I would no more name my car than my hammer or nail clippers. Quaint thing to name stuff. I don’t even know why they name boats, or animals, to tell you the truth.
years ago when I was very poor..I had a 49 Desoto…I called it ‘wonder mother’…as it’s was a wonder the mother ran…