When Horror and Cars Collide

I write about cars all the time. I also write fiction, some of which you could term "horror." Recently, I have mashed the two together and the results have been great

Halloween Trunk-or-Treating

1953 Cadillac Eldorado trunk. Photo courtesy of GM.

I know that to some people I might seem paranoid, but I would just say I'm vigilant. When I was a teenager I wanted to be an FBI agent, until I found out how often I could be moved all over the country. Still, I have a sense for how criminals work, and since have done volunteer work with people who are incarcerated. This sense for how the criminally deviant work is one of several reasons why I truly believe the trunk-or-treat phenomena is a bad idea.

Car Myths Abound

Some cars, like my Saab 9-3, can go over 10,000 miles between oil changes.

We've all heard them, maybe even grew up believing them. Sadly some adults are still fully committed to them. I'm talking about car myths, of course. I've studied car culture on a collegiate level, and I have to say the myths about cars are some of the most fascinating things about car culture group dynamics. What really fascinates me is that there is such an abundance of information to refute these claims, but in some ways this proliferation of information has made people believe the myths even more (remember, don't trust the system!).

Here's a sampling of some of the most interesting and frustrating myths. I have to admit I have at one time or another believed a few of these, but then I saw the light. Enjoy.

Are You What You Drive?

2013 Land Rover Range Rover

The old Detroit adage was "you are what you drive." Actually much of the automotive industry, not just American automakers, have drummed this into people's heads for decades. I have heard people use this phrase with glee (when they have a car they just love) as well as with disdain (when they have a car they would love to drive off a cliff). Is it really true?