How many just "wash"???

[grudk]

To me, 'neglect' of a sportscar means spending time waxing rather than driving. And I've never thought of a car as an investment, either. Moneytrap, yes...

Nothing wrong with spit and polish, but when I used to go to car shows, it always seemed a little sad to see super-detailed/over-restored cars with low-low miles. I'd rather see them being driven.

To each his own, I guess

[pwd72s]

A theory emerges. This may be an age thing. Those of us who grew up with "cruising" on Saturday night felt it was important that the car be clean for this big event. Those who never indulged? Well, maybe "clean" isn't as important.

Yep, it's not our fault, fellow clean phreaks, it's the result of our terrible teen years!

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

A theory emerges. This may be an age thing. Those of us who grew up with "cruising" on Saturday night felt it was important that the car be clean for this big event. Those who never indulged? Well, maybe "clean" isn't as important.

Yep, it's not our fault, fellow clean phreaks, it's the result of our terrible teen years!

Paul,
I agree its an age thing to a degree. The older you are the more likely your parent taught you, "Easy come, easy go". Meaning if you had things handed to you, you are less likely to respect them. Not saying that applies to everyone that doesn't like to take care of their car but it does to some.

A significant percentage of the rest? The word "lazy" comes to mind. C'mon, you're SO busy you literally NEVER have time to wash/wax your car? I worked full time, did an MBA program and raised two kids - my cars looked good. It doesn't take THAT much time.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

I consider it all part of taking care of what you own and having pride in it.

Too many people out there plop down a small fortune on a car, never wash it, never change the oil, use it as a trash can, etc. Within five years it's junk and it's time to go blow another 30 grand.

To me a clean car is likely (though not always) to be a well-maintained car and that's USUALLY (though again, not always) evidence of someone halfway intelligent who values taking care of things rather than one of the ignorant lemming masses that believes it's somehow "normal" to blow $30k-$40k every few years for the "privilege" of sitting in traffic.

[nostatic]

Priorities. There are many other things I'd rather be doing than washing the car. It is pretty low on the list.

I wash my daily driver about every other week. But I do it quick because it's just going to get dirty again. As for the 911...it's a track car. I wash it a couple of times a year. Sorry, but it just isn't that important to me. It has nothing to do with "easy come, easy go". The car is in great mechanical shape. "Pride of ownership" for me comes in laying down fast lap times and winning races, not in clay bar and multiple coats of wax. I don't really care so much what other people think about the looks of my car.

But ymmv. If cleaning your car is your thing, great. It certainly isn't mine...

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Yea, that's okay. Different strokes. For a track car that certainly makes more sense. Better to have it run well than look good I suppose. . . Although in general (and this is more true for daily drivers than race cars) a good-looking car is cared about and cared for more than the run-of-the-mill "throwaway" car whose owner views it in the same way they'd view a toaster.

[Jims5543]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

I have always wondered what it is about cars that makes people, even completely non-car guy types lust after them? A 911 is typical of the kind of car people lust after even though they may know nothing about cars. They will get themselves deep into debt to get that car they were lusting over. They will go deeper into debt to put certain wheels on them and a high end stereo....and then...? They take NO care of them whatsoever. What other things do people spend so much money and desire on and then neglect that investment? I don't get it.

Originally Posted by Seahawk

For the 964, I pay a detailer once a year to go through the car inside and out...I hate the act of detailing, nothing could bore me more.

I then wash it and use spray wax about once every 3 months. The fact that I live at the end of a gravel road helps quell my attention to detailing.

My house in NC is up a long twisty gravel road. If I wash my Porsche and drive it down to meet up with Procon for a drive, it looks like it was never washed in 1 mile. So why bother?

I did wash it and clean it up real good the day before I put it away in the garage with the car cover on it. It is sitting for 2.5 months until the Porsche on the Dragon event when I get it and bring it back to Florida.

I used to enjoy detailing my cars, but, with 2 kids now I prefer to spend my time playing with them not 6 hours in my drive making my car look like a show car. Its a car I drive it, it was made to be driven and joyed.

If waxing it 12 times and sitting and looking at it shine makes you happy go for it. I prefer to drive them and get them good and dirty. It that neglecting it? I could argue having them sit for weeks on end all polished up and not run is about as bad as not washing some dirt off of them.

So, yes, I used to be afflicted with the detailing disease but outgrew it.

[Super_Dave_D]

I wash and vacum both drivers once a week. The 911 gets washed once a week as well but gets dusted off every night I get home from work. I tried using a soft cover and that works great but then I cant look at it!! I usually wax a fender, hood or whatever every other day. I drove it to work yesterday and a bug hit my windshield so when I got to work, I had to break out the glass cleaner and wash my windows before entering the office. All for a 20k car - pretty stupid!

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

I consider it all part of taking care of what you own and having pride in it.

Too many people out there plop down a small fortune on a car, never wash it, never change the oil, use it as a trash can, etc. Within five years it's junk and it's time to go blow another 30 grand.

To me a clean car is likely (though not always) to be a well-maintained car and that's USUALLY (though again, not always) evidence of someone halfway intelligent who values taking care of things rather than one of the ignorant lemming masses that believes it's somehow "normal" to blow $30k-$40k every few years for the "privilege" of sitting in traffic.

I figured my comments would cause a defensive reaction.

I'm not calling you guys names (which ever of you took the comments personally). I completely "get" that my fetish isn't everyone's fetish. I get the track car thing and I definitely get the "living down a dirt road" issue too. I have an in law in Auburn, CA that lives at the end of a dirt road and it annoys the crap outta me every time I visit what my otherwise clean black truck looks like in one trip.

I am/was speaking more about the the people Jeff is citing above. Slobs basically. To me, there just isn't a defensible reason to have schit all up in your car. Yeah I've had kids - tell them to pick up their crap when they get out or they can't have any the next time. Sure, I spill things too, I forget things are in there. THAT'S why I clean it regularly. I don't stop the world to wipe it up that minute but I do get to it before it become petrified! To me (and its only my opinion) why spend a lot of money when you could buy some old POS if that's the way you want to treat the car? Doesn't make any sense.

[Zeke]

Well, that's what happens when the 72 S leaves. You turn you attention to something else. The 72 wouldn't have been so well preserved if you didn't have the desire to rub on cars. I used to be so anal about this that I washed the wheel wells every time I washed the car, which was often. I can't do this anymore, it's just too painful to work that hard.

Use it or lose it doesn't apply to knees, shoulders, your back. etc. Now, I'm trying to find out what it's gonna take for me to live out the rest of my life w/o becoming a cripple. Be happy you can do this, Paul.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Hi, My name is Dan and I am a washaholic. (I'm with you Matt)

Here's one of the signs you are ill: I HAVE to wash; and preferably wax, my cars BEFORE I take one on vacation or it is in the back of my mind the whole time. Mind you, this is right before it is going to get covered with bugs on the front. In my case, the driving vacation "car" of choice is my black Dodge Ram Quadcab 4x4 - no easy effort to wash and wax that big mutha'.

Funny you said that Dan, I insisted on getting my wife's SRX spotless before our recent trip to San Antonio. I knew damn well that it would be covered with bugs, but did it anyway. But I have to say, walking up to my clean car in the midst of all the other filthy ones makes it worthwhile (I know I'm sick).

I'm another that associates clean with taken care of. I know it's not always true, but many filthy dirty cars are mechanically neglected as well. This is especially true with "normal" cars. Porsche enthusiasts are more likely than most to keep up a car, even if it is dirty.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't think I've purchased a car that is up to my standards of clean, except our 4Runner that we purchased new. Standard procedure after a purchase is a full detail. Some require more than most, but I'm yet to meet another me. My cars tend to be at their best before I sell, maybe one day I'll get all that good karma back.

[speeder]

Hmm, I'm somewhat in-between the extremes here. I like a clean car/truck better than a dirty one, but sometimes they get pretty dirty between washes. I do get too busy to wash my car, for instance right now I am working from the time I wake up until ~8pm.

I enjoy washing the car very much, though, it's kind of a *karate kid* thing for me. A meditation. I do it exactly the same way for close to 40 years now. (Washed cars for $$ when I was a kid). My Dad always had a hot, brand-new car like a 240Z or an E-type Jag and I loved washing it.

I will usually do a serious detail on a car soon after I get it, then just simple washes and vacuums after that. If you keep 'em clean and in the shade whenever possible they stay pretty nice. The chassis and under hood is real important to me since I do most of my own work and cannot stand dirt there.

[JeremyD]

I used to be a detail freak - now not enough time = last time I took the porsche out I blew off the car with my compressor.