Greg over at der5er took exception to my post, Why are you asking that here?. He pointed out what he considered the fallacies of my points on vehicle complexity and costs to repair. Good stuff and I urge you to read them.

But want I want to address is his last point. Here’s the excerpt:

But it’s more than that. It’s more than money, and it’s more than time.

It’s about being able to say “I fixed it.” If a friend helped me, then we had a good time. Don’t knock the noob’s on the message boards, they are just getting started. If you told me 4 years ago when Joel and I worked together at that telecom company that I would be fixing my own cars, I would have laughed at you–I had many of the same opinions as Joel on this subject. I was/am a computer geek. But now, that’s not all. I’m a car geek, too. I can fix my own car, and I can probably fix yours too.

I sat back after reading the above piece. I found myself, reluctantly, agreeing. Damn it.

Like Greg, I was a computer greek though more interested in the administrative aspect than computer guts. Programming? Hah! Law makes more sense to me.

I’ve dirtied my hands in my car though it’s been a few years. While much of the stuff was minor, the tasks were mine: the choices of oil, the filters and, heck, even the interior air freshner. (NOTE: NEVER mind anything except pine scent. Other stuff will choke you especially on a hot day.)

But I became busy because, ironically, reporting on automobiles. What’s the latest GM scandal? Is BMW really developoing that diesel/steam engine hybrid? What do the reviews say about the Solstice versus the MX-5? (Basically, love the style but needs another 100 ponies.) To report all this information, I need reliable transportation. Thus, from that mindset, I couldn’t understand why equally busy folks were asking so many questions to, presumably, spend time fixing up their vehicle!

Thanks for the reminder, Greg. My next article, on why German cars aren’t worth a dime, will be dedicated to you.