Of everyone in my neighborhood, I’m known as The Car Guy. I always have something different or weird sitting in my driveway, and on the rare occasion that I actually open my garage door, people are greeted with a parts surplus that I’d like to imagine rivals my local Autozone.
Chances are, you’re not the only car aficionado in your neck of the woods. The real fun in the car community starts when you realize that other people around you also have cool rides sitting in their driveways, and then spotting them becomes a game of automotive “Where’s Waldo?”
Now, I use cool in a relative sense. Sure, the NA Miata I had crammed into my driveway is cool, but so is the BMW 440i across the street. There are infinite factors that can make a car cool.
A short drive around my neighborhood reveals a number of gems that you wouldn’t expect to see. For starters, there’s the kid who recently got his license and decided to lift his fifth-gen Honda Civic. The huge mud tires filling up the wheel wells really tie it together nicely.
Further down the road is an older gentleman with a yard full of old MGBs, and to solidify his love for British cars, a Land Rover Discovery II complete with a brush guard, snorkel, and basket.
Several blocks over lives a man who has not one, but three examples of the Chrysler TC by Maserati. I’ve never seen that many Turbo Convertibles in the same place until I happened to pass by his house on a warm summer evening while the garage doors were open.
A friend of mine from high school lives nearby, and every day on my way to the office I get to gawk at his collection of elite BMWs, including an E36 M3 and a set of matching row-your-own BMW SUVs, the X3 and X5.
My absolute favorite, though, is the lady who owns a fresh Toyota Cressida. I’ve contemplated knocking on her door with an offer to buy it a few times, and I’ll probably consider it the next time I see it as well.
You can take a quick mental stroll around your neighborhood, too, or if you live somewhere more rural, think within maybe a 20-mile radius about the car or truck that’s most interesting to you. When you find it, report back! I’ll be waiting in the comments.
Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: Rob@thedrive.com