Last Friday's post
about "Car Guys versus Posers" brought up some interesting points regarding what does -- and doesn't -- count toward car-guy status. I think everyone has their own opinions on this topic, but I'm willing to put mine into self-test form to help you determine your car-guy credentials.
With this test I'll try to take every aspect of car guy-ness into account (i.e. while I'm not personally into modern motorsports I won't discount that as a viable aspect of being a car guy). And while it would be easy for such a post to degenerate into a series of cathartic chides against said posers, I'll avoid that...for the most part.
And to state the painfully obvious in an overly politically correct world -- yes, you can can have two X chromosomes and still be a "car guy." Also, if you have to use google, wikipedia or any other reference source to answer these questions you're not only a poser, but a cheater.
Test begins after the jump:
Mechanical Authority
1. If you can describe the four strokes of a four-stroke engine give yourself 2 points
2. If you have checked your car's oil level and tire pressure give yourself 4 points
3. If you have changed a set of spark plugs give yourself 9 points
4. If you have tuned a carburetor or reprogrammed an ECU give yourself 15 points
5. If you've ever met Smokey Yunick give yourself 20 points
Historical Awareness
1. If you know what GM division died in 2004 give yourself 2 points
2. If you know what Chrysler division died in 2001 give yourself 4 points
3. If you know what year Toyota created its Lexus division give youself 9 points
4. If you know the original model name of the Porsche 911 give yourself 15 points
5. If you've ever driven a Mercedes-Benz 300SL (Gullwing or roadster) give yourself 20 points
Motorsports Knowledge
1. If you've ever been in a NASCAR Cafe/Sports Grill give yourself 2 points
2. If you've ever watched an entire professional racing event on TV give yourself 4 points
3. If you've attended a professional racing event in person give yourself 9 points
4. If you can name at least five U.S. drivers that have won Le Mans give yourself 15 points
5. If you've had lunch with Phil Hill or dinner with Dan Gurney give yourself 20 points
Driving Skills
1. If you can operate a traditional manual transmission give yourself 2 points
2. If you can perform a smoky burnout without damaging a car give yourself 4 points
3. If you can heel-and-toe downshift in more than one type of car give youreslf 9 points
4. If you know the correct racing line around at least one race track give yourself 15 points
5. If you've pulled better than a 1:40 lap time at Willow Springs Raceway give yourself 20 points
Poser Blunders
1. If Jay Leno is the only other "car guy" you know deduct 20 points
2. If you've ever asked "That thing got a Hemi?" deduct 40 points
3. If you think Deloreans are capable sports cars deduct 60 points
4. If you've sat through the entire movie "Speed Zone" deduct 80 points
5. If you can't drive a traditional manual transmission deduct 100 points -- and hang your head in shame
Results:
-300 to 8 points -- You're as much a car guy as Paris Hilton is a political consultant
9 to 24 points -- You can pull off car guy status...as long as you don't talk to any actual car guys
25 to 60 points -- You car guy status is provisional, but avoid Jeremy Clarkson impressions and you're in!
61 to 140 points -- Congratulations! You are an official car guy.
141-200 points -- Want a job?
So, how'd you do?
By syke
on August 19, 2008
06:12 AM
Loved it! Yeah, I passed.
One suggestion - how about points for having grown up in a parent's car dealership?
By dougtheeng
on August 19, 2008
06:40 AM
Given the questions, I'm satisfied with my results.
By blueguydotcom
on August 19, 2008
07:13 AM
Doug, ditto. I broke 61 but good grief, I hope my son never has to deal with spark plugs, is even aware a company called GM existed before his birth or worse is ever forced to sit through some god awful car race...
By bbechtel16
on August 19, 2008
07:14 AM
I scored a 49. I did notably worst on Historical Awareness. Is there a "young car guy" handicap available?
By mnorm1
on August 19, 2008
07:16 AM
How many points for lunch with Jim Hall?
By technetium99
on August 19, 2008
07:33 AM
75, could have been 90, but I never successfully tuned a carburetor, only got halfway and had to have my dad rescue me.
By blackadder5639
on August 19, 2008
07:41 AM
I'm in the 25 to 60 range...yay!
But, LOLz, some of the questions are unfair....not all of us grew up in the US so all the thing about NASCAR and US Le Mans drivers??.....instead of questions on Chrysler divisions I'd prefer ones on GTIs and VR6s.....
By 7driver
on August 19, 2008
07:50 AM
120
I would've gotten higher if I could give myself partial credit for being at an autograph session with Phil Hill rather than lunch. Although I've driven Willow Springs, it wasn't timed. I knew someone with a 300SL but wasn't allowed to drive it. Given the BS Smokey Yunick dishes out, I don't know if I'd ever have wanted to meet him.
Other than that, cute quiz.
By gmg66
on August 19, 2008
08:03 AM
83 (and that does not include any partial credit for physically seeing Phil Hill during the lunch hour at the Monterey Historical Car Races one year)
I would think that anyone who regularly reads this blog must be a 'car guy'.
By mtakahashi
on August 19, 2008
08:21 AM
178!!! WOOOOOOHOOOOO!
Never been to a NASCAR Grill and never met Smokey Yunick.
How 'bout:
If you can recite the firing order of a small block Chevy
If you've broken up with someone and it involved a car in some way
You know your cylinder count without having to think about it
the SPEED Channel logo is permanently burned into the corner of your TV.
By skierx420
on August 19, 2008
08:23 AM
Does driving a quarter midget on dirt count for anything? What about meeting Richard Petty or any other MASCAR driver that was popular prior to 1998? Also Figure 8 Racing and gravel travel should be part of the Midwestern Car Guy Quiz. Total Score 90. Deduct 10 points for whining a little.
By bbechtel16
on August 19, 2008
08:28 AM
"75, could have been 90, but I never successfully tuned a carburetor, only got halfway and had to have my dad rescue me."
On second thought, I think I should get full credit for this one. I slapped a Honda ATC 350X carb on my moderately/heavily modified and beat ATC 250SX. I don't think I actually changed any jets or anything on it though. It actually ran better than the stock carb right after I slapped it on. I also rebuilt the top end of that thing with the "help" of my gearhead friends.
So if Karl approves I'm bumping my score to 64, reclassifying me as an "Offical Car Guy"!
By iskch
on August 19, 2008
08:33 AM
A fun day to start working at the office.
By arm51
on August 19, 2008
08:35 AM
Not too bad, I got 51. Is there extra points for the number of car factories and museums you have visited around the world? Also, is there extra points for autobahn or Nurburgring driving?
By blueguydotcom
on August 19, 2008
09:11 AM
I'm with Arm - if you purposely traveled across the world to pick up a car and drive it on the autobahn, through the alps (non-highway), and then on to the northern seas-side of Italy and Southern France that trumps sitting your butt in front of a TV watch people drive in circles.
While watching Top Gear this year I came across portions of the Swiss Alps that I drove. You haven't lived until you've driven along the Alps with cliff to your right, a sheer drop to your left and no concern for speed limits. This is what driving is all about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COARi-L2u0E&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEG2Qoocnz4&feature=related
By rick8365
on August 19, 2008
09:13 AM
57 ..... I was sooo close on the Lexus question and that would have made me "official".
What's lunch with Dale Sr. worth?
Or, sitting and eating an apple with (and supplied by) Dave Marcis...or dinner with Ned Jarret? If I can get a few points for these it'll push me over the top.
By edubya
on August 19, 2008
09:33 AM
49 points. And no partial credit, though I was tempted in the hopes of improving my status. I'm glad you didn't deduct points for driving a Camry.
By 1487
on August 19, 2008
10:17 AM
I dont need to take the test to know I would fail. I would think being a car guy would involve being interested in cars and the auto industry but alas the questions are more geared towards people who still think the manul tranny is the only way to drive and think working on your own car makes you more of a man. I don't race cars, drive a manual or care about motorsports but I'm still a car guy.
By blueguydotcom
on August 19, 2008
11:21 AM
1487, so just a passing interest makes someone a car guy? Not being confrontational but it does raise a point of where does it go from interest to passion?
By phinneas519
on August 19, 2008
11:35 AM
I got 45. : / Easily would've gotten over 60 if NASCAR wasn't a sham of its former self and worth watching...
By dougtheeng
on August 19, 2008
11:37 AM
"I got 45. : / Easily would've gotten over 60 if NASCAR wasn't a sham of its former self and worth watching..."
haha yah I'd be higher up if there were discussions of F1, not Le Mans and NASCAR. I also don't live near Willow Springs, or have money to track race a car. Does racing on video games count? In that case, I'm familiar with all the current F1 tracks....
By Karl Brauer
on August 19, 2008
11:51 AM
Remember, the only reference to NASCAR is the restaurant, and that's only worth 2 points.
ANY professional racing event (TV or live) counts. If you watched/attended an F1 or World Rally event it's fine (actually, IMHO that counts for more than if you've watched NASCAR on TV or live -- not to show my bias or anything...).
By ddastardly
on August 19, 2008
01:24 PM
93, that's if a 1990 300SL counts, 63 if you mean the one from the 50's.
By cruiserhead1
on August 19, 2008
01:51 PM
Car-trivial pursuit or watching it on tv does not make you a car guy.
The real questions-
1. Have you rebuilt an engine
2. Have you modified your car
3. Do you consider a dealer service a scam
4. can you do a brake job in the time it takes your wife to go grocery shopping?
5. Do you consider everything on a car DIY?
The key word is: YOU. Not You; meaning you paid someone else to do it.
By louiswei
on August 19, 2008
01:52 PM
53...
I am I am Jermey Clarkson's Asian cousin...
By 7driver
on August 19, 2008
02:56 PM
1. Have you rebuilt an engine
Yup. A few actually (I'm not a pro; they all were my own)
2. Have you modified your car
Yup.
3. Do you consider a dealer service a scam
I did the math. Dealer's oil change, inspection and fluid top-off is about $5 more than what it would take for me just to buy the filter, washer and oil. My time is worth more than that.
4. can you do a brake job in the time it takes your wife to go grocery shopping?
Depends on the car. I had one that required a 4ft breaker bar and a slide hammer to pull the hub and a 5-ton press to re-install. On another it was just the lug nuts and 2 screws and the entire thing's apart.
5. Do you consider everything on a car DIY?
Recalls aren't. Their screw-up, their problem.
By huyracing
on August 20, 2008
12:13 AM
According to this quiz, I'm an official car guy but fell short of being offered a job because I don't waste my time watching people race on TV, met people who aren't worth my time, or driven a rare old expensive car that I probably would not have enjoyed driving. Have fun with that Gullwing, I'll take the Ferrari F430...
I race. I build cars. I know plenty about cars. I know enough people in your industry to preview cars before the public and to drive anything i want. That's enough for me. I enjoy all the perks and don't have to write long winded articles much to do about everything but the car in question.
By the_big_al
on August 20, 2008
12:14 AM
I scored a 51... But I also think even small repairs should be counted, not just spark plugs. Things like brake jobs, head gaskets, the like.
What about being able to name just about every car on the road before seeing a identifying badge? This should include make and model. Year is more difficult and extra points for that, although a lot of models don't differ from year to year, but in that case a range could be given indicating what year it possibly could be. (I would do well on this one; that's why I bring it up. It makes my wife sick that I can name all the cars as we go down the road just by glancing at it's taillights or headlights. If I just catch a profile I don't do quite as well, but I can get a lot of them)
By rick8365
on August 20, 2008
06:38 AM
I'm with you Al...... I can do the same thing about 95% of the time - pretty much from any angle. Some just by sound too - double points for that IMO. I don't know if it makes you a "Car Guy" or just plain wacko....
By tiruvan
on August 20, 2008
07:29 AM
Hey Karl,
It seems like you took all the comments a bit too personally. If we doubted your status as a car guy we wouldn't be spending our time here every morning.
All we were trying to say was that not all of us are in to events like the one you had mentioned (Pebble Beach something) in that post and so you cannot base one's status as a car guy just by that one criteria.
Also, when designing the questions did you take into account the fact that your blog is read by the whole world and not just USA. Some of your readers (including yours truly) might score low because they know more about a Hyundai or a Tata or a Holden than a Porsche or a Toyota.
PS: I scored 57 (and I don't think J.C. is a car guy either)
By Karl Brauer
on August 20, 2008
10:12 AM
I don't think this quiz is a reflection of taking anything "too personally." The comments from last week seemed to argue about whether people should or shouldn't work on their own cars and/or over-restore or drive them versus bubble wrap them. As a result I thought it would be fun to look at all the aspects of being a car guy (not just the philosophy of how to view one event, like Pebble Beach).
As for country of origin, the majority of 2 and 4 point questions are universal (everyone claiming "car guy" status should know how to drive a manual, check their oil and tire pressure and have watched at least one professional racing event -- even if you watch only one and decide you're not into it).
Visiting a NASCAR cafe or knowing that Oldsmobile was the last GM division to die may be U.S. focused, but those 4 points could easily be countered by changing your own plugs or knowing how to heel-and-toe downshift, two additional items I'd suggest are standard fare for any real "car guy." So if you only get the majority of 2- and 4-point questions, plus one 9-point question, you're technically a car guy (if you don't repeatedly do Jeremy Clarkson impressions -- which is definitely a global reference as Top Gear is considered the most popular "world" T.V. show).
The 15- and 20-point questions are really just for extreme car geeks (like me), and not really expected of most normal people who happen to also be car guys.
Of course in the end the whole thing is just for fun, so anyone taking the quiz "too personally" is making a mistake.
By yankeez
on August 20, 2008
10:28 AM
Wow, 64 points - better than I thought I'd do.
So what WAS the original name of the Porsche 911? I have an idea of what it was - to be fair I didn't count that one, but I want to see if I was right.
Anyone?
By vbhoo
on August 20, 2008
11:00 AM
140- I guess that I need to have a meal with Hill/Gurney and go to a track day at Willow Springs. Although my visit to both a Nascar Race and Cafe were involuntary; I'm just not a fan of races where you drive around on a banked oval. Maybe next week we can have are you a car geek. I might win that.
By Karl Brauer
on August 20, 2008
11:23 AM
Original name of the 911 was the 901, but Peugeot had some sort of legal trademark on any car model names ending in "01" so Porsche went with 911.
By sabastian
on August 20, 2008
12:14 PM
No blog today, Karl?
By Karl Brauer
on August 20, 2008
12:20 PM
In about 20 minutes. Technical difficulties kept me from blogging at my normal time.
By 12rings
on August 20, 2008
12:23 PM
Do I get bonus points for subscribing to 7 car magazines?
By autoboy16
on August 22, 2008
01:57 PM
49points! Not bad! Its ok, I dont do the clarkson impersonations.
Do I get extra points for knowing a vehicles firing order? 1-2-4-5-3 for 05-current VW Jetta/rabbit 2.5.
What about if ever have worked at a car dealership?
I racked up the most points on car history!But how is driven a m-b historical points? Why not a question like What was the 1st american built foreign car? Answer, Honda
-Cj
By jerrywimer
on August 26, 2008
09:21 AM
Phew. 30 points. So I'm safe. I however think that having posts in more than 5 topics on Edmunds blogs should be worth 10 points, an additional 10 should be available for active participation in car discussion on multiple forums (say, 3+) weekly, and for kicks, knowing more about most manufacturers' upcoming products than anyone at the local dealerships should be worth another 25. :P