#3 Grandson got the car nut gene - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

t walgamuth · #1 12-02-2009, 06:40 AM

My son really skipped the car gene, and none of my daughters really got it (my #4 daugher really does like her shaggy old 82 300cd though), but there is bountious hope for the #3 Grandson who is now three.

Recent reports from his mother (#1 lovely daughter):

1. His father had recently switched the wheels on his mom's mercedes wagon to the ones with the snows...."look mommie you got new wheels".

2. Driving at night, sitting in the back seat in his car seat he sees a pt cruiser sitting at the light ahead, now mind you all he really can see is the taillights (which are pretty unique on the pt)...."Mommy there is a car like grandma's ahead".

3. Later, same trip, a honda pickup pulls up beside....."There is a truck like yours daddy".

Heeee heee!

He has the car nut gene!

I remember naming cars as they drove by when I was quite young....Toothy buicks, 49 fords, bulletnose studies, etc.

I also remember the distinctive sound of a ford flathead with no mufflers quite well from an early age....(though at the time I did not know a flat head from shinola).

KarTek · #2 12-02-2009, 07:50 AM

Congratulations! I don't have any kids of my own but it still makes me a little sad that none of the other young people in my life (cousins, friend's kids, etc...) don't have any interest in cars.

When I was in highschool, we all just lived to hang out in the parking lot at lunch and talk cars, trucks, jeeps, anything. In the evening, all we wanted to do was get together and wrench. That's the way it always was.

SwampYankee · #3 12-02-2009, 08:00 AM

That's cool, Tom! I pretty confident that 2 out of my 3 sons and my daughter are going to be pretty car savvy. My oldest likes to think he is but sports and science are really where his head is. I do keep giving him car books and my old Hot Rod magazines to pore over to help nudge him in that direction.

There are still some stunning mis-identifications.

mgburg · #4 12-02-2009, 08:10 AM

I remember being able to identify cars, at nighttime, simply by their head/tail-lights...

Try doing that today...

But I think it's impressive your #3 has the ability to recognize the cars, at his age, even during the daylight hours...he never spent time trying to hammer the round peg into the triangle hole with any of his Fisher/Price toys, did he?

I find myself down to the point of "WTHIT?!?!" as I drive around now...unless it's an MB, I don't really care...

(Must be a "phase" I'm in!)

LUVMBDiesels · #5 12-02-2009, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mgburg

I remember being able to identify cars, at nighttime, simply by their head/tail-lights...

Try doing that today...

But I think it's impressive your #3 has the ability to recognize the cars, at his age, even during the daylight hours...he never spent time trying to hammer the round peg into the triangle hole with any of his Fisher/Price toys, did he?

I find myself down to the point of "WTHIT?!?!" as I drive around now...unless it's an MB, I don't really care...

(Must be a "phase" I'm in!)

I spent long hours making the round pegs fit in the triangle holes -- all you needed was to grab Daddy's BIG HAMMER to do it

My son has no interest in cars other than turning the key and going form point a to point b. My daughter though is a girlie gear head who was changing brakes with me at 4 years old and is still the mechanically inclined one.

She wants an old CJ now to fix up

E150GT · #6 12-02-2009, 08:46 AM

Thats awesome. I love cars, but I have a friend who I had to teach how to put air in his tires and he took notes while I was changing my oil in my van. Talk about a guy with no mechanical ability or interest.

Chad300tdt · #7 12-02-2009, 08:46 AM

Congratulations Tom!!!

My son will be 4 in February and he's a car nut.

I've been restoring a TD for a friend and he's been helping me by handing me tools and asking LOTS of questions. Every time I leave the house he asks if I'm going to work on the car because he wants to help.

I'm doing the body work now so I don't let him help me due to dust and fumes, but I let him come out and check progress and explain things to him.

Here's a pic of my helper:

cscmc1 · #8 12-02-2009, 08:57 AM

That's awesome, Tom; cute kid, Chad! This thread makes me want kids all the more.

PaulC · #9 12-02-2009, 10:37 AM

My father and one of my uncles would take me to car showrooms when I was barely in grade school back in the mid-Sixties. I still remember some of those cars to this day, such as the gold 1966 Toronado that I climbed all over at our local Olds dealership; the dark green 1966 Caprice coupe that my father once pondered as a purchase; and a yellow 1968 Plymouth Barrracuda notchback that I was trying to con my uncle into buying.

I was an insatiable car nut at that time, and had a knack for correctly identifying just about any American car from 1955 onwards. I used to hit the dealerships for a brochure grab almost every Saturday, and some of those brochures were pretty comprehensive affairs compared to today's glorified leaflets. Alas, those brochures were discarded long ago, and a fair number of those old dealerships are now serving as locations for fast food places. God knows what happened to those cars that I mentioned, probably long worn out, discarded and their metal recycled into the components of thousands of Chinese-made DVD players...

t walgamuth · #10 12-02-2009, 07:48 PM

Thanks for the kind remarks!

Tonight another grandson was born!

William 9-1 and 20.5" long. Light brown hair and a big appetite. Gentle cry.

cscmc1 · #11 12-02-2009, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

Thanks for the kind remarks!

Tonight another grandson was born!

William 9-1 and 20.5" long. Light brown hair and a big appetite. Gentle cry.

Now THERE'S some good news! Cheers to that!

#12 12-02-2009, 08:14 PM

Congrats!

raymr · #13 12-02-2009, 08:27 PM

Make sure he learns how to drive a stick!

My 3 do, but thats as far as their interest goes in cars. Although the boys had to learn how to R&R the Mercedes drivers door panel because the window keeps going off track (they slam it shut too hard), and I got tired of fixing it myself.

t walgamuth · #14 08-31-2012, 06:35 AM

William, the above mentioned youngest grandson is nearly three. I think he must have the car gene. I recently sold my brown 85 300SD to my youngest daughter and next time she went to William's house he came out and saw her driving it and said "That's Grandpa's car". She smiled and said "I bought it from Grandpa, its mine now".....William may not have the selling concept mastered yet but he knows whose car is whose...he said "NO! Thats grandpas car!".

Lately he has been wanting rides in my Miata. I am happy to oblige. I have given him rides every time I have seen him in the last two weeks I think!