A Car by Any Other Name Still Drives the Same…. Right?
Samantha Martin, Staff Writer
A car by any other name still drives the same… right? National Name Your Car Day was this past week, October 2. Nearly 25% of US car owners have a special name for their car. Some base it on their favorite author or book. Some base it on the color of their car or a movie. Others still just like the name. Below are eight members of the North Greenville family that have named their car.
Will and Big Red
Will Emory – Big Red
“I actually didn’t name my car; my mom gave me the name for my car. The name is slightly ironic because I have a very small car, and its red but its not a big car, so it’s Big Red.”
Advice for naming a car –
“Be creative and make it fun or make it personal if that means more to you.”
Dr. Stevens and Bumblebee/The Cash Cab
Dr. Andy Stevens – Bumblebee/ The Cash Cab
“When I first got my yellow Matrix people called it “The Cash Cab” because of the tv show. That was the name for a while until a couple years ago… people plowed off into my yard and wrecked the front end. When I rebuilt it instead of trying to match the color I put this black bumper cover on to make it look sporty. Well people started calling the car Bumblebee named after the character from transformers.”
Advice for naming a car –
“I used to work on the Alyssa down in Galveston, so the tradition of naming inanimate objects that are near and dear to your heart goes back a long way, so kind of from naming ships I started naming my cars. It’s kind of fun.”
Gavin and Buttercup
Gavin McCants – Buttercup
“[The name of the car is] Primarily because of the coloration – it’s this old creamy yellow the flower being the flower with this old coloration. It also has a double meaning – I’m a huge fan of the movie Princess Bride and having the name Buttercup has a connection to both the flower and the movie due to Princess Buttercup.”
Advice for naming a car —
“I would recommend naming it yourself. Find something that’s personal and meaningful to you especially if its something you purchased yourself, it gives the most value to the car and yourself in a ‘man-to-machine’ relationship.”
Elizabeth and Chip
Elizabeth Davis – Chip
“So I didn’t come up with the name, someone named the car for me. I really really like Beauty and the Beast, and Chip’s the little teacup that’s a little bit broken. My car has a lot of quirks to it and it’s a little bit broken, so its name is Chip.”
Advice for naming a car –
“Make sure you like the name, because it’s hard to find a name. It’s cool to have someone else say, ‘Hey, I’ll help you name your car.’”
Laura and Daisy
Laura Pfeifer – Daisy
“On the back of my car I have a ‘Life is Good’ daisy sticker, so I just associated the name with the sticker. I love flowers, I’ve loved them all my life – I just had to name my car Daisy.”
Advice for naming a car –
“Go with a name that you think you’re passionate about.”
Taylor and Fitzgerald
Taylor Elliott – Fitzgerald
“I knew I was going to name my car because I name all inanimate objects that are special to me – the car is a tan color inside and out, like the color of coffee with cream and that’s just the color that I get out of Fitzgerald’s personality and his books. And Fitzgerald – his writing is romantic, but also modernist, and I think that’s my vibe too.”
Advice for naming a car –
“Just look at it [car] and if you think of a name, that’s its name – it doesn’t matter how stupid it is.”
Sarah Brooke and Jesse
Sarah Brooke Wiley – Jesse
“Honestly, I just liked the name. But, Jesse means “gift from God” and my previous car had broken down, and a lot of stuff was happening in my life to where I needed a car, and God provided for that.”
Advice for naming a car –
“Don’t do it as something dumb. I feel like it should have some meaning, even if its something funny it should still have meaning.”
Elaine Armstrong and Silver
Elaine Armstrong – Silver
“It’s a silver Camry, and every time I pull out of the driveway I think, ‘Hi-Ho Silver, away!’ like from the Lone Ranger.”
Advice for naming a car –
“If its just a car that means a lot to them and its something they like to drive and it reminds them of something else they should just name it and go with it.”
