The best hobbies for car fanatics

The best hobbies for car fanatics

So, you know you’re a “car person”. Perhaps you spend many of your spare hours fantasising about an alternative life as the next Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen, or maybe you’re always searching used-car classified adverts online, or watching car-related TV programmes?

Whatever – the fact is, when you’re a petrolhead, you know it. But it’s also true that not everything about cars and driving is very affordable or attainable.

This makes it a good idea to find various ways to indulge your passion for cars that are a bit cheaper and more realistic than trying to challenge Jay Leno in the car-collecting stakes.

Thankfully, there are a lot of great hobbies that car enthusiasts can take up, without breaking the bank – or their spouse or partner’s patience! Here are a few examples.

Collecting and/or assembling model cars

If you’re on the lookout for bad credit car finance options like those we can offer you at CarFinanceGenie, the chances are that you don’t exactly have a car collection to match those of Leno, Ralph Lauren or Steve Coogan (“How can even Alan Partridge have a better car collection than me?”, you might ask yourself in exasperation).

Still, you can either be despondent about that fact, or get stuck into the budget-friendly alternative – collecting miniature versions of your favourite vehicles.

Whether you buy plastic model car kits that you need to assemble yourself, or instead diecast cars – in scales such as 1:18 or 1:43 – that are already built and ready to display, the collecting of model cars can be a quick route to an impressive fantasy ‘garage’. Check out the websites of model car brands like Revell, Minichamps and IXO Models to see what’s available.

Watching automotive content on TV and YouTube

It’s been a while since the only really enticing motoring-related programming available was the “old old” Top Gear presented by Quentin Willson and Vicki Butler-Henderson (plus, whatever Formula 1 Grand Prix may have been on that weekend).

For one thing, these days, we have YouTube, with its complete ecosystem of car-related content, produced not just by familiar brands like Top Gear and Formula 1, but also slightly more niche channels such as Lovecars and WTF1.

And that’s before we even refer to all of the random people around the world with a webcam or smartphone, producing their own takes on the latest automotive news, restoration guides, new vehicle reviews, and so much else related to cars. Basically, if you can imagine it on video and it’s car-related, it’s almost certainly out there to consume.

Attending motor shows and other car-related events

COVID-19, of course, has ever-so-slightly ruined everything, and the car exhibitions and events that we all love have also been hampered by the pandemic.

Still, presuming we won’t always have a pandemic to deal with, as a “car nut”, you’re likely to get a lot of fulfilment out of attending automotive events such as the British Motor Show, Goodwood Festival of Speed, and whatever else might be taking place near you.

Just do a Google search for “car events near me” or something similar, and various listings for local and regional car shows and gatherings are likely to pop up, often free or highly affordable to attend.

Maintaining and restoring cars

The hobbies we’ve mentioned so far are largely ones that might not enable you to get as “down and dirty” with cars as you’d like. So, we have to mention the idea of car restoration and maintenance; an old-fashioned hobby that can be challenging, but also hugely rewarding.

When a lot of us hear about car maintenance and restoration, we may immediately picture tinkering with rusty examples of classic vehicles from a few generations ago – the kind of thing our grandparents might have driven.

That isn’t automatically the case, though – indeed, you might be most attracted to the idea of modifying a much newer car in line with your preferences and requirements.

Regardless, toying about with cars in the garage can be a fascinating hobby that gives you a newfound knowledge and appreciation of everything that makes cars special.

Finding bargain vehicles

In the old days (well, maybe just a decade or so ago), you’d browse used car classified listings in printed magazines, while today, you might be a lot likelier to do the same online. Regardless, it can be a hobby in itself to peruse the latest adverts for used cars; who knows, you might even spot the occasional “I can’t believe they’re selling it for that” bargain.

But sometimes, of course, you won’t be looking at used car classifieds simply for the fun of it, but instead because you really do need a set of wheels. Whatever the situation for you, remember that you’ve always got the option of applying for a competitive car finance quote here at CarFinanceGenie. We’ll help make your car ownership dreams come true – at the right price!