The 12 Steps For Car Addicts “I Love Cars!”

I was brought up on the 12 steps of recovery. (I was about 14 when my mom started attending a 12-step program.) She had sayings everywhere!   

So, when I wanted a new website for cars and a name, ‘Powerless Over Cars’ (and my life had become unmanageable) jumped to the top for me. 

 

I was brought up on cars.  I love cars! My parents had a ‘55 Dodge Custom Royal in blue, a ’57 Bel Air, a ‘57 Nomad, and a number of Pontiacs and Plymouths from the late 1940s. As we neared the ‘60s, station wagons from Ford began to help with four kids. And in 1964, my dad bought a blue Mustang. Remember when new cars came out in September? And our neighborhood had lots of great vehicles roaming the streets.  

My first car was purchased long before I got my license. A 1936 Chevrolet Master Deluxe in black! (It looked like a car from Bonnie & Clyde!) A barn buy for $50. It didn’t “run,” they said. Hitched to my dad’s pickup, the car started firing as we came up on a busy intersection, working hard to push my dad’s pickup through the intersection! 

The First Signs of Addiction

And I learned to drive long before I was 10 years old. I grew up in rural Connecticut. Dairy and produce country. And everyone had tractors, cars, and trucks. You just drove something. And sometimes, you snuck away in someone’s car or truck. (I had more than my share of “accidents” because I couldn’t drive or reach the brakes, but I could move that “three on the tree.”)  

My grandson, Jacob, who has joined me on this adventure, called Powerless Over Cars, asked me one day, “How many cars have you owned?” I can’t even think of a number. Hundreds and hundreds! Though it may be way more than that. Every car was a dream I saw happen.  

I Love Cars!

At car shows and cruise nights, I always find a new one I like. Last week, it was a ‘57 Olds 88 in red. Sometimes it is the latest cars, European cars, muscle cars, or classics. 

This week, my wife was away with a friend for her birthday. Jacob and I had numerous conversations about cars and some of the things we wanted to do with Powerless Over Cars. Some of those thoughts included attending shows with gifts in hand, offering prizes, hosting more photo shoots, adding a charity to our program, and even producing our own Powerless Over Cars show! (In 2010, my news company, a great employee, and a whole lot of work put on a Talent Show. 40 acts, 600 spectators, and lots of food and fun.) I told Jacob that if we host a car show, we will have entertainment, food, drinks, and more! 

Jacob and I will be driving down the road, and there will be the rumble of a car, and our heads will turn. 

Powerless Over Cars is when you see a car and you just can’t be without it. 

I recently assembled the twelve-step program for car addicts. 

Are You Powerless Over Cars?

Powerless Over Cars A program of recovery!

12 Steps to Chrome-Coated Clarity 

 

Step 1: Admit It 

We admitted we were powerless over cars—and our garages, bank accounts, and spare time had become unmanageable. 

Step 2: Tune Into Something Greater 

Came to believe that a greater horsepower (and maybe a greater purpose) could restore us to sanity. 

Step 3: Surrender to the Manual 

Made a decision to turn our will, our wallets, and our wrenches over to the wisdom of the Car Gods (and the occasional mechanic named Pete). 

Step 4: Inventory the Garage (and Soul) 

Made a searching and fearless inventory of our car collection, parts bin, and late-night eBay purchases. 

Step 5: Own the Oil Leaks 

Admitted to ourselves, to another enthusiast, and to our long-suffering partners the exact nature of our mechanical obsessions. 

Step 6: Let Go of the Rust 

Were entirely ready to have chrome replace corrosion—and maybe some personal bad habits, too. 

Step 7: Ask for an Overhaul 

Humbly asked others (and the alignment specialist) to help us straighten our frames—literally and metaphorically. 

Step 8: Make a List of Those We Burned Out 

Made a list of all the people we ignored during builds, weekends away, and show prep—and became willing to make amends. 

Step 9: Drive Toward Repair 

Made amends wherever possible—except when doing so would cause emotional breakdowns or insurance claims. 

Step 10: Keep Polishing Our Character 

Continued to take garage and personal inventory—and when we were out of line, backed up and tried again. 

Step 11: Align With Purpose 

Sought through quiet rides and reflection to improve our connection with creativity, community, and carburetors. 

Step 12: Share the Joyride 

Having had a spiritual ignition as the result of these steps, we tried to carry the message to other gearheads—and practice these principles at every cruise night, burnout box, and backyard wrench session. 

Brought to you by the crew at Powerless Over Cars 

  Join the movement at www.powerlessovercars.com