There’s nothing wrong with finding a car 
you love, but what happens when casual affection turns into an obsession? If you find your thoughts turning to your wheels more often than anything else, it’s time to face facts: you could have a problem.
It’s only normal to take pride in your treasured wheels but here are eight warning signs that you might love your car a bit too much…
1. Your car is spotless, your home is a dive
If your beloved car is pristine but your house looks like somewhere that may or may not have been burgled, your priorities could be a bit out of whack. As lovely as your wheels are, at some point someone might need to see inside your house too. And even the most well kept of cars cannot preserve your honour in the face of piles of dirty laundry, unwashed plates and pizza boxes.
2. You speak to the garage more often than your family
Cars can be a labour of love, so it’s understandable that you might need the odd chat with your mechanic. If you spend more time on the phone to the lads at the garage than your mum though, it could be time for a rethink. Not only could you be missing out on some amazing Sunday lunch invites and trivial family gossip, it’s also worth remembering that the mechanics are essentially being paid to talk to you, while your poor mum has put in years of work for no financial reward.
3. Your social media feeds are filled with car pics
Is there anything more boring than people who post endless photos of their kids, or themselves at the gym on social media? Yes – it’s those who instead pound your news feed with more car photos than Top Gear. You might think that superb new polish warrants a status update on Facebook – but think twice. This could be a warning sign that you love your car a bit too much.
4. You’ve given your car a name
Having a pet name for your car is nothing new but speaking about your car like he/she is a real person with thoughts and feelings is a slippery slope. For example, ‘Betty’s great, she’s the best car I’ve ever had’ is probably fine, but ‘I love Betty, she gives me everything I need and more’ may see your friends slowly backing away from you and maybe calling for help.
5. You take EVERY opportunity to show it off
The very purpose of having a car is to get from A to B but if you’re taking unnecessary or incredibly short car journeys just to show off your wheels, you could be in trouble. Hanging around in your car at places where people you want to impress regularly visit is also a bit weird.
6. You give strict rules to passengers
It’s perfectly acceptable to ask people to not eat or drink in your new car but if you’ve ever considered insisting your gran takes her shoes off before you’re willing to give her a lift, you probably love your car a bit too much. Like, more than your gran.
7. You worry for the safety of your car. All the time
No one likes to park their car somewhere that seems a bit dodgy but if you find yourself preoccupied by thoughts of its welfare when you visit the local supermarket, or in your work car park, we’re talking about you.
8. You spend more time on car forums than with your friends
There’s nothing wrong with interacting with like-minded car enthusiasts online, but if you find car forums are now your number one way to socialise, it could be time to reacquaint yourself with the pub and speak to some real-life people, in person.
