Need help with another character's car please-

[vega]

Well I am getting farther in my novel now- and the help you guys gave me in a previous thread was very helpful. I have another character that I am creating.

 

the other thread- to help with understanding

http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php?/topic/89284-the-bad-boy-of-yester-year/page__p__848130__hl__yester+year__fromsearch__1#entry848130

 

I have another character I am working on that has a car that I am having a hard time trying to find what he should be able to drive. As for the the car I chose from the other thread, a big block 78 trans am, tinted windows and a dark copper color for the 6 spoke rims with some fatty tires.

 

The character's personality that I am working on is as such; he is young also talks fast not chatty fast but he just happens to talk fast. He is not very tall he is about 5'7", weighs in at 130 pounds. He is smart not much of a bad *** nor if you looked at him would you think that, but he works on cars for a living. He is not well liked because he is very blunt, he says things people the things people just won't say that are offensive because he does not care what they think. But that is more of a face, he does care what people think of him, at least what his appearance is. When he goes out he wears nice blue jeans that have a slight tint to them to show that they have been worn by a hard worker. He also wears a tight SHORT sleeved shirt to show what little muscle he does have off. He is very intelligent but kind of a lazy guy in that its hard for him to get him going to get the things he can do - done. He is a bit of an artist he paints and draws etc. He actually paints cars, aside from just doing mechanical work. His favorite music is classic rock from the late 70's to the early 90's, he also likes "chill out" music from the clubs in Europe. He has a motorcycle just to have one but never rides it- its a honda 750 magna. He goes through woman because he actually tends to make bad choices about woman never finding one that really matters to him, they get boring he learns everything he can too quickly and then the relationship gets boring. He knows what the girl will do next and he because of that he goes on to the next one. Before he was a mechanic for five years he was in all kinds of sales jobs. In his past he had problems with his immediate family especially his father who is a very controlling person but in the immediate time of the book he is just starting to get along with his parents. As to his controlling father he - the character- has to watch himself to not be that way with people especially women that he cares about. Because he has a quick understanding on how people work, their emotions and thoughts etc, he uses this to do and say things to make them do what he wants. He knows he sometimes does this and does not want to be like his father so has been trying not to. He also does have a silly random side in which he got from his mother who even though she is 51 years old she still has a spunky fun side loving things like board games like clue and uno. He lives alone in an apartment but in a older city, though he does have a garage he rents out. He does not have many friends by his own choice, one is a 53 year old man, the other is a young man of his own age who also works on cars. As for one last thing for his appearance one thing to note is that he has a strong chiseled chin and dimples when he smiles, even though he is not a large man this is the thing to notice the most about him from a distance.

 

So that beings said I think that is all I have written about right now, knowing all this what kind of car do you think this guy would be driving around town to go to races to in the cities or the track etc, back and forth to work, to take out women and so on.

 

Again you guys are very helpful with your creative ideas so any help would be great and much appreciated, I just get a little stuck on certain things- I guess for me this is one of them.

Edit/Delete Message

[MAG58]

Heh. That describes me shockingly (scarily) well apart from the tight shirt and I'm 7 inches taller.

 

I have my early 90's merc w201 because nobody notices it (especially the fuzz) and it stops me from getting constant questions about cars everywhere I go even though it handles very well...

 

 

I personally think he should drive something like a late 80's early 90's sedan. Something sporty and unassuming...

[vega]

anything more specific in mind that matches that personality to you?

[-eric]

Describing me to there, differences are I stand at 6'1, and have a few pounds on him.

 

If he thinks anything alike to me....something fitting might be a 66 malibu, rally wheels,etc.

Or, 4 door sleepers are really my thing, have both a 95 impala, and a 2002 crown vic interceptor.

Edited July 6, 2010 by -eric

[MAG58]

anything more specific in mind that matches that personality to you?

 

Aside from the size and body type, everything. It's kinda scary. Music, family situation, relationship with my father, my automotive background ( I still do body work and used to work as a mech in HS.), hell even my mom... YOU'RE IN MY LIFE...

 

Anywho, if his taste in cars is anything like mine, he's going to have a huge soft spot for the pre-suez oil crisis cars but at the same time become frustrated with owning one because of all of the un-needed attention one gets. It will reflect what he likes to do but not be so ragged out that he can take it anywhere. Best guess would be something from the 80 or early 90's since they're new enough to perform well but old enough to be relatively forgotten amongst the public, without garnering the unwanted attention of the 60's and 70's era vehicles. If he's anything like me, his love of cars sprang from his father, even though he wants to distance himself from him, he'll end up with a semi-similar taste in cars.

 

Though i could see him in an old shoe-box chevy. I cant explain that one yet.

[kiwi303]

Can't comment on US cars really, But in NZ terms I could see him in a Nissan N13 chassis Pulsar NX or EXA, or a Toyota Corolla Levin. Both sports cars based on production sedan chassis base but with enough power and handling to be fun, while being off the cops watch list as they focus on the Supra/Cecila and Silvia/Skyline types.

 

Otherwise I see him in a Nissan Navara D21 or a Holden Rodeo type single cab ute, not a HUGE F250 type pickup, but the nissan hardbody type small utility vehicle.

[woldson]

Corvair or a VW bus??????tehehehehe

[Xnke]

I'd see such a character in a Crown Vic PI package, or perhaps a rough-and-ready '88 S10 with a shiny-built 4.3. More likely the S10, no rust but dings here and there, paint is good but not great...He's a little busy working on customer's stuff to be fixing his own.

[MAG58]

But as a body guy, having a car that looks a little nasty isn't exactly good for bid-ness...

 

I think that's where they shoe-box idea popped up. Who knows. I could definitely see an older S10 or Blazer, but clean/ well worn.

[vega]

I think your right there he would probably prefer something more modern- not particularly flashy but well kept seeing that he is a body guy. I see him myself driving something smaller but not too small i guess but i have no idea what that is. I think a civic is too rice for him, but its a good idea. a awd pulsar was a good idea. i think a skyline is something he would want but never own because the price for such a slow car isn't worth it. 40k for a 13.8 sec car factory.... If anything his car would not have much more than basic bolt ons time and money for reason there.

 

Beyond that from what others have told me and you guys this is what I have compiled. I think a crown vic (newer style) is the look he wants out of a car simply because its more sinister looking so when he drives people just move over to the right lane (i live in america) to get out of the way- but a newer crown vic is way too big for him and a bit of an old person's car in his eyes.

[woldson]

He is too small for that car. Make him slightly heavier and taller. Keeping the mildly wirery build.

 

Besides the vics and other cars take away from some of the mystic the character has. Have you considered an older bug with a boxer engine? He is into body work you can make it nice with a sunroof.

 

Lots of people owned bugs, they can relate to the charater easier. See how many relate to him now? His car should be interesting like him. Don't let people get a handle on him too soon. A vic is going to classify him too soon. Later he may get torque. Writers give away too much sometimes to show off how they are tricky or smart. Then some make a real leap weakly tied together. Those writers are not smart but think they are cuase not one gets it. Once again its ego.

 

Reminds me of how some people, of a certain sex, like to force colors and stuff on a room instead of letting the room tell you!

[MAG58]

Reminds me of how some people, of a certain sex, like to force colors and stuff on a room instead of letting the room tell you!

 

Your room tells you what color it wants to be? Apparently the good stuff is in the PNW.

[vega]

pnw?

[MAG58]

Pacific North West.

[vega]

i see...

 

 

any other ideas? I am actually leaning toward like a 3 series coupe for whatever reason- any thoughts on that?(e36 or e30 btw)

Edited July 8, 2010 by vega

[jakeoster]

Sounds like a stock 1990 Ford Mustang GT in white kind of guy to me. Or maybe its a sleeper since he does not care for a lot of attention but has assembled a moderately built engine over the years.

Edited July 8, 2010 by jakeoster

[woldson]

Talk to me baby! On a side note, inland empire. Thankyou;)

 

To clarify, I want to do x, well as you can see you can't, but I wanna, ok, I'll be back, snicker, snicker. Don't let them catch you snikering, lesson learned.

[vega]

oh- my gaud-

 

whilst spuntnik is doing "x" I thought of a fox body but I think its too common a thing for him but he would like the style but simply because its common he would not get it-

[skib]

Im creepily just like that too

 

 

 

 

he should rock it like Glides and his old 521

 

 

Edited July 9, 2010 by skib

[MAG58]

Old datsun pickups are the definition of cool.

 

 

What about a Chevy Luv? Such a cool little truck