Learning the basics of cars means that when you come across more technical terms in magazines and on shows, you’ll have a better understanding of what they mean. A few terms to learn might be “torque” (force that causes an object to rotate or twist), “camber” (the side-to-side tilt of the wheels), and “horsepower” (1 unit of horsepower is equal to 550 foot-pounds per second).
Youtube is a great resource for finding videos and reviews of a huge range of cars. Look for videos that focus on cars but are also designed for entertainment and also have professional looking production quality. Watching these videos is a great way to learn about cars without feeling too overwhelmed by the technical language as the narrator will often explain esoteric terms. Most car-makers have very technical information about their cars online that you can access through a simple Google search. This information might be more technical but if you can navigate your way through it, it can be really useful.
Make sure you ask the person if it’s OK that you ask them a few questions about the cars and that you let them know you aren’t looking to buy a car. These people are at work so it’s important you respect their time. Try and go prepared with a few basic questions such as: “Do you prefer hybrid or regular vehicles and why?” Or perhaps, “What is your preferred make and model of car and why?”
Car magazines are great because they often cover a huge variety of topics such as new technology, popular cars at the current time, profiles on important individuals in the community, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Look around at your local bookstore for magazines or if you can’t find any there, often convenience stores or pharmacies stock them. A few examples of car magazines are Motor Trend, Hot Rod Network, and Autocar.
Most of these shows air on TV but if you can’t get access to any of them for some reason, try looking on YouTube as many shows put full episodes up online for free. Watching shows is really convenient because it allows you to multitask while watching the show. A couple of examples of car shows are Top Gear and MotorWeek.
You can find podcasts through a simple Google search on your smartphone or computer. These podcasts often feature automotive experts who have plenty of first-hand experience in the industry so you can be certain you’re listening to reputable sources. [6] X Trustworthy Source Consumer Reports Nonprofit organization dedicated to consumer advocacy and product testing Go to source A few podcasts to try listening to might be Everyday Driver or Smoking Tire.
At these shows, you will also be surrounded by other people who are interested in cars and are eager to have conversations about them. Car shows are often held at events centres so look online at the calendar of your local events centre and see if there are any car shows coming up.
Car clubs are generally fairly cheap ($5 USD - $50 USD sort of range) but there are also much higher end ones that deal with classic and luxury cars. The commitment level of these car clubs tends to vary so make sure to check what sort of expectations there are on you as a member before you join. Some clubs require you to have a certain type of car or to meet up a certain number of times per month/week but this varies from club to club so it’s best to check that out.
One of the advantages of these forums is that you may be discussing cars with people from all over the world and, as such, you get to hear a variety of different opinions and cultural nuances.
It doesn’t really matter which cars these are as long as you know enough about them to have a conversation. Be explorative with the cars that you pick. Look at cars on the Internet from past generations and various classic cars!
Try and focus on getting some detail out of the people you talk to. For example, you might say “What’s your favorite version of the Ford Fiesta? I loved the 2013 edition. ” Asking questions is one of the most effective ways of not only learning about foreign topics, but of having a productive and enjoyable conversation.
This is when the Internet can come in handy; there are lots of forums online where motorists can chat and talk about their favorite cars, developments in the industry, and new technology. Look around on Google to try and find these forums or to try and find groups of people who meet up to talk to about cars. Sometimes there may be motor enthusiast groups near you.
This is more basic conversational etiquette, but it’s certainly important to note. For example, if the conversation has moved to talking about the weather, instead of cars, simply go along with it. If you get a chance to bring cars back into the discussion, feel free. But if not, don’t worry about it.
It’s very possible that someone has a different opinion than you on something. This is a good thing!. For example, you might say “I personally don’t like the new Prius model because it isn’t fast enough. Tell me why you do like it. ”
It’s OK to talk a lot when you’re in a group with lots of people but try to make sure that you aren’t the only one having their voice heard. Talking about cars is lots of fun, but building friendships and relationships with the people you talk to is also really important.
