Why men value cars so much

This week's column has been inspired by a lot of memes I have been seeing on social media about men and their cars. It is also instigated by my life as an auto-enthusiast. 

What is it with men and cars? Why is it that a man can afford to keep his vehicle in tip-top condition and yet leave his room or house unkempt?

For many men, owning a car is a status symbol of financial breakthrough in life. It is the hallmark of many years of persistence, boarding footsubishi and slaving to make enough money to buy a car and maintain it. 

In African tradition, particularly, owning a car earns you a significant amount of respect from rural folk, who consider you to have made it. Trips to upcountry are prompt visits by villagers, most of whom are hoping for assistance from you on various issues. 

For a man, the first car owned is like a first girlfriend who introduced us to the feeling of butterflies in the tummy and goosebumps across the skin. It is a relationship that can keep you up all night, building castles in the air. 

I laughed loudly when one of my friends on social media said he would wake up as early as 3am to go admire his car when he first bought it. Another one of my friends said he would spend hours in his first car just to savour the feeling of being behind the wheel. 

And, so it goes... a car is like a man-cave to many men, where they go to free their minds and be themselves. A few months back, a social media user wondered loudly why many husbands in his neighbourhood would spend up to an hour in their cars after work before stepping out to go into the house. 

Thinking about this question, it is clear that cars offer a private space for men to recollect the day and think about the way forward. If many cars could talk, they would reveal the many masculine tears that have been shed within them by their owners. 

In the Stone Age period, early man would usually retreat to a cave far away from the family to muse over the issues in his life and find a solution. In the 21st Century, it seems cars have become this cave. 

Apart from alone time, men also consider driving a therapeutic exercise, which frees the mind. You may have seen many films where the husband or boyfriend goes for a drive after an argument with the missus. 

Solitary moments like these offer the man the chance to reevaluate the disagreement with an objective mind, while savouring the views the drive has to offer. 

Next time you see your husband, boyfriend or father engrossed in an analysis of various car brands, please understand him. He is just being in his element.