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Ask anyone who owns a car why they have one and 99.9% of the time they'd tell you it is to get from A to B as quickly and as safely as possible.
While that reason is a valid and realistic example, some share a deeper bond with their four-wheeled pride and joy.
A different 'kind of love'
A car could be sentimental because it might have been passed down by a loved one, perhaps it is a 'one of a kind' model, or simply just more reliable than most.
Do you share a special type of bond with your car? Email us, we'd like to know your story.
As Wheels24 reader Warren Wilson once wrote: "Washing your car is not just about soapsuds and water. It's about tapping into an intimate relationship with your ride."
A car means even more if it is bought after years of personal saving, with no help from one's parents. This has led to some people placing 'not sponsored by mom and dad' or 'built not bought' stickers somewhere on a car's window.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to receive brand-new cars for passing Grade 12 or turning 21.
Car wash heaven: Here's why giving your vehicle some TLC forms an intricate bond - reader
Maybe you've seen a neighbour or someone in your apartment complex either detailing or fixing his/her car, and you think they could well have sent it away to have the work done instead of doing it themselves.
As a non-petrolhead looking in from the outside, that would be the natural thing to do, but what goes on in that car lover's head is a deep-rooted sense of pride and a happy place of sorts.
Wheels24 reader Koos Flemming's wife with their F1000 bakkie in the 19070s. Image: Koos Flemming
Man's 'other' best friend
Just like most household pets, many people believe cars have feelings or moods and reciprocate positive or negative energy to the driver, depending on how it is treated.
At some point in your life you might have heard someone say their car has 'moods' or 'it normally does this', and you think what in the world are they talking about.
Cars, in general, operate according to how it is maintained or the behaviour of the person behind the wheel.
If you're redlining a 1.4-litre Polo Vivo every time, or thinking it is a Toyota Hilux bakkie that can climb curbs, somewhere along the line the car will tell you 'no' in its own way.
Cars might technically be inanimate objects, but when the key is turned in the ignition, it evokes plenty of different feelings - like the unique burble of the engine on the exhaust, or taking it for a cruise, fresh from a wash.
Wheels24 reader Martin David has an entire collection of Ford Heritage models. Image: Martin David.
For those not familiar with Andrew Lee's story, it follows how he left college, bought his bucket list car, an R35 Nissan GT-R, and turned it into a show piece for his charity, Driven to Cure.
Petrolheads also tend to name their cars or refer to it as 'she' and want only the best products fitted to it.
When it comes to mechanical maintenance, there have been a number of nightmare scenarios and this only further intensifies the need for people to carry out work themselves.
The fact is that, for many people, a car is a car and it'll be treated as such, with little to no care taken because it is on to the next one, and time is money.
Cars often don't get the recognition it deserves, even after years of operation.
Each year, new cars are introduced and the older ones get replaced when it no longer fits the bill.
But there are a select few who see cars as more than just people and load carriers - even though it might seem absurd to those that don't understand the story between man and machine.
