Wabi Sabi Cars...

From the CarsYeah.com website.

"Wabi-sabi represents a comprehensive Japanese aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is described as one of beauty that is imperfect,. Characteristics of the wabi-sabi include irregularity, simplicity, roughness, and appreciation of the ingenuous integrity of natural objects and their process."

Hot Rod guys might call in patina but it reminds me of other things as well. Worn leather seats. A steering wheel that shows very aggressive use. I'm even considering the dirty oil rubbed chrome wheels that are becoming more popular.

What's your take?

Here is a great article on wabi sabi personal devices.

Some Gadgets Age Better Than Other Gadgets

Let's hope they don't go the way of "rat rod" where extraordinary lengths are made to give the appearance of not caring very much.

We have a local Wabi Sabi Farms.

https://www.facebook.com/Wabi-Sabi-Farm-227869177295866/

I like the idea.

I didn't know there was a name for it, but nearly everything I own fits the description. While I appreciate nice shiny things and the work that goes into keeping them that way, they're not what I want for myself- I guess I'm hella Wabi Sabi then

That said, I find it extremely lame when something is artificially aged just for the aesthetic- using it is the fun part!

The Japanese, as a people, tend to place a much higher value on quality than our western cultures do. For that reason, it seems like they'd appreciate items built to last. It seems like this trend is just an extension of that prioritization.

Knurled wrote: Let's hope they don't go the way of "rat rod" where extraordinary lengths are made to give the appearance of not caring very much.

Plus eleventy billion. Nothing screams 'poser' louder than spending hours of time and buckets of cash making something look like you stole it from the dump and attached it to the car with drywall screws.

Self tapping screws work so much better than drywall screws..

STM317 wrote: The Japanese, as a people, tend to place a much higher value on quality than our western cultures do. For that reason, it seems like they'd appreciate items built to last. It seems like this trend is just an extension of that prioritization.

Ironically, the cars are virtually forced off the road at a very young age via taxes. So average vehicle age is much younger than here in the US.

Duke wrote:

Knurled wrote: Let's hope they don't go the way of "rat rod" where extraordinary lengths are made to give the appearance of not caring very much.

Plus eleventy billion. Nothing screams 'poser' louder than spending hours of time and buckets of cash making something look like you stole it from the dump and attached it to the car with drywall screws.

Kaido racers tells me that the Japanese will cartoon the E36 M3 out of this before long

Now I have a name for what I have been doing for years. I suppose we will be inundated with faux wabi-sabi stuff in the near future.

outasite wrote: Now I have a name for what I have been doing for years. I suppose we will be inundated with faux wabi-sabi stuff in the near future.

Pfft... People are already spending $$$$ on vynil "patina" wraps. My wagon must be worth a fortune right now. LOL

I have a vintage wabi sabi corolla I'll let go, for just 5 grand!

For GRMers, it might be more like Globby-Slobby!

Crackers wrote:

outasite wrote: Now I have a name for what I have been doing for years. I suppose we will be inundated with faux wabi-sabi stuff in the near future.

Pfft... People are already spending $$$$ on vynil "patina" wraps. My wagon must be worth a fortune right now. LOL

HGTV used to be packed with shows all about taking antique furniture and sanding/nicking/otherwise wrecking it so it looks like a garbage day reject.

I don't get it either. I can fully understand and appreciate genuine unrestored survivors, but making something look ruined, on purpose?

alfadriver wrote:

STM317 wrote: The Japanese, as a people, tend to place a much higher value on quality than our western cultures do. For that reason, it seems like they'd appreciate items built to last. It seems like this trend is just an extension of that prioritization.

Ironically, the cars are virtually forced off the road at a very young age via taxes. So average vehicle age is much younger than here in the US.

Aren't they limited to 60k miles? Then they must be removed from the road, cut up, or engine replaced?

Knurled wrote:

Crackers wrote:

outasite wrote: Now I have a name for what I have been doing for years. I suppose we will be inundated with faux wabi-sabi stuff in the near future.

Pfft... People are already spending $$$$ on vynil "patina" wraps. My wagon must be worth a fortune right now. LOL

HGTV used to be packed with shows all about taking antique furniture and sanding/nicking/otherwise wrecking it so it looks like a garbage day reject. I don't get it either. I can fully understand and appreciate genuine unrestored survivors, but making something look *ruined*, on purpose?

Yes, I was decorating my house with "shabby chic" before I ever heard the name. Real wood/metal construction and classic styles.

In reply to RealMiniParker:

From speaking with a former resident, it isn't that they must be taken off the road, it is that there are comprehensive vehicle inspections that must be done. Think about the laughably minor problems on the Japanese inspection report that came with kanaric's Skyline, then add tests like on-vehicle shock dyno work and other stuff. A UK MOT times eleventy-two. As you could guess, this is really expensive to do (Bee didn't tell me how much but I'd guess in the low four figures USD), even before you make any repairs it may need, so people just buy new cars. With no useful used car market for cars with a looming inspection, they just get sold overseas, cut in half and shipped overseas for parts, or just plain scrapped.

That is where the "all JDM import engines have under 30k" rumor came from. I say rumor, because while possibly generally true, some people do get the inspections done, especially for enthusiast models. And some people reach under and disconnect the speedometer drive.

In reply to Knurled:

That could explain why a lot of the "30k JDM" engines come sludged up. Sure, they've only got 30k on them, but they've never had an oil change, because... hell, why spend Yen on something that won't be kept more than a few years?

So, former law enforcement vehicles are wabi-sabi?

When I was on the Ferry yesterday, it was full of BMWs and VWs coming back from the big import show in Ocean City. On a trailer in front of me was a brand new golf that had undergone the shabby treatment.. all it's paint had been sanded off and the car allowed to rust.

And to think I spent years trying to keep cars from rusting

And here I thought this thread was going to be about WaSaabi

Wait...people are smearing their chrome wheels with used oil? The hell?

red_stapler wrote: And here I thought this thread was going to be about WaSaabi

Not much, Wasabi with you?