Everybody keeps their car the way they want it. Sometimes that differs greatly amongst friends and family. So pick that person closest to you and rate their vehicle for cleanliness.

My mon tells the story of my dad buying a new 56 Buick convertible before they were married. He pulled his 53 convertible up next to the new one on the dealer's lot and started shoveling all his junk from one car to the other. Boat anchors, life jackets sevral miles of rope and pulleys, tools, boxes of parts, wood blocks, jacks,and so on. The trunk was full and the back seat piled even with the top of the seat. As my dad is transfering his stuff, my mom said the salesman was just standing stone cold still staring with his mouth open as my dad filled this brand new convertible with all that junk. To this day my travels with everything he "might need" but he has a large van now.

My fiance keeps her cars a mess. When I let her borrow the Patriot for a week I had to spend 8 hours on Saturday detailing it. What gets me the worst is people who spill coffee/soda all over the center console and cup holders!!

My fiance keeps her cars a mess. When I let her borrow the Patriot for a week I had to spend 8 hours on Saturday detailing it. What gets me the worst is people who spill coffee/soda all over the center console and cup holders!!

Traumatized as a child by my dad spilling a malted milkshake in the car, as an adult, eating and drinking in my cars is stricty forbidden.

I tried to keep hubby's pickup looking nice. It was such a mess inside I had to clean it out. My Jeep needs a bath though. If the sun comes out I plan on doing that.

My 11 year old TJ sits in the garage every night. I I drive it in teh rain, it gets washed the very next day no exception. I also wash it every Saturday whether it needs it or not, because of the dust and pollen that collect. It gets poliched and then waxed twice a year. I never leave trash in it, i wipe the interior down after every wash job, and I try to drink noting in it but water. So to say the least my Wrangler is pampered. If it hadnt been allowed to sit for 2 years by previous owner, the standard 11 year wear out items might not be as bad.

My wife on the other hand needs a shovel to clean out her interior once a week, and i am wiping sticky messes off the console around teh cupholders and everywhere else at least 3 times a week. She has to move a metric ton of crap out of teh passenger seat for me to ride. Its ridiculous how she takes care of a car.

Traumatized as a child by my dad spilling a malted milkshake in the car, as an adult, eating and drinking in my cars is stricty forbidden.

I can't bring myself to that level because of how much I drive, but every beverage in my car must have a lid on it! I gave a buddy of mine a hard time last week when we road tripped to Cooperstown and he thought he could grab a fountain soda without getting a lid!

Everybody keeps their car the way they want it. Sometimes that differs greatly amongst friends and family. So pick that person closest to you and rate their vehicle for cleanliness.

My mon tells the story of my dad buying a new 56 Buick convertible before they were married. He pulled his 53 convertible up next to the new one on the dealer's lot and started shoveling all his junk from one car to the other. Boat anchors, life jackets sevral miles of rope and pulleys, tools, boxes of parts, wood blocks, jacks,and so on. The trunk was full and the back seat piled even with the top of the seat. As my dad is transfering his stuff, my mom said the salesman was just standing stone cold still staring with his mouth open as my dad filled this brand new convertible with all that junk. To this day my travels with everything he "might need" but he has a large van now.

OMG - Do we have the same dad? The vehicles are different, but the story is the same - down to the life jackets, rope and tools! He's now in a Mazda van to drive around all his "gear".

OMG - Do we have the same dad? The vehicles are different, but the story is the same - down to the life jackets, rope and tools! He's now in a Mazda van to drive around all his "gear".

I would never have guessed there would be another story like that floating around. The worst thing is that I inherrited the desire to retain objects. Just not in the car. I have sheds full of stuff. (like cars)

I tried to keep hubby's pickup looking nice. It was such a mess inside I had to clean it out. My Jeep needs a bath though. If the sun comes out I plan on doing that.

My line has been drawn in the sand. I will not clean my wife's car. Other than to find the passenger's seat when I need to ride in it, I just leave it alone.

I guess I'm the oddball here. (No comments please. Yes, this means you Wade. )

My wife drives the Pat but I am the one who cleans it for her each week.
It's my old 98 pickup that needs attention-and probably won't get it-each week.
I gas up both vehicles and will wash her Pat to keep it looking nice, as well as make sure nothing accumulates inside so we will have at least one nice looking ride at any given moment. But sterile, it is not. I only do the interior about once a week for real cleaning, so by Friday, it can collect some dust from her daily drives to work.

My fiances a 1st grade teacher... need i say more?

I would never have guessed there would be another story like that floating around. The worst thing is that I inherrited the desire to retain objects. Just not in the car. I have sheds full of stuff. (like cars)

No cars in dad's 2car garage - its soo packed full of books, boat stuff and boats. He doesn't throw anything out because he might need it someday. I have that tendency too, but living in scal with no basement and a small house, I am learning to throw things out or freecycle...

My Wife is a slob. She has crap everywhere, even on the dash. I've driven her truck a few times, watching CD's, books and magazines slide back and forth across the dash and listening to god knows what in the back seat rattle and bang together. Whenever possible I drive. I'll wash the outside for her, check the fluids and tires but that's about it. She's an adult and I am not her keeper.

My wife's car is generally a ridiculous mess. Stuff in the front passenger floorboard up to seat level. Stuff on the passenger seat so deep, well let's just say it's a lot of stuff. Stuff in the rear floor boards up to seat level. Trunk so full you can hardly close it. Bits of food, drink cups, melted crayons, etc. from driving the kids around, you name it. It's gross.

My car is far from a sterile environment. I collect papers, junk, the kid's leave things in the car, etc. However, I do not allow the young'uns to eat or drink anything but water in the car when at all possible. And I clean out the junk about once a week. About two or three times a year the interior gets a complete detailing, and I wash the outside regularly when weather permits. I say "when weather permits" because I'm sorry, but I just can't see the point in washing the car if the forcast is calling for rain anytime soon. It's just a waste of water to wash the car just so I can have it shiny and clean for a day. I hold the belief that a dusty or dirty exterior is indicative of environmental responsibility. If it has a chance of staying clean for a week or two, I'll shine it up nice. Otherwise, a little dirt ain't so bad. Not to mention, the Khaki hides it rather well.

I detailed my girlfriends car for her a few weeks back, and it took 8 dollars to vacuum it. That over a half hour for a Ford ZX2 Escort!!!!! It was so gross, i couldnt believe some of the crap i found in there. My dad was a mechanic/service manager so I grew up learning that you should always keep your car clean. Just imagine how it is to be a chainsmoker with a new car that doesnt smoke in the new car:) I love my Pat though and i refuse to let it get dirty. hence my washing it twice a week. I hate getting in someones car and having to dig thru the soda bottles on the floor to find somewhere to put my feet.

My wife's 08 Compass is the primary vehicle we use when we take the twin grand daughters anywhere with us. the twins are two and a half years old. If you have not had to deal with babies at that age, then you don 't know what I'm talking about. But if you have experienced a baby at that age, double the mess one baby can make! Cereal, Goldfish crackers, juice cups, toys, books, sand from the beach, flowers, and shoes (a girl can't have too many shoes I've been told).

my boyfriend is pretty tidy (although not nearly as tidy as i am) but he hardly EVER washes his car or vacuums the interior. he drives a 2005 hyundai elantra, which is nicer than it sounds actually (smooth ride, for example), and it's black, so it looks dirty pretty quickly. every once in awhile i make him wash his car (approximately every 5th time i wash my own and we do them together, haha).

he always keeps the interior tidy though and never eats in there either so it doesn't bother me too much when i have to sit in as a passenger...

Her car is as neat as I want to keep it. I try to do all three cars at least once a week. Two are easy, they're inside mostly. The PT stays out more. My Ranger is always outside now, with a row boat stuffed in the back, coffee cups and cigarette packs all over, White Castle boxes that I can lose the dog in. Home sweet home.

We must be weird..
We keep our sports cars show room new. The commuter cars are kept clean but it is not possible to keep them looking show room new more than once a week...;) Her car is usually cleaner than mine during the week however....

I have my gf drop off her car and take mine to work every 2 weeks so I can give her car a nice cleaning. Since we have differant shifts, only one car is used at once. Mine is always clean. The first sign of more than 2 days of sun on the weather and that baby is cleaned. My gf on the other hand wouldnt clean it unless I did. She even just got a new car, and you would think she would keep it clean. She wont buy floor mats either. Just buying floor mats will save the carpet for years. Ugh you guys got me started

I can't bring myself to that level because of how much I drive, but every beverage in my car must have a lid on it! I gave a buddy of mine a hard time last week when we road tripped to Cooperstown and he thought he could grab a fountain soda without getting a lid!

I had a friend who brought a paper cup of Coke into my 71 Vette once. Once! He would have been 46 on his next birthday.

My Patriot is messy and I had it washed for the first time about 3 weeks ago (It is 10 months old). My wife's Matrix is just as messy - but with different things- pop cans, plastic bags, food wrappers, books, cd's, etc. The Jeep is filled with more practical junk - bungee cords, ratchet straps, tow straps, tow hitch, tools, jumper cables etc. To each their own!

I detailed my girlfriends car for her a few weeks back, and it took 8 dollars to vacuum it. That over a half hour for a Ford ZX2 Escort!!!!!

Coffee is still coming out of my nose...

My wife's car is usually kept junk free and she runs it through the car wash every couple of weeks. Until about a year and half ago she smoked in her car and there would be a trail of ashes that would attach themselves to the exterior of car as she held her cigarette out the window. That aggravated me to no end. Fortunately she quit smoking. The other issue with smoking is the ashes migrated behind the clear panel in front of the instrument panel through the odometer reset button. Anyway she keeps in fairly clean.
My car has never been through a car wash - hand wash only and I use spray wax as I dry it every time. My wife says I'm anal. She gives me a hard time because I always have 5 or 6 back issues of JP and Backpacker magazines floating around the back seat or the hatch area. But otherwise it is clean, it stays in the garage when not being driven, and I have a shop vac that I use to keep the interior clean.

I had a friend who brought a paper cup of Coke into my 71 Vette once. Once! He would have been 46 on his next birthday.

HA HA HA HA!!

My parents van doesnt get cleaned unless i clean it...'nuff said:doh:

mine is garaged when not being used and generally cleaned once a week

I like to clean out my car every week or so, especially if I've had the dog in there the day of, or before.
But my parents on the other hand...well, my mom isn't too bad, but my dads car is usually PRETTY messy. He'll have old Timmies cups in every cupholder, garbage, gum packages, EVERYTHING, sitting around the front. And if its golf season theres usually multiple jackets, already worn socks laying around his back seats lol!

I was out of town at one time and a friend needed to drive my wife's car after she had knee surgery some 300 miles to our house. It was such a pit that he decided to have it professionally cleaned before he had to drive it for that long a distance. The fellow at the detail shop took one look at it and refused to clean it. If we ever drive my wife's car, I always have to play "voyage to the surface of the seat".

The wife keeps her Pat pretty clean I must say. Especially with two young kids of our own and one she babysits in a out of the thing on a daily basis.

Usually when I vacuum it out on the weekend the front seats/floor/console area are pretty spotless. It's the rear seats which have foot prints, krackers and all kinds of other left over snacks lying around. I'm surprised she hasn't attracted a mouse yet.