No matter what your hobbies or interests are, chances are the Coronavirus outbreak and the measures taken to slow its spread have affected your ability to take part in such hobbies. The auto enthusiast community is certainly no exception to this.
Just as spring had arrived and the event season was to begin earnest nearly every car show, car meet, professional racing event, track day, swap meet or any other sort of gathering has been cancelled or postponed.
And while this is a crappy situation for all involved, fortunately there are plenty of ways to enjoy cars and the car hobby while being stuck in quarantine or practicing the social distancing measures that so many across the world are being asked to embrace.
Here are four of the best ways we've found to keep car culture going under quarantine.
1. Wrenching
This one may be the simplest and straight forward ways to keep the car life going. No, we may not be able to get together for a meet, show or track event but the “Stay at Home” movement could also be considered the “Stay in the Garage” movement.
Working on your car, whether it’s installing an upgrade, tinkering with a long-going project or even doing some basic maintenance on your daily driver are all great ways to spend your time at home.
All sorts of parts can be found online so there shouldn’t be much stopping you from getting what you need. And the therapeutic benefits of working on a car might be the perfect thing given the craziness of all that’s going on right now.
2. Gaming
With so much of the stuff we enjoy being canceled and so many being asked to stay inside, there’s never been a better time to jump into gaming.
And, there's no shortage of simulated automotive fun to have right now.
From causal pick up and play arcade experiences to full on simulation rigs there are driving and racing games for all tastes, whether on console, PC or even your smart phone. Why not get out there and build your Forza or Gran Turismo virtual car collection?
And for serious racing junkies, many have leaned toward ultra realistic simulations to replace the real thing during this downtime. Even NASCAR has moved to an online format with weekly iRacing invitational events replacing its real races that have been cancelled or postponed.
One word of warning though—you may find yourself addicted to this well after everything comes back from hiatus.
3. Models & Collectibles
Being stuck inside also makes for a chance to dig into the side of the scale car hobby.
If you are like me you may have a lot of diecast cars piled up in boxes and this home time can be well spent sorting through our stashes of toy cars, remembering stuff we didn’t even know we had and basically becoming kids again.
Model kits are another great way to enjoy the car hobby indoors. Whether you are a beginner or a skilled builder, building a scale version of your favorite car in the comfort of your own home is always a great way to enjoy car culture on a smaller scale. And even if you don't have any kits or supplies at the moment, all of that stuff can be had online easily.
Whether it's diecast cars, slot cars, model kits or even flipping through old magazines or reading great books about cars. There's never been a better time than now to embrace this side the automotive wold.
4. Go for a Drive
But what if you just want to hop behind the wheel and drive?
There may be no Cars & Coffee going on or track days to go to, but there's no reason you can't take your car out for a drive on your favorite roads right now.
A solitary drive can be a lot of fun, especially with traffic levels in many areas falling to something many of us have never seen our lifetimes. You can even invite some friends to join in and enjoy the camaraderie of driving while still observing social distancing guidelines.
Even in normal times a drive on a great stretch of road is a great way to clear the mind and something like that can be even more crucial during the crazy situation we are all living through right now.
Here's hoping things return to normal soon, but in the meantime there are plenty of ways to continue to enjoy the cars and the lifestyle that surrounds them.
With so much stuff shut down it also feels like a good time to get out and social distance off the pavement. Here are some of the things a life-long street car guy digs about the 4x4 scene.