ANOTHER AUTISTIC POSITIVE.
"You can't be autistic, you can drive a car," is probably one of the most common misconceptions, other than being a maths genii, that an uninformed neuro-typical can have. With this autistic person, my car is not just something to get me from A to B, but an extraarticular manifestation of my interest in Japan.
What do you need to do if you have a car? Maintain it. Doing some of your own maintenance may save you some money, but only if you know what you're doing. So, to have a good car, you need a good and honest mechanic. And if you have a mechanic who understands your relationship with your car, that's even better.
When I lived in a seaside town, I used to take my other car to a guy who I asked to change the radiator coolant. What did he do? He cut a clamp off the lower radiator hose and then charged me for a new one! He may have thought he knew what he was doing, but sometimes thought can plant a feather in the ground, thinking it can grow into a bird. Now that I'm back in the city, and am happier (I say one reason why minorities are happier in big cities is, while small towns may be quieter, some small town people have narrow views and do not accept diversity) I am back with a mechanic I trust and it was past my old high school I had to go to reach him, which was the source for my last blog. What makes this mechanic really good is that he is happy to order stuff for me that is Japanese. I said to him that I didn't mind a non-genuine oil or air filter, but wanted NGK Spark Plugs and a genuine CV boot (which he got, as well as a genuine hub assembly and wheel bearing. I didn't want him to get a non-genuine unless I could check with my friend who works for the company that that part was Japanese). And what's more, he said he knew how fastidious I am and when I told him I'm autistic, he didn't run away screaming, not that I'd expect he would.
Each autistic person's relationship with their car is unique, some may not care about their cars, I do. Just the other day, I saw a car the same make and model as mine with Monroe shocks on the rear (I wouldn't use Monroe shocks on a toy car for my nephew) and I took the attitude, "There, but for the grace of God, go I," to mean, "My car doesn't have those shocks, I don't want them, I've got KYBs and that's my choice."
The most important thing an autistic motorist can have is an autism friendly mechanic and one who understands them and their relationship with their car.