From road trips to wrenching, the start of a new year is the perfect opportunity to come good on those plans you’ve been kicking around for the past 12 months
January 1, 2025 at 10:39
How was your 2024, and more importantly, how are you going to make 2025 even better? Millions of people will start the new year with resolutions and there’s no reason why us car fans can’t make some of ours vehicle-related.
Think about it – I bet there are dozens of daydreams you’ve had over the past 12 months, plans you’ve then pushed to the back of your mind. Well now’s the perfect opportunity to reboot them and make them happen.
Related: What Was The Biggest Automotive Story Of 2024?
Stuck for ideas? We’ve come up with six, but we also want to hear what you’re going to do different in 2025, where you’re going to go and what you’re going to buy.
#1: Hit the track
Whether you fancy testing your reactions from the lights or finding out how much lateral grip your tires really do have at 100 mph (160 km/h), you’re always better doing that experimenting on the track. And if you’ve already scratched that itch, maybe take things a step further and go racing, which is 100 times as exciting and maybe not quite as expensive as you think. Ohio-based Grass Paddock Motorsports says you could rent a budget racecar for an event for as little as $1,500. Not beer money, sure, but you could easily spend that on a circuit pass, tires and gas on a non-competitive trackday event.
#2: Get ambitious with your wrenching
It doesn’t matter if you’ve never picked up a ratchet or you’ve just finished body-swapping a classic Ferrari, you can still push yourself to get more ambitious with your projects in 2025. And if nothing else, you could fix that one problem with your car you’ve been putting off for months or add that bit of tuning hardware you’ve been dreaming about. What project will you tackle?
#3: Buy that car you’ve been promising yourself
Sometimes it’s difficult to rationalize splurging on a special car when there are more sensible, grown-up things to spend your money on. Ignore your inner grown-up – if you don’t buy that dream car next year there’s a chance it’ll be out of your budget for the decade, if not forever. What car would you buy?
More: 11 Hot Classic Cars You Should Buy Before They Get Out Of Reach
#4: Take a big road trip
It’s fun to jump on a plane and rent a car you’ve never driven before at the other end. But making that entire journey in your car, just you and an entire Snap-On chest worth of tools, preferably with a couple of buddies, maybe in their own cars, is going to be way more memorable. Where would you drive?
#5: Broaden your automotive horizons
We’ve all got our favorite cars, the ones whose specs we can recite blindfolded, but there are thousands of other vehicles that are worth knowing about. I’ve driven all kinds of cars from 2025 models to 1950s classics, but I’m hazy on the half century of car development before that. I’d love to try something ridiculously old like this 1914 Stutz Bearcat, or just find out more about them. What era, brand or model are you going to make it your mission to embrace in 2025?
Classic Review: 1976 Toyota Celica Restomod Will Make You Fall In Love With JDM Again
#6: Attend more car meets
Driving is often a solo pleasure but the great thing about the car hobby is the community, the ability to sharing your passion, share your knowledge and learn from others. If you haven’t already, join a forum, meet some like-minded enthusiasts and get yourself along to a few events like Cars and Coffee, Radwood or Rennsport Reunion. But do yourself a favor and stay clear of street takeovers – they’re silly, illegal, and very dangerous. What car event is on your must-see list?
So what’s your car-based resolution for 2025? Drop a comment below and let us know.
