My 5 Cars

            When Orson Greaves and his brother were growing up, they enjoyed talking about and listing things they would like to own. What started as a list of favorite bikes has now turned into an international web site that allows anyone who wants to take the time to fill out a short questionnaire to share their five dream cars.

            “When my brother and I were kids, it started off as which BMXs would we own,” said Orson. “We were always making lists back then.”

            As the pair grew older so did their mode of transportation. “Eventually it went from bikes to cars. Everyone has a list of five cars they like, whether or not they’re into cars. We were always interested in what cars people like so we decided to make a site,” explained Orson.

            The site, www.My5Cars.com has been on line since early 2010 but is just now starting to attract some attention.

            “Once we sat down and started drawing up ideas it was several months before the site actually went live,” said Orson. “We wanted to keep the site simple and clean.”

            Simple and clean are great ways to describe the site. With pictures and responses of recent “my 5s” dissolving through on the home page and a simple to navigate menu the site is easy to use and not the least crowded and cramped. To get started in posting your favorites, simply click on the red submit my 5 button on the top right of the home page.

            This will take you to the short questionnaire. Here are nine brief questions that allow you to expound as much as you like.

            “We didn’t want the questions to be too technical,” said Orson. “Those questions are fine for gearheads but we want everyone’s input. The questions we did ask would have to apply to everyone.”

            In fact, the choice of questions can pretty much be answered by everyone. Tell us the story about your best drive ever; which five cars would you choose; when would you drive each one; what music would you listen to while driving; and what is your in-car eating policy are the first five questions.

            “Most people have been on a drive that has made an impression on them and everyone has an opinion about food entering their car,” explained Orson. “Music was a no-brainer. I’ve been a passenger on numerous trips where the driver has said, ‘I have the perfect song for this road.’”

            Three questions ask for your name, your email (which isn’t shared, only used to confirm you posted this) and a place for you to advertise your blog or web site.

            The other question, which is actually question number 6, asks you to “shoot, shag or marry” three cars, the Porsche 911, the Aston Martin V 8 and the Audi R 8. My first response was, “what the hell?” But look as I might there was no explanation for the “shoot, shag or marry.” For me that seemed part of the fun. It allowed me to interpret my own meaning. Orson has an explanation, though.

            “Simply put, which car would you like to see pushing daises (shoot), which car would you like to have a 24 hour pass of all out, pedal to the metal driving (shag), and which car would you like to spend the rest of your days with (marry),” said Orson.

            Getting the site rolling has been a bit slow and filled with some challenges, according to Orson. There haven’t been an overwhelming number of people responding as yet and some technical issues have grounded a few as well. But those who have posted so far have been quite varied in their favorites.

            “Naturally supercars share most people’s lists but not as much as I thought,” said Orson. “Initially I was worried that’s all it would be but we are seeing some very interesting choices. This is exactly what we wanted.”

            In addition, there have been a lot of great stories coming out of the people who are posting.

            “Honestly, all the stories are great,” said Orson. “If it makes you try to picture it, it’s a good story.”

            Orson admitted that they love to read what people are writing on the site. “We love it because we love cars,” he said.

            The two also have plans to expand their on line car lover presence. “We are currently working on a new site related to photography,” said Orson. “We also have another site called howdoigetthatcar.com. This site asks owners how they came about owning their ride.”

            Orson’s five cars are listed on line like everyone else who has posted. His cars are Lamborghini Countach, a 1969 Chevy Camaro SS, a 1971 Alfa Romeo GTV, a Mercury E 63, and a Porsche 911GT2.

            As for my five cars, that will be in a future blog post.