# My car may be sneaking out and breeding with the neighbor's car **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 1, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-may-be-sneaking-out-and-breeding-with-the-neighbors-car/662364 "2013-07-01T16:35:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-may-be-sneaking-out-and-breeding-with-the-neighbors-car/662364/1 "2013-07-01T16:35:19Z")
I own a 2002 Mazda Protege 5. Nice little car but not wildly popular – they only made them for a couple of years. In all the years since, I’ve only seen few dozen on the road. One, though, is a neighbor from about a block away, a shameless canary yellow hussy (mine is a dignified silver!)-- the only one that lived anywhere near me. But in the past month, all the sudden there are 3 more, all silver, all parking around the same intersection, which is also a block from me and even farther than the painted whore Protege. There are now 5 Protege 5’s in my neighborhood, three of them looking exactly like mine. I can only assume that my car grew up and wanted a lube job, and found one down the road. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-may-be-sneaking-out-and-breeding-with-the-neighbors-car/662364/2 "2013-07-01T17:27:54Z")
do you see fluid residue spots in the driveways? ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-may-be-sneaking-out-and-breeding-with-the-neighbors-car/662364/3 "2013-07-01T19:38:14Z")
I read the thread title completely wrong, and was really curious about the cat/car hybrid that was skulking around your neighborhood. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-may-be-sneaking-out-and-breeding-with-the-neighbors-car/662364/4 "2013-07-01T19:40:40Z")
I wouldn’t get too concerned unless you see a silver one with a yellow hood. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-may-be-sneaking-out-and-breeding-with-the-neighbors-car/662364/5 "2013-07-01T21:01:24Z")
Now you know why your car has been smoking lately. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-may-be-sneaking-out-and-breeding-with-the-neighbors-car/662364/6 "2013-07-01T21:15:06Z")
If you’d’ve bought from a respectable dealer, your car would’ve been fixed, and you wouldn’t be having this problem. You probably bought from a hoopty mill. Stray cars are a serious problem in this country. You should take yours in and get it fixed. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-may-be-sneaking-out-and-breeding-with-the-neighbors-car/662364/7 "2013-07-01T21:40:47Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > I read the thread title completely wrong, and was really curious about the cat/car hybrid that was skulking around your neighborhood. Such a hybrid might be a little [skulking impaired](http://lokwi.com/item/1391). ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-may-be-sneaking-out-and-breeding-with-the-neighbors-car/662364/8 "2013-07-01T22:03:00Z")
Never, in a million years, would I have seen this coming. So this is how it begins. Ahem. I, for one, welcome our new Silver Mazda Protege 5 Overlords. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-may-be-sneaking-out-and-breeding-with-the-neighbors-car/662364/9 "2013-07-02T01:52:28Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > Now you know why your car has been smoking lately. Well if it was possible for them to get lucky, it probably would be one of their DOHC models. I mean, some of the others are just plain [Wankels](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wankel_engine)… ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-may-be-sneaking-out-and-breeding-with-the-neighbors-car/662364/10 "2013-07-02T19:05:46Z")
It’s nice that you have some pure-breds in your neighborhood. I figured most cars shamelessly breed outside their species, and that’s how we have hybrid cars now. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-may-be-sneaking-out-and-breeding-with-the-neighbors-car/662364/11 "2013-07-02T19:16:48Z")
I love the look of those Protege 5s. I have a silver Mazdaspeed 3 hatchback, and it seems like I can see the design lineage from the Protege 5. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-may-be-sneaking-out-and-breeding-with-the-neighbors-car/662364/12 "2013-07-02T19:23:27Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > It’s nice that you have some pure-breds in your neighborhood. I figured most cars shamelessly breed outside their species, and that’s how we have hybrid cars now. I suppose electric cars are created in a lab and are sterile, then? ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-may-be-sneaking-out-and-breeding-with-the-neighbors-car/662364/13 "2013-07-02T20:54:29Z")
> [@Nawth\_Chucka](#): > > I suppose electric cars are created in a lab and are sterile, then? That’s the coal, hard fact… ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-may-be-sneaking-out-and-breeding-with-the-neighbors-car/662364/14 "2013-07-02T22:21:15Z")
ATVs are the result of unnatural relations between autos and motorcycles. ---
**Author:** ![claramorena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2acd7d/32.png) [@claramorena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/claramorena)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-may-be-sneaking-out-and-breeding-with-the-neighbors-car/662364/15 "2013-07-02T22:35:09Z")
I disturbed that many dopers here are against misCARgenation. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-may-be-sneaking-out-and-breeding-with-the-neighbors-car/662364/16 "2013-07-03T00:22:32Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > do you see fluid residue spots in the driveways? I hadn’t thought about it as I assumed that it was dripping condensation or something of the like. But yes, on occasion there’s a small pool of something that I can see after backing out of my space. Ewww, now I need brain bleach. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-may-be-sneaking-out-and-breeding-with-the-neighbors-car/662364/17 "2013-07-03T00:33:10Z")
_cough_Santorum_cough_ ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-may-be-sneaking-out-and-breeding-with-the-neighbors-car/662364/18 "2013-07-03T00:34:34Z")
> [@Nawth\_Chucka](#): > > _cough_Santorum_cough_ My car is leaking Republicans? 😛