For anyone who wants to introduce themselves, step right up and answer these questions three (or more) (or make up your own- we’re not picky other than answering the FIRST one so we know who you are) 🙂

SIGNIN NAME?

BIO?

WHEN DID YOU START?

WHAT WAS THE FIRST CAR YOU GOT?

HOW LONG BEFORE YOU HAD CAR #2?

WHEN DID YOU DECIDE/REALIZE YOU NEEDED MORE THAN ONE?

WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOU HAD TO GO BIG INTO THIS THING?

WHAT WAS THE CRAZIEST THING YOU’VE HEARD ABOUT COLLECTING THESE CARS? (NEVER YOU, SOME OTHER PERSON’S CRAZY STORY 🙂 ).

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CAR?

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR TO ADD TO YOUR COLLECTION?

Send an email with photos to: metroxing@takefiveaday.com

(If you’re under 18 and sending a pic, be sure and include a note of permission from parents/adult, etc … thanks!)

SAY HI TO HijoSimpson … Yep, Monster Leroy Traffik is coming as a megasized CAR 🙂 but it might be a while so don’t tell the little dude … it will seem like a lifetime to him 🙂

SIGNIN NAME?  Hijosimpson

BIO? My name is Michael Simpson, I live in San Dimas California with my wife
Sonia and my 3 year old son Ryan.

WHEN DID YOU START?  During my son’s first birthday in March of 2007 my wife
went with a Cars theme.  We even went as far as to make a cake out of
cupcakes and shaped it like Lightning McQueen.  He got so many Cars gifts
that I couldn’t possibly let him play with them all.  I started to put some
of his better cars (aka the ones I really liked most) on top of his armoire
out of arms reach.

WHAT WAS THE FIRST CAR YOU GOT?  I think it would have been Lightning,
Mater, Doc, and Sally.  I think he also got Nitroade, yet I think I hid that
one from him as I fell in love with the Speedway of the South racers.

HOW LONG BEFORE YOU HAD CAR #2?  It would have been the next time my wife
went to Target (she goes at least once a week).  She always makes it a habit
to go down the Hot Wheels aisle and would always pick up at least 1 Disney
Pixar Car for him.  We use Cars and Hot Wheels as a prize for when he used
the toilet.  It was a great help in getting him potty trained.

WHEN DID YOU DECIDE/REALIZE YOU NEEDED MORE THAN ONE?  Once the armoire
display started to grow, my OCD kicked in and I started surfing all the
local TRU’s, K-marts, WM’s, and Targets trying my best to get every
character possible.  To satisfy the hunger I of course resorted to surfing
both Amazon and eBay.  I’ve also used the CTC to order my 3-Car Gift Pack
Case D (can’t wait to get my hands on the showgirls).

WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOU HAD TO GO BIG INTO THIS THING? Once I started
tracking all the Cars on a color coded Excel spreadsheet (with pictures), I
knew I had officially passed the point of no return.

WHAT WAS THE CRAZIEST THING YOU’VE HEARD ABOUT COLLECTING THESE CARS? I
heard about some guy who locked his wife and child out of their kids room so
he could set up the cars and take pictures re-enacting all the scenes from
the movie.  He spent a good 2 hours in there.  Well the wife says it was 3
hours, but I swear it only felt like 2 hours.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CAR?  I would have to say Leroy Traffik.  My son
(really me) also collect the Hot Wheel Monster Jam trucks, and I will be the
happiest man when they come out with the Leroy Traffik 4X4.  My son and I
have watched the movie Cars at least 500 times and when Leroy passes up Mack
on the freeway making that squeaking me-me-me-me-me sound we just look at
each other, smile, and laugh.  Then when we see him at the end coming out of
the Casa Della Tires we yell “Leroy’s Happy He’s a Monsta Tuck!!!”

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR TO ADD TO YOUR COLLECTION?  Can’t wait to get the Radiator Springs Curio Shop and the Rollin Bowlin Mater set.  I’m also
looking forward to getting Elvis, Frank, and Bessie!!!  One for me and one
for the kid of course.  I also need to buy shelves as I ran out of room on
the armoire a long time ago.

SAY HI TO Knightrider – dedicated collector from the UK – started not long ago – now all caught up …

SAY HI TO Heinz57/Tanya & son Teree – A longtime CARS collector who joined us very early – hope your employment situation gets better … Let us know if you need anything.

SIGNIN NAME?
Heinz57baby – got this name when I was in my early teens. I come from a very mixed race background. (Too long to explain here.) Unfortunately, as many teenage boys do, they gave me several nicknames, and Heinz 57 was the most decent of all of them. (If you are not aware, Heinz 57 steak sauce is one that had “everything and the kitchen sink” in it.) This name has really grown on me since…but I hate the sauce!

BIO?
My name is Tanya and I’m a 32 y.o. Carsoholic. My 8 y.o. son, Teree has been a “caraholic” since he could hold one, and a Carsaholic since the movie ads aired. We live in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada (where all Cars “visit” but most refuse to stay). I’m a “Girl Friday”, who used to work in both the legal and real estate investment fields. Currently I’m unemployed due to our lovely economy. I’m quite organized, creative and a great bargain hunter. I’m usually good spirited and friendly, but due to a series of personal setbacks, I’ve been struggling to keep afloat and keep smiling. When I stumbled upon TakeFiveADay, it was a great distraction to life and still is. Cheapest therapy around! Thanks Met!

WHEN DID YOU START?
December 27, 2006 – purely by accident.

WHAT WAS THE FIRST CAR YOU GOT?
Lightning McQueen

HOW LONG BEFORE YOU HAD CAR #2?
Picked up 11 cars that day, back when they were $3.92 CAD each! 2 days later I was back at the store for more.

WHEN DID YOU DECIDE/REALIZE YOU NEEDED MORE THAN ONE?
I knew I needed to collect them all – my son would be in heaven. That’s all that mattered to me. But it was hard hiding 50+ cars for a year!

WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOU HAD TO GO BIG INTO THIS THING?
When new cars were not being made available fast enough, that the bins at the store were full of only 3 or 4 different old car types, and my hope of giving my son a major birthday present in 2007 turned into a moderate Christmas 2007 present. Every morning before work, I bussed it to the mall and do a sweep of the bins at WM and Zellers. Got lucky quite a few mornings, but then that all changed. Determined not to spend more than $4.50 CAD a car, we have been successful for 96% of our collection of almost 100 cars. I also, along with many others, helped get the petition on the internet (applaud or sneer here). Personally speaking, as a single parent, sometimes the only fun you can afford to give your child is just a little car. When I became unable to do that, I had to try something to see if we could change that. We’ve been waiting patiently for more cars to be released in Canada, but it’s getting bad again…

WHAT WAS THE CRAZIEST THING YOU’VE HEARD ABOUT COLLECTING THESE CARS? (NEVER YOU, SOME OTHER PERSON’S CRAZY STORY ).
That some people actually criticized those who wanted to collect only 1 of all the cars for the purpose of playing with them (“Complete Openers”), many of which who then created and participated in the petition. Petitioners became vilified and those who hoarded for profit were praised! I never put down those who chose to make money, because it is their right, but I advocated for children – after all, aren’t toys for playing with first and foremost?
Thank goodness that 98% of TakeFiver’s are decent, despite whatever their reasons are for collecting, and that their generosity, courtesy and helpful natures have been the main reason many members connect with one another and remain e-friends, even if they get forgotten once in a while… (Pirate Dad, you can start blushing now.)

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CAR?
Despite my love of baby blue, Sally is my 2^nd favorite. Mater is my 1^st, cause he’s soh dern cute an’ fun-ny! Teree’s fav’s are Dale Jr., Lightning McQueen, Al Oft & Bob Cutlass. He can’t pick just one!

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR TO ADD TO YOUR COLLECTION?
Pretty much everything that has come out in the US since end of October 2008. Hope 2009 will bring more cars north of the border in quicker fashion.