I suppose my wife is reasonably into cars but not really interested in what's going on under the bonnet.
One day she decided she was coming with me to the local breakers yard.
I resigned myself to the fact that it was going to quicly turn into a handbag shopping spree and that I'd have to rummage for the bits I needed some other time. Not so! I described what I needed (all sorts of bizarre bits. Fuel injectors, ignition modules, etc. etc.) and what cars she was likely to find them in and she put me to shame! She scoured the place in record time, clambering over all the wrecks. She found everything I needed and loved it. She even found a nice jack which the owner grudgingly sold to us, mumbling that he normally removes them from all the cars as they come in.
As to long distance relationships we did that for a while (Alton to Wellingborough - not exactly intergalactic). The problem is just seeing each other eats into all the time and money you once had available for hobbies like playing with cars. I stuck it for 9 months but at the end of the day you need to decide if you're happy to stay as you are, maybe losing the car, if one of you is prepared to relocate, or neither of the above.
(c) 2007 OmegaOwners Agony Aunts
Kevin