My 17 year old son recently got his first set of wheels, and I have been reminiscing a lot lately about my first car experience. To be honest with you, I wasn’t even really pressuring my parents to get me a car because I could barely drive when I was 16. My dad ended up surprising me with my car before I was even legal to drive, and it sat there for weeks until I finally started to drive it (with an adult of course, I had my permit) and got the feel of the road. It was then that I realized I was missing out on something really important—freedom!
My car was less than stellar of course. My dad spoiled me lots, but knew I wasn’t ready for a brand new vehicle off of the showroom floor. He paid cash for my car, an old rusty clunker that I quickly named ‘Princess’ befitting my royal swagger at the time. Some of my friends had brand new cars that made my old tin look like a flop of a jallopy, but I didn’t really care because I was driving myself and my friends around town and was just happy to have a vehicle.
There were so many adventures that I experienced in that ride—I snuck off to Jacksonville (I was living in Tampa) to see an old boyfriend I thought I was in love with. I also used the car to skip school and eat lunch with my friends. If my parents only knew that the car was tooling all around Florida, I know they would be less than pleased.
Princess only made it about 6 months or so. I ended up really messing up the engine and it sat on blocks for months. A friend of mine, Kiisha, asked her parents to buy it from my parents and they fixed it up. So it became her first car as well!
Now that my son has his own car, it’s bringing back all of the memories of my first car experience. And because I was so sneaky after learning to drive, I watch him like a hawk. I was a teen before and know what a creative teen is capable of doing!
Looking back on it, I was a lucky girl to have my own car at 16. There were plenty of people who didn’t have a ride at that time, new or used. And while I made some mistakes when given the privilege of driving, I don’t think I would change a thing.
Subaru gave me the opportunity to create my own First Car Story video, and I tell the story of Princess in only the way that I can. Check it out below and let me know what you think!
What are your first car stories? What type of first car did you have? Comment below!
Brand Statement: Everyone loved their first car. No matter how beat up or broken down, it was a taste of freedom and you loved it. Even though it lasted only for a brief time, that emotional connection is an experience that unites us all. Check out my custom illustrated story, you can submit one too at www.firstcarstory.com and bring your story to life with animation and music and share it with your friends.
Disclosure: Compensation was provided via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of the advertiser
First car was a Nissan Sentra. My sweet little car 🙂
Thanks for Aisha. Nissan’s are good cars so I am sure you got good use out of your first car 🙂
My 1st car was a white Grand Am at 18…