I was a late bloomer to the freedom of the road. Sixteen came and went, and I had yet to obtain my driver’s license. It wasn’t until three years later that I finally took action and passed the test in a 2005 Ford Escape XLT. I had failed the year before in a 2002 Ford Focus. Embarrassing, I know.
With license in hand, it was time to start looking for that first car. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift just debuted, and I was jonesing for a tuner car. The problem was, I didn’t have tuner car money. Also, the Ohio Valley wasn’t the best automotive market to find a supped up Civic or Celica. What it did have was a ton of Chevy Cavaliers. What I under up with was a 2002 yellow Chevy Cavalier with a body kit, loud ass exhaust tip, and dodge neon wheels with directional tires that were mounted backward. It was a hot mess. The ultimate kicker, the used car dealer disconnected the speedometer, so the miles were unknown. Turns out, if the speedometer is disconnected, the odometer will not record miles driven. It’s a dirt lot trick to keep the miles low so they can sell it for more profit. I’m not against profit, but that tactic is pretty slimy.
It was a great and reliable car. It got me through the last two years of college and down to North Carolina. Fuel Economy was excellent! I averaged 28.4 mpg.
But as they say, all good things must come to an end one day. Traveling home from work one afternoon, I was involved in a head-on collision with a Honda Accord. That wreck was the scariest event that happened in my life. Thankfully I walked away with only a few cuts and bruises.
I learned a lot about car ownership with that first car. There were things that I did by the book and somethings that I was neglecting. My goal is to share those experiences with you so that you won’t make the same mistakes that I did and enjoy your first car for many years to come.