My First Car

It was the spring of 1973 and I was seventeen years old. It was after school and I was sitting on my couch watching Gilligan's Island. I was so focused on what the professor was going to create next or why Skipper was hitting Gilligan on the head to notice the phone ring. Around the fourth or fifth ring I was taken out of my trance and leaned over the table to grab the phone. The next six words changed my life. I picked up the phone and my dad said "Mark, I got you a car." I was speechless. I instantly imagined my long brown hair flowing in the wind as I drove down the street in my Porsche 914 or BMW 2002 TII. My fantasy was immediately crushed when my dad, who was in the auto salvage business said "someone brought an old car to the store and I gave him $100 for it, so I thought we could fix it up." The car needed new seats, new breaks and the body was beat up. I was confused and a little concerned because even though I would still be getting my very first car, I didn't understand why my dad would want me driving something that was unsafe and would break down all the time. I tried to hide my uneasiness the best I could.

I walked over to my friend's house to tell him the news. As I stood in his kitchen, both him and his mom kept telling me how exciting this was. I undoubtedly agreed with them, but I couldn't shake the image of me driving down the street with my bumper hitting against the asphalt.

I left my friend's house and headed home. I was sitting at my desk when I heard my dad open the front door. He poked his head in my room and said "Want to see your new car?" My heart began to race. I ran out of my room and followed my dad outside. "This is it" I thought. My dad's face turned into a wide smile. He was leaning on a lime green 1972 Toyota Corona 2 Door Deluxe with black cloth interior. I could not believe my eyes. He tricked me! My vision was no longer an embarrassing cartoon, but instead a groovy dream.

The next night, I opened the driver's door and hopped inside my beautiful car. This was the first time I was going to drive it and I was a little more than nervous. Face sweating, palms damp, I drove my parents and their friends to dinner. I drove so slowly that a snail could have beaten me to the restaurant. As time went on, and I became a more experienced driver, I realized that my car was a little slow.

I had my car for two years and it changed my life. I became more independent and had more freedom. My friends and I were able to broaden our horizons and travel farther than just the beach.

My parents made sure that I had a safe, reliable car. I could not and can not thank them enough for my first car. I was lucky enough to get a car at 17. That surprise will stay engrained in my memory forever.