Back from it’s holiday hiatus, the question of the week asks you to reminisce about your first car.
What you loved about it or hated about it. Did you scrape by and save up for it yourself or were your parents able to help you to get it and how many speeding tickets you got.
Here’s what our crew had to say:
Cody Sandusky
Host of the Home Stretch
Notre Dame Basketball Play-by-Play Analyst
Ah, my first car. Upon receiving my license at the beginning of my sophomore year but before I had my own car, I drove my mother’s 1999 Chevy Blazer. I was admittedly spoiled: leather seats with warmers and adjustable lumbar, CD/tape player, room to pile a number of people in the back (only five legally, but who hasn’t put friends in the trunk area of their SUV in high school… sorry, Mom), and it allowed me some level of autonomy and freedom.
That freedom was amplified (and the level of comfort lowered a bit) when I received my first car in October of that year – A 1995 Mazda Protege.
The car was a gift from my parents and it was greatly appreciated. The dark green four-door sedan became the sole evening/weekend transportation for many of my friends, as I was the first to have a car (and a license, as I recall) and a steady income. The Protege was a solid vehicle in terms of construction, no body damage or failing interior. The light gray cloth seats were intact, the windows rolled down, and the heater was great… unfortunately, the in-dash CD player had its face plate stolen before we bought it, so the radio wasn’t functional, and the car did not have working air conditioning. Thanks to my older brother, the in-dash radio problem was rectified soon after I started driving the car, so the essentials were in place.
I was never given a speeding ticket in the car, but I did total the vehicle during the winter of 2008. Driving down a side-street hill in Jackson, I locked my brakes trying to slow down and avoid sliding down the icy road at too great a speed. Unfortunately, that caused the steering to lock up and I rear-ended a car parked at the bottom of the hill. My two friend and I were alright, but the front end of the car was destroyed; the hood folded up like an accordion, the radiator had a huge puncture, and the bumper was beyond repair. No airbags deployed, though, so maybe the car wasn’t as secure as I believed at the time… we were only going 30 miles per hour, so that may have played a part. Alas, I had to say goodbye to my first car.
The Protege served me well and I can thankfully say that my first car was a good one rife with fun memories.
Rusty Hendricks
Sikeston Sports Broadcast Announcer
My first vehicle was a 90’s Red Dodge Dakota pickup. I was lucky enough to buy it from my Aunt when I turned 16. Of course since it was my first, I had a close bond with it. Not going to lie, it was tough to let her go. One thing I didnt like about it was the heater and air conditioning. The heater worked great in the summer and the air conditioner worked well in the winter. But not the other way around. So I spent many hot summer days with the windows rolled down (and I mean rolled). Plus, winter days bundled up to stay warm. I am so thankful I have a vehicle now with a heater that works well.
Karley McDaniel
Promotions Director
2008 Pontiac Grand Prix; white with heavily tinted windows, black interior with red detail. The engine purred when it started, it accelerated smooth as silk and high speeds felt a little too comfortable.
The car was given to me by my parents for my 16th birthday. Three months later I got my first speeding ticket. 75 in a 55…hence the line about smooth acceleration. I’m not that spoiled though, my first job at Dairy Queen immediately followed that speeding ticket. Good thing I loved my car, because I was driving it to work five days a week to pay back my debts.
Stephen K
Digital Manager & Webmaster
She was a 1989 white Mustang coupe. Loved that car dearly as it was the one place that was mine and only mine! My aunt helped me secure the loan wile I was working for her and my uncle at Estes Deli & BBQ in Jackson when I was 17.
There were minor things about my car that I would have liked to be different. I would have loved to have had a GT hatchback, but it was mine and I loved it. I roamed many a road listening to my cassettes or CD via the personal CD player and cassette adapter. Tom Petty, The Beatles, Pearl Jam, Pink Floyd, Nirvana, Green Day, Hendrix, and so many others. So many great memories in that car with my friends.
Hope you enjoyed this weeks post. Join in on the fun and let us know your answer in the comments below!
Cody Sandusky
Karley McDaniel
Stephen K
Eric Sean