Wheels of My Own
I never knew you could become attached to a car, but that’s what happened to me and my first car. Not the first car I ever drove –that was a pick up truck- but the first car that I could call my own; a hand-me down from my mom.
I have great memories of that first pick up truck I drove, including the time I turned out of the high school parking lot after an early snow dismissal and ended up facing the opposite direction of my house; I just went with it and ended up at my best friend’s house instead of my own. But it’s my first actual car that I became truly attached to.
The year I started college the school was doing some construction that was monopolizing a big chunk of their parking space, meaning for the first time there weren’t enough spaces for everyone. The freshman had to go through a lottery system in order to earn the right to bring a car to school. Being from out of state, I thought for sure I’d get one. I was wrong.
There I was, three states away, with no way to get home on my own accord. Luckily, there was a loop hole. I was technically a sophomore my second semester at college and that came with a big privilege: a parking pass.
So that January I headed back to school after winter break in my mom’s car. That was the first of our many journeys together back and forth between school and home.
It was a good thing I’d learned how to drive a stick as a teenager {even if it meant driving in reverse in the high school parking lot until I figured out how to make the clutch work}. And an extra good thing Maryland makes drivers parallel park on the driving test. It meant I was able to snag the good parking places by my dorm- the ones where you had to parallel park on a big hill. For some reason they were always empty. 
I continued to drive that sporty ‘97 until just a few years ago. Without realizing it, I’d become completely attached to that car. It didn’t matter that you couldn’t go directly into first or third gear, or that the dash lights hadn’t worked in 6 years. I didn’t want to give that car up. It took the car dying on the side of the road and in parking lots 3 times before I finally succumbed to it’s inevitable fate: that car’s driving days were over.
There’s something to be said about the first car you buy for yourself, but that first car will always be my favorite.
Because I was so stuck on my first car, when Subaru and Bliss presented the opportunity to animate my first car story, I jumped right on it. As a social media lover, I think it’s a pretty cool marketing strategy.
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.comand bring your story to life with animation and music and share it with your friends.
Pick your car, the condition it was in, name it, and write your story. You can even narrate it if you want!
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.
Were you attached to your first car? What was it?
