Wishing and Hoping For My Dream Car
The Inside Track - by Tamara Harris
The first thing I did on the morning of my 16th birthday was look out the window expecting to see a VW Rabbit Convertible with a big red bow. I was sadly disappointed that the car of my dreams was not sitting in the driveway for me. Looking back, I don’t know why I thought my parents would surprise me with my dream car. Instead, the old Monte Carlo with the giant front end and “old school” grille was handed down to me There it sat, right where my VW Rabbit was supposed to be. It didn’t have the flair of the VW rabbit, but I was just grateful to have a car. After I had been driving for a year, I saved some money from my after-school job at the mall, I started looking for a car that would better fit my style.
One of my favorite cars at the time was the Fiero GT. I went to a dealership that had a bright blue used Fiero GT that was owned by a mechanics daughter. Wow, I thought…this is perfect and because it was owned by a mechanics daughter it means it shouldn’t have any problems. Surprisingly, the salesman took a copy of my license and let me drive it home to show my parents.
My parents were shocked to see me come home in a little blue sports car. My dad had preached to me that I had to have saved $1,000 before I could get a car as I would need to pay for my own insurance. I would also have to have money saved for repairs. I had not yet reached the $1,000 savings but I figured since the Fiero was owned by the daughter of a mechanic, it meant nothing would be wrong with it and it would be a while before I would have to have anything repaired. My parents squashed that idea and I sadly drove the car back to the dealership and drove the Monte Carlo for a few more years.
My father’s wise words coupled with being married to an expert car mechanic for the last 25 years have served me well.
I have learned that no matter how well you take care of and maintain your car, the unexpected can happen and it is best to be prepared!
The experts at Crown Car Care are always happy to give advice and inspect used cars before purchasing. Just give us a call and bring your “dream car” in for inspection before you drive it home!