A passage of aging is when a teenager get’s their driver's license! Some of us got it the day we turned 16, while others are getting it when they go away to college. As many colleges, high school, or young adults do, we tend to get an inexpensive car as our first real means of transportation (at least in non-city areas of NY). There are quite a few lessons that having a beater car will show you.
1) You'll Learn What Maintenance is - You tend to not know anything about car maintenance or upkeep. It's a much-needed necessity to check fluids, complete oil changes, do state inspections, and checking your light bulbs. Not only are these things essential for a long and happy vehicle life, but it’s also illegal if you have lights out or an overdue inspection. Throughout your time with your first car, you may even pick up some expertise in repairing your own vehicle. Doing work on your vehicle will not only save you money, but it will also teach you the basics of car repair.
2) You're Not as Invincible as You Believe You Are - As a teenager (or even a early twenty-year-old), you believe that you are at the top of the world! You'll tend to speed a little, break a law or two, maybe even just have a late inspection. You'll have the sense of euphoria behind the wheel that you finally have some freedom! Then you’ll see those flashing lights in your rearview, or worse - you’ll hear the wrath of your parents because you were late. It may be scary to deal with each of these, but it’ll teach you an important lesson: driving is a privilege, and you need to obey the laws that are put in place to keep the roadway safe for all drivers. Think about it, you’re in a multi-ton steel box moving at high rates of speed. You might as well follow the posted laws and speed signs that people are paid to figure out how fast or slow you should be going.
3) You’ll Quickly Learn How Expensive Owning a Car - As I got my first car, it had to be brought into the shop the second week I owned it. After $375 out of my parents account (Thanks, Mom and Dad!), and a new sensor, and we were off! Well, until the next string of events occurred. Out of the 2 and a half years I owned the vehicle, I had no issues with it for about a two-month span. After putting $2000 (brakes, tires, sensors, 1 exhaust flex pipe, lights, spark plugs, spark plug ignition coils, etc) into it, and having $4000 worth of repairs upcoming (head gaskets, oil pan, fuel sensor, and a full exhaust replacement) , I decided to trade it in and purchase my newer car, a Subaru. In the past year and a half, the only maintenance I had to do was purchase a new battery which Subaru of America reimbursed me for due to my previous one being under warranty!
4) You’ll Understand Brand Price Differences - My first car was an Infiniti. That was probably my first mistake when choosing a new car. The reason I say that is because of this fact alone: Luxury vehicles are much more expensive to repair. Let’s take the head gasket repair I mentioned above as an example. On a 2005 Subaru Forester, my family had the gasket repaired at a dealership for $1600. On my 2002 Infiniti, it would have cost at least $3000 at a small shop, and at least $4500 at the dealership (which was 40 miles away). Needless to say, I did not get that done before trading in my vehicle. Other small parts, such as spark plug ignition coils, spark plugs, wires, or any Infiniti/Nissan part was about two to three times more expensive than for the same part for a Subaru or Toyota vehicle.
5) No Matter How Beat Up it is, You’ll Love it Like it’s Your Child - Your first car may look beat up. It may have a few dings, scratches, or mis-matching colored panels. But it’s your beat up looking car! After purchasing my Infiniti, I found out that it had 6 previous owners and was from a city place. As you can see in the photo above, the bumpers took a little of a beating (Though, the back bumper was much worse.) ! But that didn’t stop me from treating that car like a princess while I had it. Hell, I probably treated it better than every other owner it had. Sure, you may graze a pole or wall when parking, or you may scrape the wheel on a curb, but your first vehicle is your baby, and it’ll always have a place in your heart.
Some days I still wonder where my Infiniti ended up. With 160,000 miles, I’m sure it was chopped up and sold by the parts. Even though I miss that car, I’m happy that it was able to teach me so many things about driving and car care. I’m now able to treat my Subaru and with the same love and care that I did with my Infiniti.
