My First Car - Personal Essay

My first car was supposed to be special, but my parents wanted practical. My dream was to have freedom while driving everywhere I wanted to go with out asking can I use your car. Like a lot of teenagers, I could not afford to buy my own car but my parents could buy me one. My dream car was a red 1989 Ford Mustang GT 5.0. Despite thinking a Mustang was what I was going to get a pink 1992 Ford Escort is what I got. I HATED that car when I first saw it and eventually thought that car was cursed because of the accidents, flat tires, and tickets that I would get while driving it. I could not go a month with out calling the auto shop teacher to fix a flat or check a noise on the car.

My mother was very conservative and later I found out that she told my father not to buy me the Mustang and to get something that was more practical. For about 2 months before my birthday, my father and me would go out every weekend and look at different cars and he would always ask me do you like this one do you like this one. If it was not a Mustang, I did not like it. He did ask me about the Escort and I think I laughed so hard that I started crying. "Me in an Escort!"

Even though we were looking at different cars, my father had purchased the Escort already. I guess it did not matter what I liked they had decided on what they was going to get me. The car was at my uncle's house just in case my grades were not good and I would have to wait to get the car. He told me after I got it that he did not want to let me know he wanted me to think that I was not getting a car for my birthday. I would put little hints around the house and even a model of the car in my dads tackle box so he would know what to get. I did not want any discrepancies on color, model, make, or even year. I wanted a red Mustang black interior with the GT package V8 5.0 engine.

I woke up May 1 1992 on my 16th birthday with the biggest smile on my face thinking I am getting a car today. I got ready for school put on my birthday outfit thinking I was getting a car that day I have a red outfit to wear eat breakfast and was looking for my mothers car keys because that is the car that I drove everyday. When I could not find the keys I looked outside to see if she left early and say a car in the drive way that had a red cover on it and a big white bow. I ran outside and my parents were waiting on me and they screamed HAPPY BIRTHDAY my dad pulled the cover off the car and there it was the DAMN ESCORT I had a shocked look on my face they might have thought it was because I was happy but I can tell you I was not happy that day. I was thinking WHAT THE HELL THIS IS NOT THE CAR I WANTED I would be crazy to speak that I think I would be just getting off the floor now. I kissed my mom and dad said thank you and went to school. I cried the whole way there parked a block away from the school and did not tell anyone about the car until a week later. I though this was a joke and eventually the real car would be sitting in my drive way waiting one day when I got out of school.

A month later school was out, and I loved the car or should I say the freedom if not waiting to use somebody else's car. My dad told me that he was not worried about where I went just to make sure that I get the oil changed, keep gas in it, and let him know if something is wrong with it. I always ran out of gas because I rarely looked at the gas hand my friends and I pushed many times. My oil changes were free because I would get them done through the schools auto shop class, so I never had many problems with my car. I was hardly every home because I had school and was in lots of after school activities and everyone wanted a ride home so $5.00 would get you all around the south suburbs and back home again in 1992.

6 months after having the car, I was struck from behind by a drunk driver and cut out of the car by the Jaws of Life. 8 months, 3 surgeries, 1 wheelchair, and 2 sets of crutches later and I was 100%, but my car was totaled out I thought