My First Car

Recently I took to the campus of FIT to interview students about their first cars, and their lack of any car.


I'll never forget the feeling of the keys in my pocket for the first time. It was December 2008, and it was beginning to snow outside of the Acura dealership. I had just taken delivery of my first car. A black 1999 1/2 Volkswagen Cabrio convertible. Black, with a black top, and black heated cloth seats. 147,000 miles. From the look on my face you'd think I was driving a Ferrari. It's given me some ups and downs, and flat tires, and oil leaks, and blown spark plugs, and so on. It's an experience I wouldn't trade for anything, but much like anything else, everyone has their own way of doing it, their own rules, and most importantly: their own budgets.

Something that surprised me while doing this assignment was the sheer lack of people who owned cars. In the city, this is more than understandable, but students living in areas such as suburban Long Island, Wayne, New Jersey, and Irving, Texas, all said they had not yet experienced car ownership. Why? "It's just too damn expensive, and if I can't pay for the insurance, how can I have a car?" Anne Wagoner, a freshman studying fashion design summed it up best. It's true. Gone are the days when it was a right of passage to have a car in your teenage years. Without a steady income pulled in from my personal job, I definitely couldn't afford my ride. Even then, it took a few gifts from relatives to actually be able to put my name on the title. "I just never went and got my license. I felt like I didn't need it because I don't have a car, and I live here now anyway," said Meg Wilbur, an illustration major completing her Bachelor's this spring. "It's just not worth it because I have friends with cars, so I'll chip in some gas money once in a while."

I met Gary Gamble on the steps of Alumni Hall, flipping through a recent issue of Motor Trend. He attends Morris County College in New Jersey, and is completely smitten with is choice of wheels. "I drive a '02 Mustang. It's my baby." He stated that he bought the car outright from a neighbor, with the help of his parents, and he splits the insurance payment. "I needed a car for school, so it was either have my own or just keep borrowing my mom's." When asked about his plans for his own children and their eventual first cars, he mentioned helping them out in the same way. "I don't know what the economy and things will be like then, but hopefully I can afford to have a few cars." A true point, a decent used car suitable for a teenager can run close to $5,000, and with insurance rates at close to $200 a month, many families are priced out of the car-buying game.

"I got my Camry from my mom when she got a new car. It rocks." Stephanie Denier, a second-semester visual exhibition raved. "It's so much fun and all my friends can come hang out with me."Hand-me-down cars are another popular and cost-effective way to get keys into the hands of teenagers. As a bonus, the car's previous history is known, and more often, the teen is familiar with driving it.

Some students had slightly less orthodox methods of getting behind the wheel. "I drive a 2010 Hyundai Elantra. I have to turn it back in this summer though, so it sucks." Lexi Boecker, a fashion merchandising student, leased her car. "My parents pay the 89 dollars a month for two years. It was really nice to have a new car but soon I just won't have a car at all." When asked about how she plans on getting her own children driving, she said she hopes to pay for the car, but wants them to do the work on it. "I'm definitely not leasing one again because it's lame, but I don't mind getting my kids cars if they're ready."

Out of everyone interviewed, all of the first cars had airbags, and some had side airbags as well. Nearly nobody had a new car, and everyone received some sort of help in paying from their parents, or their parents paid outright. It seems this former right of passage has now been reduced to another economic toll on the middle class, a remnant a years gone by, as we face harder economic times and issues with global oil supply. Owning a car as a teen may one day seem as ridiculous as owning a house at that age.