Why Your Dream Car Shouldn't Be Your First Car #blogpost

-We’ve all been there-
You’re searching for the coolest first car you can afford on your mediocre budget, and there it is: the car you’ve always wanted at an amazing price. Sure, it might be a little rough around the edges in one way or another, but you want it. Your parents say “No”, but your heart says “Yes”. So what do you do? Buy it of course!

So You Bought The Thing

So you bought the thing- now what? Things could go a few different ways:

The car could be fine- Sure you’ll have to do some regular maintenance and learn your way around the engine bay, but that’s what first cars are for. If this is the case, you’ve probably lucked out.

You fall in love with the car, but it becomes your money pit- This one’s more likely. Sure enough, that odd noise from the engine bay has developed into something much more serious, and now you’re stuck with a cool car that doesn’t work correctly. The only way out is bumbling through repair manuals and minimum wage paychecks until you get it running again, and even then who knows how long?

Your passion for the car wanes, and it breaks anyway- This one happens all to often. The car was fun while you had it, but if you’re not willing (or can’t afford) to put in some serious wrench time, it loses its appeal.

Hear Me Out

After having gone through a few cars since my teenage years, I can officially say that I wish I would’ve listened to my parents and friends when they warned me about the cool car with minor problems. It seriously, SERIOUSLY sucks to be stranded without a ride. Here are some reasons why you should maybe pick the slightly less cool (but mechanically solid) car versus the one surrounded by hot babes and slow motion doves flying through the air.

1. You're Gonna Miss Out

At the risk of sounding like your parents: reliability is key. Breaking down is no fun, because it always happens at the worst moments. It’ll happen right before a date or school event, and you’ll be left with only one friend: your car. While cars are majorly important (and can be considered bae), seriously evaluate how much you run the risk of missing out on events when you choose the less reliable option.

2. You're Still Going To Learn From The Less Cool Car

One of the excuses you might be giving to yourself is “This car will just teach me how to work on cars.” While that may be true, believe me, it’s a pool you want to wade into, not cannonball into. It’s a way cooler move to ease into projects and learn about the little things before you have to swap motors or change a head gasket. It will make you a better mechanic in the long run and keep you from taking shortcuts and rushing.

3. You Can Be Sleeper Status

Something you may come to appreciate soon is understated cars. That is, cars that perform a lot better than they look. When you give yourself a solid mechanical platform to work off of, you give yourself opportunity to make better power down the road. There is a cool factor associated with the beater car.

4. Being So Lame You're Cool

This exists. There is a line you can cross where after a certain point, you’re car is so lame, it can only be on purpose, and this makes it cool. You could have the boxiest looking beater, but if it’s gonna work right and get you around, people will know you for it, and you can rock that reputation.

5. Nostalgia

Think about your future stories! What’s cooler? Talking about how your first car always let you down, or talking about how your ruled the road with your car that was so-bad-it-was-cool? Looking back, you’re going to be way happier with the car that was “ol’ faithful” not “ol’ piece of sh*t”.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, you’ll have time and money way sooner than you think to buy your dream car (or even a project car). For your first car, get something cool, but not too cool. They say never meet your heroes, and the same principle applies to cars, so rock that first one, and don’t fall for the trickery of the lemons!