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My Happiest Memory: The day I bought my first car

"My happiest memory is buying a car even though it didn't work out quite as planned."

By Courtanae HeslopPublished 2 years ago 8 min read
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My happiest memory is buying my first car. I was in high school at the time, and it was a momentous occasion for any teenager. The day my parents took me to buy that car is one of my most vivid memories from those days. It's funny how certain things stick out more than others, even mundane events like buying a used Toyota Camry from some guy who looked like he knew what he was doing but probably didn't really know jack about anything other than selling cheap cars to young people who didn't do their research first

The day I bought my first car

The day I bought my first car was one of the happiest days of my life. I had just turned 16 years old, so it was a big deal to me. The only thing that could have made it better would have been if I had been able to test drive the vehicle before purchasing it - but my parents thought that was too expensive and insisted on buying used cars instead.

Anyway, after picking up my new ride from the dealer and taking it back home in a beautiful sunny afternoon with blue skies overhead (which is rare for Seattle), everything seemed great until we hit some traffic on our way home through one of those busy freeways where you're surrounded by trucks and other vehicles at all times.

Then suddenly - in front of all these strangers who weren't even paying attention anyways because they were driving themselves around like maniacs - my engine stalled! Panic started rising inside me because I didn't know if I could get it started again or not; plus my parents were expecting me back soon enough so they wouldn't worry about their precious little baby girl being late…

It was red, a cute little two-door

The car was red, a cute little two-door with a sunroof and power windows. It was the perfect size for me and my kids, who were just starting to take rides in their own seats. The price was right and it came with all the standard features you'd expect from a new vehicle (including an integrated GPS system).

After a year of driving it I sold my old sedan for more than I paid for this one. In fact, I made even more money on it than I did when I bought the new car! And best of all, if anything happened to this car we could easily afford another one like it because they're not cheap but they're still cheaper than most other things in life!

It had a big dent in the side and the back seat was full of old newspapers, but it was all mine.

The car was mine. I could say it was my best friend, and it really was. It had a big dent in the side and the back seat was full of old newspapers, but it was all mine.

The car's name was Red and she was a two-door with four cylinders that took me from place to place wherever I needed to go. The first time I drove her, we got stuck at an intersection because my mother didn't know how to turn on the blinker (it still makes me laugh).

I'd worked hard for that money and wanted to take my time getting exactly the car I wanted.

You will often hear people say that you should buy only what you can afford. That is true, but it doesn't mean that you should settle for less than what you want or need.

When I was in high school and college, I worked very hard to earn money and spent most of my afternoons at the library studying or working on homework. When I got a small allowance each week from my parents, I always saved some of it so that when money became available for me to purchase something big like a car or TV set, I would have enough saved up in order to get exactly what I wanted without having to worry about paying off debt or making payments later on down the road.

My happiest memory was when my parents gave me permission​to​buy​a​brand new used car with cash which cost approximately $8500 at the time (in 1999).

Because I was young and not fully thinking things through, I didn't get to test drive it.

When you're buying a car, it's important to take the time to test drive it. You don't want to get home and realize that there are problems with your new vehicle. You can tell if a car has issues by looking for things like:

  • Odd noises
  • A hard time shifting gears
  • Squealing breaks

If you find any of these problems during the test drive, get back in line and wait until someone else buys the car! Don't feel bad about asking for another one. I did this once when I bought my first car (a used Volkswagen Beetle) because I didn't like how much power was wasted when driving uphill or accelerating quickly from stop signs.

On the way home from the dealership, I hit some traffic on a busy freeway.

On the way home from the dealership, I hit some traffic on a busy freeway. The car stalled and would not go into gear again. I was able to get it started again, but finished the trip home with my feet on the steering wheel and my hands holding onto the wheel for dear life as we made our way through rush hour traffic at about 30 miles per hour.

About 20 minutes into the trip, when traffic finally started moving again, my car wouldn't go into gear.

The car wouldn't go into gear. I was scared and worried about what could happen if the car stalled again, but for the next 30 or so minutes I had no choice but to just keep driving.

I didn't know what to do. There were no cell phone towers in sight; there wasn't even any radio reception. All I could think of was whether or not I'd have enough gas to get home without stalling out again, and how much it would cost if I needed to call a tow truck (not something anyone wants).

And then it stalled.

You were on a busy freeway, driving home from work. You couldn't believe it - your car stalled! You tried to start it, but nothing happened. Your heart started pounding and you felt like you were going to have a panic attack.

You called for help, but no one answered their phone. A driver behind you honked at you and the noise sounded like an angry bee buzzing in your ears. You opened the door to get out of the car; maybe someone could push it off the road or something?

As soon as I opened my door, my car started up again! I sat back down in my seat and began driving again with relief flooding over me like a tidal wave of emotion. It was almost too intense for words; I felt like crying tears of joy!

Just when I was about to panic and call for help, it started up again and I finished the trip home.

Just when I was about to panic and call for help, it started up again and I finished the trip home.

When I walked into my house, my parents were shocked to see me so soon. They asked where my car was, but I didn't want to tell them what happened. I quickly explained that there was a delay in traffic and that they weren't in any danger. It took a few moments before they believed me, because they saw how happy I was at being home. The only thing more relieving than seeing their faces was knowing that there would be no phone calls or explanations needed when they found out what had happened: just one simple fix that could have been avoided if only we had prepared better beforehand!

My happiest memory is buying a car even though it didn't work out quite as planned.

My happiest memory is buying a car even though it didn't work out quite as planned.

I had to take out a loan for the car, so I took the opportunity to get a credit card as well. The credit card company offered me $100 off my bill if I signed up for their rewards program, which would have required me to pay an extra $17/month on top of my regular payments. I decided that this was worth it, so I went ahead and applied for it online using my computer at home. After answering some questions about myself and providing my name, address and Social Security number (SSN), they sent me an approval letter via email within minutes! They wanted me to call in so that they could verify some information over the phone before issuing me my card - but since they were already offering me all these perks through electronic means I figured we could just do everything electronically!

I got off work early one day so that both my husband and myself could go together when picking up our new vehicle - which turned out not being ready yet due to something going wrong during manufacturing or something like that (this was back when cars were made by hand). We waited around until someone found us after several hours; then they asked if we wanted them put down an advance payment towards purchase price while waiting another two weeks until delivery date? We agreed because neither one of us had ever bought anything like this before - and besides it seemed like common sense: who wouldn't want their money back should something happen with production during those 14 days? Apparently there are plenty who don't think like this because later we learned only 5% of customers choose guaranteed financing over paying cash upfront - which is pretty crazy considering how much debt Americans owe right now! Nowadays people want instant gratification but aren't willing take risks…at least not until after making sure everything goes smoothly first."

Conclusion

I'm grateful for the experience because it taught me to be more careful and considerate of others, as well as myself. I would have been much happier if it had gone smoothly, but even in failure there are lessons to be learned and life lessons they've helped me become a better person.

PS: Hi! I am a freelance writer with a passion for writing. I am open to most genres, but my primary expertise is in content and blog writing. If you would like to discuss any upcoming projects please feel free to contact me by email at [email protected]

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About the Creator

Courtanae Heslop

Courtanae Heslop is a multi-genre writer and business owner.

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