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I know I do! Back right after I turned 18, I graduated from HS. I didnt have a car, or a decent job to support me. However, on my graduation day, my grandmother, who had come all the way from Wyoming to see the ceremony, gave me $3000 to put towards my first car. I already had saved about $1500 to put towards my future car as well. So the plan was this, buy a decent car for under $4K and leave the rest to perhaps modify the car or just keep it saved. Easier said than done. But just a few weeks after the money had been deposited, on August 27, 2008, a real jewel popped up on Craigslist and I didn't hesitate one bit!
The end result: a beautiful Crystal White 1999 Pontiac Grand Am GT1 Coupe!
Here's some pics of me with it my first day!
The car was a real steal! The dealer had got it in on trade and was about to send it off to the auction since they couldn't sell it on the lot (over 100K miles). With just under 110K miles on the odometer, and power everything (sunroof, windows, mirrors, the lot), I was SOLD! It had a cloth interior which I didn't mind a bit, a booming sound system, a healthy 3.4L 3400 Series V6 (only 180HP but 200 lb/ft of torque) and everything just seemed to be in good working order! I paid $3250 out the door and she was mine! I enjoyed her every single second of every time I drove her around!
Everything was going great...she had just recently been repaired by me, due a scrape up with an 80 year old lady and her Ford Taurus in a Wal-Mart parking lot, so the front bumper was still black plastic, and was mere days away from getting a complete custom re-spray of 2008 Cadillac Escalade Pearl White paint.
However, little did I know, my baby's life was about to be cut short.
The date was February 10, 2009. The time: 8:30 am. The town, North Richland Hills, TX. I was traveling along Hwy. 26 on my way to school at Tarrant County College NE, minding my own business. I came upon a snarling line of cars waiting at the long red light while I was doing 40 mph (the speed limit), I had to slam on the brakes due to the car in front of me just clamping down on the binders in front of me. I had stopped a good 7-9 feet behind the car in front of me, when out of nowhere, the whole car jerked violently forward, slamming me into the car in front of me. I immediately checked myself over, and then pulled over onto the shoulder. Steam began hissing from my hood and it took a couple moments to realize what had happened. I knew I had been hit, but by what?
The answer, was an unlicensed, and uninsured 19 year old girl, in her father's 2007 Chrysler 300C! She only had a permit, but had no adult supervision in the car, and the only insurance card she had, was expired.
This just made me so mad, but I had other business to sort out. Not only had she forced me into the car in front of me, but the car I hit, had gotten run into the brand new Acura TL in front of her. Ironically, the car I was run into, was not only a rental, it was one of my best friends from school driving it.
The Chrysler was bent up pretty bad, but my car took the worst of it, being wedged between the Chrysler, and a Kia Spectra! The frame was bent in 2 places and both ends of the car were hurt badly. I just barely managed to drive what was left of my beloved car home before it just died from so much damage.
Here's some afters. It looks like nothing, but there was some serious frame damage underneath that you can't see:
So that was the end of my first car. I eventually did replace it with another car, but even that failed to restore the pride I had with this car. After all, I had bought it with my own money, kept it always in the garage, and never abused it. Just used it as a daily commuter to work, school, and parties. My friends and I all loved it, and I miss it everyday! Shows how much I am a car guy! I don't think any new car will have as many memories as I had made with this car!
R.I.P. 99 GA GT1
Manufactured: 04/99
August 27, 2008- February 10, 2009
I'm sorry if I made ya'll cry, but I just thought I'd share my story of my first car with ya'll!
TTYL,
Bobby J
Owner/ Founder: Carchitects Auto Detailing
The end result: a beautiful Crystal White 1999 Pontiac Grand Am GT1 Coupe!
Here's some pics of me with it my first day!
The car was a real steal! The dealer had got it in on trade and was about to send it off to the auction since they couldn't sell it on the lot (over 100K miles). With just under 110K miles on the odometer, and power everything (sunroof, windows, mirrors, the lot), I was SOLD! It had a cloth interior which I didn't mind a bit, a booming sound system, a healthy 3.4L 3400 Series V6 (only 180HP but 200 lb/ft of torque) and everything just seemed to be in good working order! I paid $3250 out the door and she was mine! I enjoyed her every single second of every time I drove her around!
Everything was going great...she had just recently been repaired by me, due a scrape up with an 80 year old lady and her Ford Taurus in a Wal-Mart parking lot, so the front bumper was still black plastic, and was mere days away from getting a complete custom re-spray of 2008 Cadillac Escalade Pearl White paint.
However, little did I know, my baby's life was about to be cut short.
The date was February 10, 2009. The time: 8:30 am. The town, North Richland Hills, TX. I was traveling along Hwy. 26 on my way to school at Tarrant County College NE, minding my own business. I came upon a snarling line of cars waiting at the long red light while I was doing 40 mph (the speed limit), I had to slam on the brakes due to the car in front of me just clamping down on the binders in front of me. I had stopped a good 7-9 feet behind the car in front of me, when out of nowhere, the whole car jerked violently forward, slamming me into the car in front of me. I immediately checked myself over, and then pulled over onto the shoulder. Steam began hissing from my hood and it took a couple moments to realize what had happened. I knew I had been hit, but by what?
The answer, was an unlicensed, and uninsured 19 year old girl, in her father's 2007 Chrysler 300C! She only had a permit, but had no adult supervision in the car, and the only insurance card she had, was expired.
This just made me so mad, but I had other business to sort out. Not only had she forced me into the car in front of me, but the car I hit, had gotten run into the brand new Acura TL in front of her. Ironically, the car I was run into, was not only a rental, it was one of my best friends from school driving it.
The Chrysler was bent up pretty bad, but my car took the worst of it, being wedged between the Chrysler, and a Kia Spectra! The frame was bent in 2 places and both ends of the car were hurt badly. I just barely managed to drive what was left of my beloved car home before it just died from so much damage.
Here's some afters. It looks like nothing, but there was some serious frame damage underneath that you can't see:
So that was the end of my first car. I eventually did replace it with another car, but even that failed to restore the pride I had with this car. After all, I had bought it with my own money, kept it always in the garage, and never abused it. Just used it as a daily commuter to work, school, and parties. My friends and I all loved it, and I miss it everyday! Shows how much I am a car guy! I don't think any new car will have as many memories as I had made with this car!
R.I.P. 99 GA GT1
Manufactured: 04/99
August 27, 2008- February 10, 2009
I'm sorry if I made ya'll cry, but I just thought I'd share my story of my first car with ya'll!
TTYL,
Bobby J
Owner/ Founder: Carchitects Auto Detailing
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