High school students find numerous ways to express themselves through their style, their music preferences, and their hobbies. Another form of self-expression can be through students’ cars. Whether someone drives a truck or an SUV, what they drive and how they modify their vehicle can be a unique way to reflect who they are.
“It’s a truck,” senior Cailyn Worrell said. “It helps me get from point A to B.”
Worrell drives a 2014 Nissan Frontier Pro 4x, which features a lift, big tires, and running boards. Many people name their cars after their prominent features, and Worrell named her truck Ruby after its red color.
A little lower to the road, senior Rocco Hall drives a 2008 Nissan 350Z.
“I like it being manual. I feel more in tune with driving,” Hall said.
Most drivers don’t learn to drive a manual car, so Hall’s car being a manual makes it more unique. According to U.S. News and World Report, only 18% of drivers in the U.S. know stick. Some people are focused on the mechanics of their car and just a mode of transportation, but to others, they’re more.
“In a weird way, you grow to enjoy a car because it’s taken you to all these places with memories,” Hall said.
Hall enjoys his car because of what it has done for him, while others enjoy theirs for simply being their dream car. Many people wait years before they are able to have their dream car, while 2.7% of people already own their dream car, according to MRO Electric.
“I got it [1990 Mazda Miata] because it was my dream car,” Jessenia Torres said. “Then I straight piped it, so I like the way it sounds.”
Some students enjoy working on their cars, either by adding modifications for aesthetics or by fixing mechanical problems.
“I had to make it [the car] run when I got it,” senior Jonathon Slegar said, talking about his 2011 Audi A4, “it ran perfectly fine, but then I started working on it and it just refused to start.”
Slegar named his car Tiger after the first three letters in his license plate. Although the car needed some work, the interior didn’t need a refresh.
“I love the luxury about it, like the leather seats and everything. It has a speaker system with massive subwoofers, so the music sounds really good,” Slegar said.
