Bryce's Miata
Donation protected
Everyone likes their cars, but my car contrasted the average teens' "first car experience". To start from the beginning, I got a job as a fry cook once I turned 16. I spent well over a thousand hours frying chicken in high school and worked 28-35 hour weeks during my senior year. I sacrificed time with friends to earn money before college. I worked my way up to a leadership position in the kitchen--something I traded for many oil burns.
By the time I graduated high school, I had a little over $10,000 to my name. Though that may seem like a lot for an 18 year old to have, there were some things I needed to pay for. One of which was a car, and I set aside about 5 grand for the vehicle/registration fees.
No matter my age, I always loved cars. My favorite was the Mazda Miata. Not the new ones with all the bells and whistles, but the ones with floppy headlights that were older than me. So, when it was time for me to buy a car, I had to jump through hoops to convince my parents this was the vehicle that was right for me. I'm sure they weren't expecting their teen son to say he wanted a tiny, slow, somewhat girly, 2-seater beater car. Not many other teens would want that either, but the Miata held a special place in my heart.
When I was finally able to convince them, I got super lucky with the car I found: a 1992 Miata in red, with black leather seats, 75k miles, and not a dent in the body. I had my car for just 45 days before I lost control around a turn on mountain near my university. My Miata cost around $8,000 to fix, so the car was going to be totaled. I didn't have very adequate insurance coverage, so I didn't get any money from insurance. I bought my own car for $4,500 in cash, put around $1,000 into it, and it all went down the drain.
Every kid loves their car, but not enough to drive 2,000 miles in 45 days, without AC, in the summer.... I learned how to drive a stick on my car. I often drove without the radio on, just to hear my car change gears. I got stopped at intersections, drive thru's, and gas stations for people to comment on the car. I always popped the lights in parking lots just to make people smile at my winking car. My friends always wanted to ride with me in the little, red convertible. My Miata even helped me make a few friends. To put it simply, it wasn't just me who enjoyed the car, and that's what makes it a little different. It made other people smile. It felt like losing a person, seeing my car on that lift.
I was more than grateful that I was okay, because that mountain is 95% cliff. When I was sliding off the road, I thought I was going to end up being another crash statistic. However, after I first came to terms with me being okay, I had to cope with the loss of something special to me. Not only was it something special to me, but something special to my friends, family, and complete strangers. It felt like wasted time seeing my money go down the drain.
I'm in the works of coming up with the money to buy another Miata. They're cheap, reliable, loads of fun, and sentimental to me. I still have money saved from when I worked, and I'm parting out my car to generate the rest of the money I would need. I should have enough, but anything helps. <3
By the time I graduated high school, I had a little over $10,000 to my name. Though that may seem like a lot for an 18 year old to have, there were some things I needed to pay for. One of which was a car, and I set aside about 5 grand for the vehicle/registration fees.
No matter my age, I always loved cars. My favorite was the Mazda Miata. Not the new ones with all the bells and whistles, but the ones with floppy headlights that were older than me. So, when it was time for me to buy a car, I had to jump through hoops to convince my parents this was the vehicle that was right for me. I'm sure they weren't expecting their teen son to say he wanted a tiny, slow, somewhat girly, 2-seater beater car. Not many other teens would want that either, but the Miata held a special place in my heart.
When I was finally able to convince them, I got super lucky with the car I found: a 1992 Miata in red, with black leather seats, 75k miles, and not a dent in the body. I had my car for just 45 days before I lost control around a turn on mountain near my university. My Miata cost around $8,000 to fix, so the car was going to be totaled. I didn't have very adequate insurance coverage, so I didn't get any money from insurance. I bought my own car for $4,500 in cash, put around $1,000 into it, and it all went down the drain.
Every kid loves their car, but not enough to drive 2,000 miles in 45 days, without AC, in the summer.... I learned how to drive a stick on my car. I often drove without the radio on, just to hear my car change gears. I got stopped at intersections, drive thru's, and gas stations for people to comment on the car. I always popped the lights in parking lots just to make people smile at my winking car. My friends always wanted to ride with me in the little, red convertible. My Miata even helped me make a few friends. To put it simply, it wasn't just me who enjoyed the car, and that's what makes it a little different. It made other people smile. It felt like losing a person, seeing my car on that lift.
I was more than grateful that I was okay, because that mountain is 95% cliff. When I was sliding off the road, I thought I was going to end up being another crash statistic. However, after I first came to terms with me being okay, I had to cope with the loss of something special to me. Not only was it something special to me, but something special to my friends, family, and complete strangers. It felt like wasted time seeing my money go down the drain.
I'm in the works of coming up with the money to buy another Miata. They're cheap, reliable, loads of fun, and sentimental to me. I still have money saved from when I worked, and I'm parting out my car to generate the rest of the money I would need. I should have enough, but anything helps. <3
Organizer
Bryce Hettrich
Organizer
Chandler, AZ
