My First Car: The Box

I am one of those lucky kids whose parents were generous enough to let me drive one of their cars when I got my permit at age sixteen.  As awesome as my parents are, they were very frugal when it came to buying cars, especially the ones they entrusted to my sister and I.  My first car a 1987 Isuzu Trooper which lovingly become known as “The Box,” could honestly be described as little more than a tin can(or box, rather) on wheels.

I can remember it like yesterday – racing through the suburbs of northern San Diego with my new driving privileges wile blaring Incubus’s Make Yourself, which was the only cassette tape I had the patience to record from a CD.  I remember every detail – the chipped brown paint, the diarrhea-colored interior which smelled like the 80′s, the itchy seats that always scratched our legs and the torn cloth on the ceiling that was covered in mysterious brown spots.  Driving over the littlest bump turned a normal car ride into the Indiana Jones ride.  And I can never forget the replacement for the broken horn – a clown horn, which we tied to the driver’s side mirror.  Believe me, if you people never pay attention when you honk, just try one of these.

I loved The Box for one very important reason – I didn’t have to worry about f*cking it up.  Curbs, parking blocks and those annoying speed bumps that appear out of nowhere….not a concern for me.  Even the occasional side-swipe while parallel parking didn’t really bother me (and luckily it didn’t bother the owner of the other car too much either- thanks for understanding, molly). Turning corners at an abnormally slow pace to avoid flipping over and maxing out at 60mph on the freeway were small sacrifices to pay for the reassurance that if my car got into a fight with another car, most likely mine would win.

As I grow older, make more money and move on to better cars, I will always remember where I came from – and what I was driving.  The Box helped me realize that it’s not about what you drive, but where you are driving to.  Alright, enough with the BS.  I just felt like reminiscing.  Feel free to leave stories about your first car below.

Tags: first car, isuzu trooper, the box