Riding in cars with boys.

     Okay, not really. I do love that movie though, and it was the first movie I ever watched where I saw a man's penis. Well, it was actually a baby's penis, but I was only nine so I was pretty freaked out, haha. Anyway, this post is about cars. At my age, cars is a pretty common topic. There's always a lot of gossip floating around about who's getting what car, who's not getting a car, who sucks at driving, who's already gotten tickets, who lied about what car they're getting, etc.

     As it stands right now I don't have a permit or license. I know, I'm slacking, but there are reasons as to why I don't. I know how to drive, and I know, a lot of people say that if they don't have a permit or license to make themselves feel better about it. I really do know how to drive though, and pretty well. I'm striving to get my permit by the end of this month.

     When I was fifteen I started the 4-Hour Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education course, and let it drag on for months. For one, I cannot learn anything from online classes of any kind. It's nearly impossible for me to stay focused on a single window if I'm sitting at a computer. At the time I wasn't yet diagnosed with ADD so my attention span was a lot lower than it is now. I found out just recently that—at least in Florida—you can start this course when you're fourteen and a half, which gives you a great head start. I wish I had known that then because I might have my permit/license now.

     By the time I finally finished the course, I was sixteen. I was told the permit test was "soo easy" and to "not worry", so I barely studied. Barely studied meaning I hardly skimmed over the driver's handbook. I'm sure you can imagine how much that benefit me. I failed the road rules test the two times the DMV let me take it in a single day, but I did pass the signs test which actually was pretty simple (I'd still study though just in case). I was disappointed and humiliated, I haven't taken it since and I'm seventeen.

     Having taken the test, I realize how ridiculously hard it is. It's taken me a year to convince my dad that it really is difficult, because the test is a test on wording and grammar—which you'd think I'd excel at, but I don't here—and not on actual driving. It doesn't make logical sense to me why the DMV would construct a test like this. I would expect the permit test to be written in a very simple style of writing on the rules of driving. I'd imagine it to be easy to understand, but still possible to fail if you don't know the rules of driving—which is what should matter.

     Driving may not seem important right now, but later on it will be, trust me. I know that while you're fourteen, fifteen, and even sixteen it can seem like you'll never get a car or your friends never will. I know for me, that once I neared the end of my sixteenth year a lot of my friends started popping up with cars, and if I had gotten my permit and license like they did, I'd probably have a car now too.

     For my first car, I want a Nissan Cube. It's adorable, small, and relatively cheap. Don't get me wrong, I have no shame in driving a "beater" at all. A car is a car. If it's got wheels that turn, awesome. (AC might be a necessity though, since I live in Florida, haha.) The reason I want a new car from a dealer isn't a materialistic one, it's because I want reliability in a vehicle. By the time I finally get a car of any kind, I'll be in college and I'll have a job—both of which I can't afford to be late to. Breaking down on the side of the road isn't exactly a thought I want lingering in the back of my mind, especially the idea of paying for repairs on a piece of crap that will break down again in another two months. I've witnessed a friend buy a car for 2,000 dollars and put 9,000 more into it before it finally died completely and she got another car. Granted, putting that much money into a car that was so cheap to begin with was stupid, but still the thought of that happening to me horrifies me. I can foresee my anxiety sky-rocketing if something like that were to ever happen to me, and that scares me even more. I'll already be so stressed out from college and work, I won't have any room left in my brain to worry about a silly car. If I can afford it, I'd much rather pay a few hundred a month for the comfort of knowing that if my car does break down, I can bring it back to the dealer for it to be immediately fixed.

So that's my car story. What's yours?

For fun, here's some of the car's I really admire.

     First off, the Nissan Cube, which is fairly new. I think there's only 2009-2010, but I could be wrong. I love everything about this car. It's original, it's tiny, it's unique. It has a wrap around window on the right side, basically eliminating a right blind spot (I'd have to drive one to see if that's true though). It's size is great too, driving my mom's huge Honda Accord made me realize I want a car that's as small as possible (for right now). If I were to get one, I'd want to pimp it out to resemble a Companion Cube from the game Portal by getting pink hearts painted on the doors and roof, and by getting a tag for the front of the car that says "Companion" in a cute pink font. (Part of the car's design is that the back bumper says "Cube". Get it, "Companion, Cube"?) The Nissan Cube (not sure on the year) can range in price from around $13,990 - $19,370.

     I don't know why, but I love Dodge Chargers and I don't even know much about them. Only in black though! In any other color I think they're hideous, especially that "Dodge Blue" color. While the color's unique, just not my thing. I also really like the Dodge Challenger. If I had my way, this would be my second car, my "fresh out of college" car. I'm sure by then though I'll have my eyes on something else. The Charger (2010) ranges in price from around $24,835 - $39,195 while the Challenger (2010) ranges in price from around $22,220 - $41,170.

     Now for my dream car, the Maserati GranTurismo. This car is absolutely gorgeous (especially in white!), and I should not like a car this nice at my young age. Unfortunately, my dad turned me into a huge car enthusiast—in my opinion, at least—as opposed to the typical teen just "interested in nice cars". Ordinarily, a person my age would look at BMW's and Mecerdes's with an envious eye, but nope, not me. Ironically I go straight for the Italian cars—I'm half Italian—that cost tons of money. I love that this car is feminine—like the rest of the Maserati line—yet fierce in a manly way at the same time. This car screams at me "successful, independent woman", which is exactly what I want to be. I want people to know I have a nice car because I paid for it myself, not my rich boyfriend/husband. Stepping out of this hot ride in a nice business suit will definitely give off the right impression! One day, Maserati, one day.. The Maserati GranTurismo (2010) ranges in price from an estimated $117,500 - $121,500. Not too shabby! It's not that ridiculously expensive that it'd be impossible for me to own one one day. :D