I’m only 27 years old. This means if I got my learner’s permit at 15, I’ve only been driving for 12 years. The number of cars I have had in that time is ridiculous. The reason I’ve had so many? Well, there are stories for all of them. Let’s take a look at my history of vehicle ownership.

1. Purchased for a whopping $150, my first vehcile was a 1981 Plymouth Reliant. What a beauty! This car was as old as I was. I had to manually work the blinkers, and the brakes sqealed so badly that after 1 day of driving, I went home crying to my Mom because kids at school laughed at me. She didn’t make me drive it again.
   
   
   
   
2. After Reliantgate, Mom gave me her car. I drove this 1990 Geo Prizm LSI throughout high school and until my sophomore year of college. I gave it back to Mom after I decided my income was steady enough to start making my own car payments. Believe it or not, I drove this car around like it was a Corvette. I loved it. It was missing hubcaps and the paint was chipping, but I drove it with pride. Probably because the only car I knew before it was the Reliant.
   
   
   
   
3. There was a brief time that I drove a 1990 Nissan Maxima. It was the first car I got bank financing for. My first bank loan was for $4100 at the age of 16. I was quite proud.  However, about 3 months after getting it, I rear ended someone and the car was totaled out. This car is my reasoning for saying parents should never give kids ridiculously wonderful first cars. I was a pretty responsible kid, and I wrecked mine. Imagine what the irreponsible kids would do.
   
   
   
   
4. After driving the Geo, I found my next car in the paper and purchased it from a nice couple in Benton. This 1997 Honda Del Sol was a standard, and I didn’t know how to drive it when I bought it, but it was too cute to pass up. I think it was $7800 and I think it had something like 42,000 miles on it, but I really don’t remember. I ended up selling this one after a lady stopped me in a Wendy’s parking lot and asked me if I would be willing to sell. After several meetings and letting her 16-year-old son basically learn how to drive a manual in my car, she decided she didn’t want to buy it anymore. I had already purchased my next car based on her assurance that she wanted to buy the Del Sol, so I had to put it in the paper. I ended up selling it quickly and for the price I offered to the lady anyway.
   
   
   
   
5. The car I bought to replace the Del Sol was the first car I had with leather interior. I bought the 2001 Chevy Monte Carlo from my Dad’s lot in Missouri. It had 70,000 miles on it and was $11,200. It had black leather, heated seats, and a sunroof amongst other perks. I liked it, but didn’t love it. I mostly bought it because my boyfriend at the time was crazy about it. He and I broke up shortly after the purchase, and I decided I wanted something else since I wasn’t inlove with it. That brought me to my next car.
   
   
   
   
6. The Mercedes was purchased off ebay with 72,000 miles on it. I figured why not get a more luxurious car with the same amount of miles for around the same price as the Monte Carlo? I still have this car, but it has quite a few miles. That’s why I purchased my latest car.
   
   
   
   
   
7. The 2005 Lincoln LS. My most recent vehicle purchase.
   
   
   
   

Seriously, nobody who has been driving as short a time as I have should have this many vehicles under their belt. If I had to give any advice it would be to buy a car with low miles and certified used. Buy something you are proud of and that has a sort of classic look, not something trendy, that’ll make you drive it longer.

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