Final Project: Automobiles

As a kid growing up in Tampa Florida, I had many opportunities to seek interest in all kind of different hobbies because of the diversity throughout the city. Throughout my childhood, I had hobbies like soccer and Star Wars but when I was introduced to the automobile world, everything had changed. I can remember the first time my family and I went to go see the car show at DQ. My dad had always talked about his first car which was a 1978 Pontiac Firebird. I had never been to a car show or seen a Firebird before and was really excited when we showed up. My aunt Patti and I took a quick corner around the parking lot only to find a black and gold Firebird sitting right in front of my eyes. My dad said it was very similar to the car he had and my interest in cars ignited since then. My dad asked the owner of the car to start up the engine so that I could hear how loud the exhaust was. Looking at all of the other cars was like a trip to heaven because there were so many shiny old Chevy’s and Dodges. After the show was over, I started looking up online about the cars I saw at the DQ. I was only about ten years old at the time but I felt like I growing up as a kid.

My cousins who live near my family in Tampa Florida, are close to us during the summer time when we are all free. My dad and my aunt Patti had a shop in the local flea market, so every weekend we were there setting up shop. My dad loves shopping at the flea market and would always walk with my cousin Matt and I down the isles. I found this shiny piece of metal on a table that had caught my eye not realizing what it was. The shiny object was an emblem off of a 1960s corvette that was in mint condition. I tried purchasing it for the lowest price and took it home to hang up on the wall. Every time we went back to the flea market, I would run to the same guy who would have different emblems every week. Overtime I had made a huge collection of emblems and had a lot of them hung up on the wall in glass cases. I loved my emblems and always showed them to anyone who came in my room. I really feel like I was maturing as a kid over time because instead of playing with action figures, I would research about the history of cars and how they worked. On the days where I was bored, I would crack open the hood of my dads suburban and try to name all the parts inside.

Over the past eighteen years I have met many friends who share the same interest in automobiles as I do. Having an interest in automobiles has shaped my personality and how I have matured throughout the years. My interest in automobiles has also kept my dad and I on good terms. He has always been by my side since day one, from sharing knowledge about cars to transporting the family to the car shows. Automobiles started as an interest and is now currently a hobby in my daily life. I can remember my first car show where the only thing I knew about cars was the shiny paint on the hood. Currently today, I try to attend all of the local car shows in Fort Myers Florida and have met many friends throughout the meets. In my free time, when I am not working on school assignments or working at Publix, I like to read the auto magazines or automotive journalist websites. Keeping up with all of the newest cars/trucks is what my friends and I like to talk about a lot when we hang out.

My knowledge of automobiles has progressed throughout the years and will soon be put to the test. Over the winter break I plan on installing a few modifications to the truck I currently have. This has been my first automobile I have ever owned and have been planning these upgrades for the past few years now. Working at Publix has really helped out with the budgeting by putting around twenty percent of my weekly paycheck towards the upgrades. When I had entered high school, my interest in classis muscle cars switched over to lifted trucks or 4X4 vehicles. These Upgrades consist of a Rough Country five inch suspension lift, Flowmaster exhaust, fifteen percent window tint, some twenty by twelve Fuel Mavericks wrapped in thirty three inch BF Goodrich Ko2s. A lot of my friends have lifted vehicles that they take off-roading which really encourages myself to put more into the budget. Automobiles have impacted my life in a positive way by making new friends and keeping in contact with others. Also how the automobile itself is very complicated and has made myself mature into the person I am today.