Shortly before my 22nd birthday, my dad gave me a surprise college graduation gift: a new car. As someone who has relied on the Boston subway system for the past three years, I figured I would never need a car in my life as long as I lived in a city with great public transportation. But once the paperwork was completed and that black Honda Civic was officially mine, I realized that owning a car would change my life and open up a world of nearly endless possibilities that I had never considered before. Also, I will eventually move to Los Angeles, and while we do have public transportation, any Angeleno will tell you that owning a car is basically a necessity in this city.
While subway and bus systems are great, they can be limited in scope: They are built primarily to get people to parts of cities and states that are densely populated, have a lot of jobs, or receive tourists. If you want to do something off the map, public transportation may not be your best option, especially if your destination has two subways, three buses, and a 30-minute walk from your destination The origin of the journey. Even if you don't necessarily want to go on an adventure, owning a car often reduces the time it takes to run errands and makes it easier to buy large amounts of groceries at once (taking the subway home from Costo is really hard - trust me), which helps Great way for friends who need a ride.
What I find most interesting about the whole thing, though, is this: While getting a car is a right of passage for many teenagers who have just passed their driving test, the experience of getting your first car when you're still in high school has nothing to do with it. Buying your first car as an adult makes a big difference. If you're like me and didn't own your first car until years after you got your driver's license (six years in my case), you might recognize these six ways your life has changed — sometimes in ways you didn't expect Variety.
1. You want to keep taking risks...
In the five months I owned the car, I drove it through Washington, Oregon, California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. My car has traveled through deserts and mountain snow. It's seen the highest points on the East Coast and anchored at the lowest points in North America; it's sailed past the tallest trees in the world; and it's helped me move my life from Seattle to Los Angeles. Needless to say, owning a new car opens up your world to adventure. When your map app tells you that it takes two hours to get somewhere by public transportation, you might shy away from the adventure; however, when it takes two hours to drive somewhere, you jump with excitement. Go in there. Even though I'm still a student with a part-time job and an internship, I take weekend trips almost every weekend because my car makes California and its surrounding states so much more accessible.
2. You realize that a road trip is totally possible
Like I said before, when I was moving to California, my best friend and I took a three-day road trip from Seattle to Los Angeles. Before I owned a car, the only option I considered was flying, and while it was certainly faster, it took the fun out of everything you experience on the road and all the kind, quirky people you meet along the way. Even though I'm from the west coast, driving along the Pacific Ocean was my first experience of the west coast and I was lucky enough to get that glimpse that completely changed my world.
3. You understand your privilege better
I know I'm a very lucky person - my family was able to buy me a car, I was lucky enough to have access to driving school and safe cars growing up (which ultimately helped me get my driver's license early on), and I had Enough money to cover weekend adventures and road trips. As someone who has taken public transportation most of my life, I understand the caveats of it. Public transportation can be dangerous or scary for women, unbearable in extreme cold or heat, unreliable when you have to get somewhere on time, and for those who don't behave well in crowds For people, public transportation is stuffy, scary, and generally uncomfortable. To me, this perspective is important because it reminds me that I have no right to my car; On the contrary, I am lucky and honored to have it.
4. You better understand your environmental impact
There are two aspects to this: First, people who own cars can see the natural world around them, which encourages many people (myself included) to take better care of the earth and wildlife. Secondly, owning a car has made me very aware that gas usage increases my ecological footprint, so eco-friendly features and gas mileage are at the top of my list when considering different options. When I realized how much of an impact one of my cars had on CO2 emissions and global warming, I decided to drive more carefully. Carpooling is a reliable way to ensure there is only one car on the road instead of five. I also make sure to leave my car keys at home and walk somewhere where I have access to sidewalks and roads without having to drive. While I obviously love my car, there are times when my legs serve me better.
5. Everyone wants a ride everywhere (and there comes a time when you say yes)
When I got my car back in October, everyone suddenly wanted me to pick them up from places and drop them off at parties, be the designated driver (since I don't drink much anyway), or take them for rides. In the beginning, I was always tempted to do this because I wanted to show off my new car as much as I wanted an excuse to take it out. But after a while it got a little old and my friends realized I had a life besides driving. This aspect of buying a new car can be a little annoying, but people usually realize pretty quickly what to hold back.
6. You start to understand things like car insurance and maintenance costs…
Okay, let's be honest: I don't know much about car insurance policies or why certain things are necessary to maintain my car. But I certainly know more than I did before I owned the car, and I'm slowly learning. Knowledge is power, even the most boring knowledge.
Photo: Mehak Anwar/Bustle; Jiffy (6)
