Back in 2007, I got my first car; a 1992 Pontiac Grand Prix SE Coupe from my uncle. He had bought the car new back in 1992 and passed it on to me for my 16th birthday. At the time, I was in love with Pontiacs, my dream car was (and still is) a 2002 Trans Am WS6. Though it wasn’t the Firebird I dreamed of, I loved and adored my little Grand Prix. It got me to school and back for two years with little issue. The Grand Prix was my ticket to freedom, no longer did I have to rely on mom, dad, or my grandparents when I wanted to get out.

My Grand Prix was the car that solidified my love of cars. It wasn’t the fastest car, it wasn’t the newest car, or the coolest car but it was my car. My Grand Prix came with the GTP appearance package, factory dual exhaust, steering wheel audio controls, power locks, power windows, power mirrors, power seats and the honeycomb wheels. The front seats were nice, very comfortable and supportive, and the back could comfortably fit two people. Among the things I miss about that car were the “control” pods for the headlights and windshield wipers. I don’t know what it is about pods like that, but they added an extra cool factor, they made the driver’s seat feel like a cockpit.

For a car from 1992 it certainly had a lot of features that starting to show up as standard features in cars today. At some point in the 90s my uncle had upgraded the sound system and added some subwoofers in the trunk, exactly what any cool first car needs. In my mind it was pretty cool for a car as old as me. The Grand Prix was not the safest car however. With the steering wheel consumed by buttons I had to do without an airbag. The seat belts were mounted to the door and there was no ABS.

Like many teenagers in the USA, my car really was first chance at experiencing freedom. I went to highschool about 45 minutes away from home, which meant many of my friends lived all over the city. When we started driving it let us all hang out more; It made us closer and it let us experience more together, from late night fast food runs to adventures through the city and country. A teenagers first car is a major right of passage in the USA. A car signifies your first major responsibility, a sign of your parents trust, and often the first step towards independence and adulthood.

Up front the car had sleek set back hidden headlights, peeking out from the bodywork and optional fog lights. The original fog lights had cracked and broken at some point over the years so I replaced them with some autozone specials, giving off a nice blueish glow that I thought was cool at the time. Under the hood was GM’s indestructible 3.1L V-6 with “Multi Port Fuel Injection”. It wasn’t the most powerful engine but it lasted well enough. One day I did manage to kill the engine though. I had taken the car to the shop for a smoking and overheating issue and I picked it up believing it was fixed. After driving almost 50 miles on the highway, the engine finally gave out, turns out the head gasket had blown and the engine was toast. Luckily the shop covered the replacement engine and the car lived on.

My first car gave me so many lasting memories, Like the first time I had to drive home in the snow after school in a major snowstorm. The snow was coming down so fast that if I didn’t keep my rear defroster on, the back window would fill with snow almost immediately. My usual 45 minute drive turned into a three to four hour ordeal. Up and down steep hills and then stuck in traffic on the highway the old car never gave me any trouble. I had my first ticket in this car for “running a stop sign” that was in a parking lot. I enjoyed driving it down the back country roads near my home and used it to find some of my favorite driving spots.

I was completely obsessed. I jumped at any chance to go for a drive. I cared more about my car than most other things at the time, a sentiment that I still carry on today. It was a car that at the time stood out a little bit, it wasn’t just a cookie cutter beige Camry, Corolla or Civic. I’m glad I got my Grand Prix over anything else at the time, it was the perfect first car. The freedom you gain from your first car will never be replicated. You’ll own faster cars, nicer cars, more expensive cars but that first car is such a pivotal point in a person’s life. I will always miss my Grand Prix.