One of the most formative moments in a teen’s life is the time where they receive their first car. While that moment didn’t happen for me until I was almost seventeen because I got my license late, it was still one of the most important times in my life. Once I received a car, I was able to drive to work, hang out with friends, and stay out late at night.
In recognition of this momentous moment, this article will recognize some of the coolest cars that we have seen in the Academic Magnet parking lot since the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, picked out by a council consisting strictly of two of the greatest Talon Staff Writers, Ford Martin and yours truly, Isaac Chery, II:
The first car up is Charlie Zaifert’s 2017 Jeep Wrangler. She got the car two weeks ago, but before her current Jeep, she had a different orange Jeep Wrangler (named Mangs). She said her favorite part about her car is the automatic step, the big wheels, the rack, the bumper and the additional headlights. When asked what makes her Jeep Wrangler unique, she said every Wrangler is unique because of the option of aftermarket products such as her rack, her automatic steps, headlights, and UNNECESSARILY large tires. Her car’s name is Zilla and if you want to see this cool Jeep Wrangler, you can visit spot 59 in the senior parking lot each morning.
The next car up is Burton McCulley’s 2017 black Audi Q7. She got the car for her sixteenth birthday, two years ago. Her favorite thing about her car is its overhead camera, which she is unable to park without. When asked what makes her car unique, she said that her car is unique because of the screen that rises out of its dashboard when she starts playing music. She wanted me to highlight that her car is a female and that her name is Ralph. If you want to see Ralph, her cool Audi Q7, you can find her only a couple days of the week in spot 91, because Burton rarely comes to school.
The next car up is Hank Baer’s 1990 Toyota Hilux. A little background information because he gave very bland answers: the Toyota Hilux was the predecessor of the modern Toyota Tacoma. The Hilux began production and is still being made to this day in numerous countries, as the truck is currently the car in its eighth generation. However, it is not currently for sale to the US Market, and has not been since 1995. The reason you won’t see any that have been produced after 1995 is because of a tariff called the “Chicken Tax”. This tax is 25% on imported light trucks since this car is not produced in America. Hank said he got the car about one year ago. He says that his favorite thing about his Toyota Hilux is its simplicity. Again, because of his bland answers, I will be stating my favorite thing about his car, which is its paint job, a cool red, with a wood paneling design that you would find on a station wagon in yellow and orange. He said his car’s name is “Lil Tuna”.
The next car up is Ava Maile’s 2015 BMW 428i Gran Coupe. She bought it last year. Ava has been working on fully blacking it out after buying it with chrome accents. She also said that it has a carbon fiber trunk lip that she is pretty happy with. When asked what makes her car unique, she says the gran coupe body style is unique since it has the swooped shape of a two-door but with four instead. Her car’s name is “the dubs”.
The next car up is not in fact a car but a truck and it’s Thomas Hamilton’s Ford f150. He said that he got this truck in May of 2022. When asked what he loves most about his truck, he said the Bucees sticker he has on the rear window. When asked what makes his truck unique from the other cars in the parking lot, he said the fact that it’s not a Subaru Outback or Kia Soul like the rest of the cars in the lot. He surprisingly does not have a name for his glorious truck. If you want to see this cool Ford F150, you can visit spot 6 in the senior parking lot each morning.
The next car up is Sutton Meyer’s Toyota Rav 4. She said that she got it 3 three years ago. When asked, she said her favorite part of the car is and makes her car unique, Sutton said it is unique because of its dent, as she believes it shows character. Her car’s name is “Watzle”; her sister named it before she went to college. If you want to see this cool Toyota Rav 4, you can visit spot 13 in the senior parking lot each morning.
The next car up is also not a car but a truck and it’s Max Peters’s Chevy Silverado. He said that he got this truck 6 months ago from his grandmother. When asked what he loves most about his truck, he said favorite part is the custom wheels. When asked what makes his truck unique from the other cars in the parking lot, he said it’s unique because it’s lifted and on wides. He surprisingly also does not have a name for his truck. If you want to see this cool Chevy Silverado, you can visit spot 614 in the junior parking lot each morning.
The next car up is another Jeep, and this 2018 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon belongs to Wyatt Mahoney. He said that he got it at the beginning of 2022 when he got his license but belonged to his dad before. When asked, he said the favorite part of the car is the car’s speakers. He said that his car really isn’t that unique, plenty of people have ones that look similar. Being the basic person he is, Wyatt said that he doesn’t have a name for his car.
The next car up is in fact another Jeep, and 2013 Jeep Wrangler belongs to Embre Slack. She said that she got the car in November of 2021. When asked her favorite part about the car, she said it’s the removable top. When asked what makes her car unique she said the red seat covers she has on the seats. She also has no name for her car. If you want to see this cool Jeep Wrangler, you can visit spot 18 in the senior parking lot each morning.
The next car up is Maris Jones’ 2014 Subaru Forester. She said that she got it at the end of June this summer. When asked, she said her favorite part of the car is the seat heaters. Maris said it is unique because she has a squishy duck named Canada Alberta America and she has seen it all and she chooses to go by her middle name, Alberta. Her car’s name is “Midge” like the Barbie. If you want to see this cool Subaru Forester, you can visit spot 37 in the senior parking lot each morning.
The next car up is Ford Martin’s 2003 Honda Element EX. He said that he got it two days ago as of 9/22/23. When asked, he said his favorite part of the car is the backseats fold up to the side. When asked what makes his car unique, Ford said it is unique because of its color, shape, seats, the fact that its back hatch is a tailgate, and its suicide doors. His car does not exist yet as he deemed it too soon to give it a name but that he’s open to suggestions, so drop suggestions in the comment section. If you want to see this cool Honda Element EX, you can visit spot 128 in the senior parking lot each morning.
The next car up is Lucus Sutherland’s Lexus RX 350. He said that he got his car 6 months ago. When asked, he said his favorite part about his car is all the luxury features it has including cooled seats and the great gas mileage. He also likes the turbocharged V6 under the hood. When asked what makes his car unique, Lukey said it is unique because I can only control the infotainment screen through a mouse in the center console. His car does not have a name.
The final but best car is Katie Sheffield’s 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe. She said that she got it forever ago. When asked, she said her favorite part of the car is the leaking roof and oil and the broken air conditioning. When asked what makes her car unique, Katie said that it is one of the cars unable to go through a car wash. Her car’s name is big bertha or betty for short. If you want to see this cool Chevy Tahoe, you can visit spot 608 in the parking lot each morning.
