Whether you’re talking sneakers, smartphones, superheroes or sports teams, young teenaged school kids love to compare and argue about which is best. And when they get a bit older and start driving, those comparisons really ratchet up a notch.
You might have been able to hide that crappy iPhone 3 your grandma passed on to you in the sixth grade from your friends, but there’s no disguising the Pontiac Aztec she thought would be the perfect car to get you and your sister to school a couple of years later.
I don’t know what your school was like, but mine wasn’t awash with dozens of fancy new BMWs. And being based in the UK there were no old muscle cars, ratty Camaro Z28s or 5.0 Mustangs either.
Most of us that owned our own cars had cheap used cars like Minis or Fiestas, though some students preferred to drive their parents’ cars. And if my folks had owned a brand new Nissan S13 200SX at the time, like one of my classmate’s parents did, I’d have snatched the keys to that every morning, too.
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I’ve always liked older and quirky cars, so the GTM Rosso that one older kid had built caught my eye. It used two front Mini subframes, but each was bolted to a two-seat fiberglass body with the engine in the back to create a bargain Toyota MR2 alternative. Shame it was beige, which I always presumed must have been the color the body and panels were supplied in, rather than just a terrible faux pas by the kid that snatched defeat from the jaws of coolest-kid-in-school victory.
King of the car park though was definitely the Mk1 Ford Escort Mexico one student was given by his dad who ran an accident recovery business. Back then those old RS Fords weren’t worth the crazy money they are today, and I seem to remember that it was forever breaking down, but damn, did I wish it was mine.
So what car did you lust after in your school car park? Maybe it was already yours! Either way, leave a comment below and let us know.
