Buying Your First Car
The excitement of buying and personalizing your first car is a memorable experience for many people including us. It represents a significant milestone and a sense of independence. Here at Back Roads Automotive, we love to help first time buyers get a great vehicle and create wonderful memories. Ones they will remember...like we do. Check out our own memories below!
Jay Sawyer, who is our CEO owned a 1988 White Jeep Cherokee and loved it. Summertime at the beach with a 4 Wheel Drive SUV gave him freedom and independence to hit the road and break hearts. No more riding with friends to get around. He could explore new places here in Hampton Roads and all the way down to the outer banks.
Jim Hayden is our Sales Manager and he had a 1972 Buick Lesabre that could fit eight friends! Jokingly, he said he could fit four more in the trunk! It was a beautiful dark Green with a vinyl top. Riding in style was his game. Jim said buying his first car was a big step into adulthood.
Brian Korich is our Finance Manager, and he wins "most interesting". He owned a 1976 White Datsun B210 Honey Bee Edition. Boy, was it special with roll-up windows, no radio or AC. But it did have a Black racing stripe! He had moved two hours away, so his first memorable trip was back home to see is friends.
Tammy Baker is our Controller. Her first vehicle was a 1972 White Celica. Super sporty at the time. The car business is in her blood, and she was lucky to pick out her Celica from her family's lot. What a great experience that must have been as a young woman getting your first vehicle.
Paul Huffman, is in Sales and he drove a 1977 Red Trans Am. Now, that was a cool ride! The sheer thrill of having the car everyone knows due to the Smokey and the Bandit movie was undeniable. The anticipation of hopping in that fine ride and everyone admiring it was incredibly exciting as a teenager.
Taylor Doyle is in Sales. Buying his 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix GT in sleek Silver was the reward of his hard work. Of course, it was fast, but Taylor said he was sure to obey ALL the traffic laws... LOL. He said there was a sense of pride in being able to show off his new GT to friends and family and he put some miles on it for sure!
Jeremy Ocheltree is in Sales, and he owned a 2003 Dodge SRT4. He was sixteen and working his first job driving this fast car. It was a manual transmission with a 4-cylinder turbo, 215 horsepower making the top speed 153 mph. Wonder how he knows that? Another fast driver we guess.
Patty Mauf is our Title Clerk, and her first vehicle was a 1980 White Reliant K car. It was big and square, and her friends nicknamed it the "box car". She was in Madison South Dakota and drove it to neighboring towns and to the mall like most teens. She had finicky headlights that pointed upwards and tricked the street lights sometimes. Good memories with friends are what it's about.
Justin Onufrak is one of our Technicians and he had a great first memory. His parents surprised him at Christmas with a 1988 White Chevrolet Celebrity topped with a big red bow. He didn't even have his license yet, so it was very special. He loved driving on the back roads with his friends and could fit quite a few of them into his car. Justin has owned a lot of vehicles since then. Now, he gets to share that love of automobiles and racing with his son!
Troy McBee is our Digital Marketer and his parents surprised him with a Blue 1997 Ford F-250. He learned how to work on it over time and because he lived out west, he really took advantage of the mountains, snow and camping. He drove it for quite some time and had a lot of fun exploring Casper Wyoming!
Mary Anthony in Sales bought her Red 1982 Toyota SR5 on her own. She quickly learned ownership costs money. The new rims and tires were pricey! Luckily her dad helped with that effort. There's joy in owning a vehicle, there's also a realization of maintenance, insurance, and other aspects to consider like back-to-back speeding tickets. Even though the truck wasn't fast, the Suffolk police noticed it!
Lorenzo Woods is in Detail and wins most vehicles at 18 years old with three! A 1989 Nissan Sentra that was Black with silver rims, a Gray Nissan truck and of course a motorcycle. They were tangible symbols of his hard work and ability to make important decisions at a very young age. And he really enjoyed all three of them!
Arland Morrow is in Detail, and he had a 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix that was Brown with a vinyl top. The coolest feature was the driver's seat would turn when you wanted to get out. It also had the fancy headlights. He saved up to get it by working at McDonalds and then took it to Maryland for a road trip. He worked hard to get what he wanted at a young age.
Remembering the excitement of buying your first car is a cherished memory for many, as it marks the beginning of a new chapter in life and the start of countless adventures on the road.
