Cars are expensive. Auto insurance rates are skyrocketing as the human population increases exponentially fast; more drivers means more accidents. Anyone can get into a crash, but its the new drivers that we really have to worry about. It’s a well known fact that new drivers, especially teenagers, are prone to reckless driving, and therefore, wrecking their car.
However, it’s not just reckless driving that lands cars in the junkyard or in repair shops; hidden obstacles lay in every corner of our community. Hitting one of the poles in the 24 Hour Fitness and Fitness 19 parking lots, that parked car you didn’t realize you were too close to, the curb that “didn’t need to be there,” and your neighbor’s mailbox are all stealthy little ways to rack up a huge check at an auto store. I would know; I hit a tree backing out of my own driveway a week after I got my permit.
All of these things are 43% more likely to happen in the first year or two of driving, so the only logical thing to do would be to buy a relatively cheap and safe first car that can wear all of the bumps and scratches loud and proud. Right?
Well, not at Palos Verdes High School because the elite don’t run society, they drive it, starting from an early age.
The Junior and Senior Lots here at PV High look slightly different than most highschool lots. BMW’s, Mercedes, Range Rovers, Audis and other luxury cars make up over half of the lot, all averaging a modest $70,000 per vehicle. Most high schoolers, if they even receive a car at all, would be lucky to score a used sedan within the $10,000-$20,000 range.
“It does the job” says an anonymous PV student simply when referring to a moderately nice car (it was 75,000 dollars). The main concern involving this statement is a spoiled taste that lingers in the mouth after hearing a sentence like the one above. A word of advice for the sake of a conscious reputation; a more humble attitude is much more attractive.