I must be one of the youngest here... Jealous of most of y’all....
First vehicle was an 07 Toyota Corolla S that my parents matched me for half the cost for... I didn’t pick it out (I’n fact I simply stated “buy used, not a corolla, and please get at least a v6 and possibly manual trans if possible”). Not to sound ungrateful but I hated that car because it had no soul, no aftermarket, slow, and bland. So I did what any high schooler did in that situation... I threw in a sound system loud enough that Helen Keller would say to turn it down
, simply because I had to modify SOMETHING.
Ended up driving my dads 03 Silverado 5.3 v8 extended cab a lot because I drove the corolla like a go-kart, flooring it everywhere... parents weren’t too keen on that.. Oddly I drove that Silverado, having a lot more power, reasonably because I loved it and wasn’t miserable in it (it was what my parents originally told me I was getting as a hand me down but then gas shot up to $4 a gallon).
Traded the corolla in as soon as I could for an 07 Chevy Colorado with an inline 5 3.7 engine... thing was actually pretty quick, pushing 275hp if memory serves. Had a lot of fun and good memories in that truck. I unfortunately lost it in college when a DUI driver pulled out in front of me and I smacked him going around 60mph... Safe vehicle to say the least.
Insurance money bought me an 04 Silverado 4.8 v8 single cab... LOVED that truck... Perfect paint, interior and all! Looked like my dads truck (color and all) minus being single cab and black interior. Threw tons of parts at it including 4.10 gears, tru-trac lsd, ported heads, valves, cam, etc.... Bought hp tuners and learned to do the tuning myself on that truck, been doing it ever since. Was built more like a “muscle truck” kind of deal... had the lower stock z85 suspension with wide tires and stuff.
I miss that truck... traded it in kind of recently for a 2018 Camaro SS 1LE... love it... but its under warranty. So modifying/ wrenching is forbidden (by my own rules lol)... One day a friend let me drive his Jeep on a dirt road with top and all off... fell in love and wanted something to tool on... tada! I now own a Jeep and have been broke ever since