Beating on your baby: A teenage driver’s love affair.

"PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power" (petarvn)
10/20/2014 at 09:43 • Filed to: None

Let me preface this article by saying that I am a 16 year old who is fortunate enough to own a fast, safe, reliable car, that I love like a family member, but drive aggressively.

We've all been there, and a lot of us on Oppo are still there. Young, dumb, reckless. You have the keys in your hand, and in front of you is your "whip", or "ride" or "chariot". Whatever you call it, it's your car. The thing that gets you to school and work and to that all important date with your dream girl on time and in relative safety and comfort. The American teenager, without realizing it, has a love affair with their car. Some of us though are more prone to letting our cars go, and breaking loose on some fun roads. We all have those "moments". You know which ones I'm talking about. The ones where you just can't resist pushing your car all the way up to the redline, just so you can hear it sing it's song. Or maybe, just maybe, you prefer slamming that shifter down from 5 th through the gears all the way to 2 nd , hard on the brakes, so you can make that narrow, tight turn on your favorite backroad. Whatever tickles your fancy, you do. And you love your car for letting you do so.

My case is not that of a typical American teenager. I got lucky with my first car. Really lucky. I got my dream car as my first car. A VW Jetta GLI Autobahn. The ideal first car for me. Comfortable, fast, tuneable and above all else, a sleeper. It allows me to do what I must on the backroads on Sunday, and it gets me to school reliably on Monday. Now, this is not that important. My point is that even though I have the car I love and covet, I push her to the ragged edge very often. I am guilty of handbrake turns, hard launches, and pushing my car, with it's 6K redline, all the way up to 6,600rpm in 2 nd , just to get that perfect 0-60 time. And yes it hurts when I hurt her, but I just have to. It's the way a teenager is. Reckless, fast, and on top of the world. For us young enthusiasts, driving on the edge, pushing our machines to their limits, having them become parts of us as we scream down those roads at speeds way above what we should be going, is what we strive for. We beat on our cars because we are young and dumb, but our cars take that from us, and allow us our juvenile indulgences.

That is why we love our cars, especially our first cars. They give us the freedom to speed, drift, and drag. That is why I love my GLI, that is why every teen who is a car guy or gal loves their wheels. The mutual respect of punished rubber, and punished nerves. The perfect unison of roaring engine and thumping heart. The relationship that only a few truly understand.

The cars in the article are supposed to represent some "dream" first cars, that a lot of teens hope to get. this is to give some nice visuals for the story.

DISCUSSION (16)

Brian Silvestro > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
10/20/2014 at 09:48

I am guilty of handbrake turns, hard launches, and pushing my car, with it's 6K redline, all the way up to 6,600rpm in 2 nd , just to get that perfect 0-60 time.

This is nothing compared what my car has gone through so far.

The Fiesta has a hard life, but I'd like to think it's happy.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
10/20/2014 at 09:58

I have to thrash my car or I end up getting overtaken by absolutely everyone. I can hoon the crap out of it on country roads and still stay below the limit the entire time. I try not to be too hard on it though, especially the clutch since theyre known to be fragile and expensive to change.

GTI MkVII > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
10/20/2014 at 10:32

I can see the listing now: "Certified Pre-Owned GLI, one owner - call today!" Haha its stories like this why I would never buy a used "sports" or "sporty" car quite frankly. No way of knowing just how hard someone was on a car.

In all seriousness though, cars are meant to be driven! As long as you're not putting anyone else in harm's way I say go for it and enjoy.

Oh, and I would have killed to have a GLI when I was 16 haha. Made due with a 97 Civic all the way up until June of this year. That's when I was able to get into my dream car - a Mk7 GTI =)

GTI MkVII > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
10/20/2014 at 10:34

Haha thats how it was for me in my 97 Civic DX. 106 HP, 103 tq (when new, so who knows how much it had after all those years). Had to rev the shit out of it just to merge on the highway lol.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > GTI MkVII
10/20/2014 at 10:38

I have a Panda with a little more torque than that but only 70hp. Around town the low down torque makes it easier, but 60mph country roads or merging to the motorway require a bit of a lead foot.

GTI MkVII > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
10/20/2014 at 11:00

Haha but I bet you have a manual transmission. I was stuck with a 4 speed slush box. So between that trans, A/C on (way to hot in Florida not to have A/C on), and 17 years of wear, I was likely in the 80 hp range lol.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > GTI MkVII
10/20/2014 at 11:06

Yeah thankfully I have the manual, requires a lot of gearchanges if you want to keep it in powerband. I cant imagine a low power car with an auto, I'd probably get a little frustrated at not being able to kickdown as soon as I wanted to and stuff.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
10/20/2014 at 11:07

I feel you on that one. I was essentially spinning cookies in a mud-filled dirt lot last week, and simultaneously wondering if it was good for me to beat on the car like that.

I get the same thing when I occasionally take "risks" while driving. I've never done any damage to my baby, but I still wonder if those risks were worth it.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
10/20/2014 at 11:41

Laughs because I have to push my car to make it to 60 by the end of an on ramp.

I have in no way a love affair with my car. None. The thing could be stolen from the street today and I'd probably find the guy and thank him.

thebigbossyboss > GTI MkVII
10/20/2014 at 12:15

106 HP? Dayyuuum. You haulin ass brah. My first car was a Ford Tempo. 92 hp, how many do you think were left when I bought it 15 years old?

You even got 4 gears, I only had a 3. And then the 3rd gear broke and I only had two gears for a while. Then one day by magic it fixed itself.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > GTI MkVII
10/20/2014 at 17:35

welcome to the VW club! and I bought my GLI CPO already, so it has 23,000 miles of "one owner careful driving" before I ever got hold of it! And she has signs of a fun previous owner. The shifter is kinda loose, and the tires were already replaced, but the guy cheaped out, and replaced only 2 of them! other than that, it had a faulty fuel pump module, and a loud AF boost leak. all of these issues I'm slowly fixing, with the boost leak and the fuel pump module replaced at VW's cost, the tires at my own expense (yay for ordering a $650 set of Michelins!) and the shifter's ok, so I'm not worried :P

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
10/20/2014 at 17:36

sounds like me, with my dropping the clutch while slowly moving in 2nd on gravel, just to get the car dirty!

although, I haven't done legit dirt yet so....

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > Brian Silvestro
10/20/2014 at 17:37

It should be. I know the GLI is! :D

Brian Silvestro > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
10/20/2014 at 17:38

WAY TO CHECK YOUR NOTIFICATIONS ON A TIMELY BASIS

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > Brian Silvestro
10/20/2014 at 17:44

OH IM SORRY THAY MY EDUCATION ISNT MORE IMPOTANT TO YOU THAN OPPO

Brian Silvestro > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
10/20/2014 at 17:46

You better be sorry! OPPO OVER EVERYTHING