A Pic Of Me Finally!!!

[Damien]

Long ago when Af was...not too young but I still have yet to post a pic of me 'cause I don't have anything to do it but finally ya'll can check me out!!!

Oz, remember that thread in which I asked about what car would be good under 20 grand? Well, a lady from the New York Times saw it, PMed me and we did an interview and I just went to the Toyota dealership (I might get a Celica or tC) yesterday for my...photoshoot. I'll be in the New York TImes this friday she said about getting a car for graduation!

If you happen to buy the paper, it'll be under Escapes but online it'll be under Travel then Escapes at the top right. I should be there but if it changes I'll post...thank you AF for gettin' me in the Times!

[RSX-S777]

Should I frame it and hang it on my wall or paste it into my scrapbook entitled "Memories of Youth"...also, how many copies to buy? I'll need one for each of my relatives...

Just kidding- congrats.

[Raz_Kaz]

That's crazy man, good job

[Oz]

What thread? Eh? I think this means you own me a ride in your new wheels

[kittedb18bt]

nice, i bet you will post a copy for us.

[Damien]

Lookie!!!

Sorry, comp problems but here it is, hopefully you won't need a password

[boingo82]

Off to a Showroom, Diploma in Hand
By LISA KALIS

Published: May 21, 2004

ITH high-school graduation time — and, for the lucky, the concomitant high-school graduation car — approaching, a growing number of teenagers and their parents have been hitting Web sites, scanning the papers and visiting dealers' lots. They are weighing factors like price, safety and gas mileage against the harder-to-define hipness factor to come up with a car they can agree on.

And what do American teenagers want in their driveways?

Believe it or not, a Honda Civic.

The reason: "It's easy to trick up a Civic," said Michael Wood, a vice president at the consulting firm of Teenage Research Unlimited of Northbrook, Ill., which this spring surveyed people nationwide aged 12 to 19 about what car they'd most like to have. "Teens have definitely increased their interest in customizing cars."

Indeed, while many parents may remember longing for the muscle cars from their own high school parking lots — Pontiac Trans Ams and Chevrolet Camaros — what young drivers are looking for these days is not so much pure horsepower as "something fun to drive, that doesn't look like Mom and Dad's vehicle," said Jeff Brodoski, an auto analyst at Troy, Mich., office of J. D. Power & Associates.

In a 2003 poll, 40 percent of the drivers aged 18 to 24 said that their cars should express their personalities (30 percent in that age group said a car's purpose is to go from place to place), according to Simmons Market Research in New York.

Nate Carroll, 17, a high-school senior in Virginia Beach, said that he hadn't decided exactly what kind of car he wanted (his parents are willing to spend up to $20,000, ruling out his top choice, the $25,000 Toyota Celica GT-S), but he has already picked out his accessories: a cold-air intake and a cat-back exhaust system to bolster horsepower. He thinks they'd be handy on the street, and maybe even on a track or two. "I'll probably do actual races," he said.

He is hardly the only one planning to load up on things like body graphics kits, big tires and fancy rims. Inspired in part by shows like MTV's "Pimp My Ride," in which wrecks are dressed up with everything from hand-tooled leather to espresso machines, young drivers are increasingly contributing to the $29 billion auto accessories market, according to the Specialty Equipment Market Association. In many cases they're adding these parts to what are, essentially, budget-priced family cars. Rounding out Teen Research's top five teenager cars were the Ford Mustang (Mr. Brodoski called it "the only true affordable muscle car" left), followed by the Honda Accord, Mitsubishi Eclipse and the Chevy Cavalier.

Despite the add-ons, "the resale value doesn't go up," said Toby Ristau, manager of the J. C. Whitney aftermarket shop in LaSalle, Ill., where most customers are under 25 — and 80 percent of the parts are built for Hondas. "You can put in $3,000 worth of parts, and it's still only worth Blue Book."

Teenagers haven't necessarily given up their longing for speed and power. "They want a little rocket," said Steve Trisdale, who sells new and used cars in Amesbury, Mass. They just don't often get it. At Marietta Sportscar, a specialty used-car dealer outside Atlanta, Glen Williams, a salesman, said that he sometimes found teenagers by the expensive Audis or certain high-horsepower Volkswagens. But "typically they get steered away from those," he said. "The kids are usually wanting more, and the parents are wanting less." The families who shop there — about 150 a year — often agree on a basic five-year-old Volkswagen Jetta, at about $10,000 to $15,000.

Indeed, Frances Zapanta, 18, estimates that there were close to 30 Jettas at her high school, in Bakersfield, Calif. She, however, took another route. Knowing that her parents would buy her a car when she graduated, she spent a year researching models, taking test drives and studying crash ratings online. "I'm really paranoid about things," she said. "I wanted to have a car that's safe." Her final choice: a $33,000 2003 BMW 325i. She acknowledged, "It's a fun car to drive."

[kittedb18bt]

thank you, emily (i think). most of us are too lazy to register for anything.

[Oz]

So where are you Damien?

[2of9]

pshhhhh...i've ben on Scholastic...lol...nice job tho man

[boingo82]

Originally Posted by kittedb18bt

thank you, emily (i think). most of us are too lazy to register for anything.

Yep, I figured I would so no one else had to.

[HogieGT-R]

thanks, because i wouldn't have

that's pretty cool man! boy do i wish that my parents could buy me a car only pipe dreams.....

[Damien]

I'm the dork in the blue shirt...Nait

[Oz]

Oh yeah, clear as day

[Damien]

Wow, you can tell it is day in the pic! I didn't know that Oz!?!

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