Student 1
Joe Student
ENC 1101
June 1, 2006
Illustration Essay
My Most Exciting Day
While many people consider their twenty-first birthday or the day of their high school
graduation their most exciting day, neither one of these comes close to being mine. Imagine a
day when all of one’s desires, hopes, and wishes come true; this is exactly what happened on my
most exciting day. The day I bought my first car was the most exciting day I can remember. The
dreams that led up to that day increased the excitement. In addition, the hard work required to
acquire the money to make the purchase made the end result that much more fulfilling. Most
importantly, the acts of acquisition and fulfilling the dream were the key factors in making this
day so exciting. This really was the most exciting day of my life.
Beginning the excitement was the buildup that seemed to have lasted as long as I could
remember. An article published in a 1994 Psychology Today article reported that the automobile
was the center for over 80 percent of young American males’ fantasies, tracing daydreams of
power, status, creativity, and sexuality to car ownership. I certainly was in that 80 percent. For
years until that big day, I envisioned myself cruising down the highway, passing slower cars, and
leaving them in my dust. In my imagination I could feel the power of the engine entering my
body through the gas pedal—two hundred horses at my beck and call—that is power. Also, I
dreamed of how my car would make all of those other guys envious of me and my freedom. I
would be someone; I would be a driver of my own car: that is status. However, what linked me
to all of those identified by Psychology Today was the creative daydreams of how I could entice
Student 2
all of those girls who constantly ignored me into my wonderful car. These daydreams are almost
embarrassing today: parking in the very back row of the drive-in movie theater where all of
these girls, totally infatuated with my wonderful car, would let me have my way there in the
isolated darkness. It was going to be wonderful. No wonder that day of purchase was so
exciting.
Another reason that the day I got my first car was so exciting was all of the hard work I
had to do to get the necessary funds to make the purchase. The New York Times financial
section for Sunday, April 15, 1996, reported the inability of someone under 20 years of age to get
credit and sign a time contract and pointed out that that led many younger people to save for a
major purchase. Again, I am a perfect example of this statistic. I seemed to save forever to have
enough to afford a car, and even then, I was short. Desperate, I wanted to have a car before
school began the following fall, so I went to work on a cement crew. I am sure that the only
thing that sustained me during that horrible summer was the thought of getting my car. The
temperature seemed to be over 100 degrees everyday, so work began at 5 a.m. in order that most
of the labor could be completed before the real heat of the day began. Of course, that never
happened since the boss had deadlines to meet; we worked eight hours at regular pay and then
always added two hours at time and a half—ten hour days were the norm; but I made money. I
found muscles I did not know I had. I got lime burns on my ankles from getting wet concrete in
my shoes. I had blisters and sores. Worst of all, I worked so hard I was always hungry. But
then every time I wanted to complain, I would think about the car that my earnings would buy,
and every ache and pain became a source of strength and hope. At the end of the summer I had
added another $800 to my funds—I could finally afford my car. Earning something always
makes it more exciting.
Student 3
Finally, nothing beats the excitement of ultimately being able to accomplish what one has
planned for, dreamed of, and saved for for many years. One can only imagine the excitement a
person feels when he or she visits a car lot with a pocketful of money, a head full of ideas, and
numerous models from which to choose. I walked and looked at various models, opened and
closed doors, listened to engines, checked exhaust for oil, and visited at least seven car lots
looking for the perfect combination, which would add up to my dream car. Car and Driver
magazine cites five steps every car buyer should follow when purchasing a car. The first is to
check for play in the steering wheel. I fondled over 100 steering wheels that day. The second
step is to start the engine three times at five-minute intervals. That means I had to spend nearly
15 minutes with each car; I was not sure that there would be enough time in the day to complete
my purchase. The third step is to test the brakes during the test drive. By noon I was an expert
on how much pedal each car’s brakes had. The fourth step is to check the struts and shocks for
leakage; I think I ruined both my shirt and pants sliding under all of those cars with a flashlight
and a paper towel. The final test is to examine the exhaust for blue smoke—the telltale sign of an
oil burner. I was in car buyer heaven all day. Of course, the excitement reached its peak when at
4 p.m. I made my decision and purchased my first car. I was almost too excited to drive it home.
Ultimately, the culmination of my dreams, hard work, and shopping prowess led to the
most exciting day of my life. After all these years, I can still feel the excitement I experienced
when I made that fateful decision and became a car owner, a dream fulfiller, and, at least in my
view, an adult.