My first car at 17 was a 1997 Camaro (v6 5 speed) I wrecked it on rainy after noon on my 2.5 mile drive home from school trying to drift a few corners. The car sat in my driveway and I have to get a part time job to save up and fix the car, this is where I got my first bit of automotive experience, I got a part time job after school at a repair shop, learned a few things, save up in the meantime I was tearing down the front end of the camaro taking parts off ( where I afterwards learned to label and take note of each bolt because the put back together was agonizing) getting it ready to take to the shop to have the frame pulled straight, fast forward 6 months and a birthday I had the camaro up and running, I got a full time summer job with the construction company I worked for previous summers to buy the camaro. One job we were rebuilding a redwood deck for an older gentleman who was recovering from a life threatening car accident he had been in and spent months in the hospital. he had 2 cars under covers on was obviously wrecked terribly, however I was hesitant to ask as I knew it was a traumatic experience, however it was killing me to know what he had. after a couple weeks we got to talking one lunch and he told me it was a 1972 240z he had rebuilt and a women had fallen asleep coming around a blind corner in his lane and smashed him, we all know the superb safety features of the Z *sarcasm*. I had no idea what a Datsun was and he showed me his wrecked car, I couldn't believe he survived, he also showed me his parts car, a red 1972 240z, that was sitting for what he said was a year, and not currently running, I figure it also sat long before he got it. We ended up working out a deal where I would go to his house on the weekends and work off $1000 at $12/hr (what I was making at construction company) and I could have the car (83 hours of work), I went to his house religiously on weekend and worked mostly 5 hours days some full 8 hour days, while also working on the car when I was done for the day, finally got it to start up and run after what felt like a year, only really about a month. even thought I was only about half way through my hours he signed the title over and let me take the car home. I was so excited on a rainy day in the mountains with dim headlights, no wipers, and no defroster, I followed a friend home that brought me to get the car, I work another 20 hours for him and got caught up with life and never finished the work, I since moved away to college and am going home for spring break in a couple of weeks, just got my tax return, and am going to his house to pay him the rest of what I owe him. I am now 20 years old turning 21 and having my 3 year anniversary with the car in June/ July.