Wednesday, May 27, 2015

University of Dayton HST 344 Student Autobiography -- Matthew Trem -- Chevrolet Cruze




Autobiography
            It’s kind of funny to think back to the time when I did not own a car and even before that a license. It feels so natural for me to grab the keys off the countertop, hop into my car, and then zip miles down the road to get to school, work, or to hang with my friends. I remember when I was too young to drive a car and was bound to my bicycle which took an exceptionally longer time to reach wherever I was heading. Having to pedal a few miles might have been good for my health, but nothing compares to possessing the ability to travel fast wherever you desire. The car is an amazing example of man’s capabilities and desire to mobilize society.   
I was lucky enough for my parents to be able to lease a car for me once I passed my driving tests. When the day finally came my parents gave me three cars to pick from: a Hyundai Sonata, a Mazda 3, or a Chevrolet Cruze. After carefully examining the features and design of each vehicle I selected the Cruze to be my hot ride for the next three years. I knew that since this was my first car it would be the perfect time to experiment and gain valuable skills, so I asked for a manual transmission. The day I walked into the garage to see my brand new red, 1.4 liter turbocharged, 4 cylinder, 6 speed transmission 2012 Chevrolet Cruze I was ecstatic. I quickly asked my father to come along and show me how to drive a manual which I had no experience operating. I guess my dad knew what he was doing because he drove it first to my school’s parking lot before he gave me a chance to sit behind the wheel. We must have been there for two hours as I struggled to master the timing of the clutch, constantly giving my father and I whip lash. It took a couple days to be able to smoothly shift and beyond that a couple months before I trusted myself to stop on a hill. The Cruze was a fantastic model for my first car which I will use as a benchmark for my future purchases. Possessing a car was honestly a new chapter in my life because it opened up so many opportunities because I gained mobility and personal freedom.
When I received my first car naturally I no longer needed my parents to chauffer me around town. I was able to drive to school instead of taking the bus which spared me from having to wake up early. I could go to my friend’s house and drive around at night wherever I pleased. Most importantly this was when I got my first job to pay for the expenses that came with the car and earn that extra spending money for myself. This was vital because it was my first taste of being in the work force and understanding the importance of the automobile. Our society revolves around the automobile almost to the point where it would be very difficult to not own a car. Public transportation is underdeveloped and only exists within certain cities. Out in the country people are dispersed so the only way of connecting or obtaining supplies is by vehicle. On top of this nearly every person works at a jobs several miles away transforming the car from a rare oddity into an absolute necessity for our lifestyle. Overall the Cruze gave me a lot of power over my life and gave me several opportunities to discover what the world had to offer.
While sharing a few memories I have noticed all that owning a car has done for me. It has taught me valuable skills like how to work a manual transmission which in today’s ge has almost come to the point of being a rare ability. Also owning the Chevrolet Cruze has made me understand more about what I want in a vehicle like what features I want included in a package, what I desire in terms of gas efficiency since I paid for fuel, and whether or not I should lease a car or hope that purchasing one would pay off in the long run.
People honestly take this incredibly complex piece of machinery for granted and don’t even stop to think about how easy we have because of the automobile. Cars have come such a long way in only a hundred years and there is still plenty of room for improvement. It will be exciting to watch the automobile further evolve as the industry continues to push the limits of human capabilities and imagination[

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