Ever since my childhood, I have loved cars. It’s safe to say it was my first love.

It all started with my obsession over Hot Wheels. I would spend hours playing with my cars and before long my collection of them skyrocketed.

When I was young, my dream car was a Toyota Supra, which was a two-door car that Toyota made in the late 90’s.

Now though, if I could have any car in the world, it would have to be an Alfa Romeo 8c. It is Italian goodness wrapped up within a supercar with a price tag of $240,000. What’s special about the car is that there are only going to be 500 ever made, and just 90 in the USA, making it a collector car.

For a domestic vehicle however, I would have to pick the Ford F150 Raptor, which is a true beast on and off road. Not only is it a fast truck on the road that challenges today’s muscle cars, but it can also compete off road in the Baja 1000, which is an off road endurance race down in Mexico. Also, if you spend some extra money, performance companies can put more horsepower into any car, making my potential Raptor one scary ride. Not only does it have all this, but it rivals BMW’s and Volvo’s in luxury. That’s awesome.

Another thing I love about cars is the rush when I get inside and behind the wheel and turn on that engine, no matter how powerful it may be. That’s a sign of being a true gear head.

But when I got my first car, a 2004 Chrysler Pacifica, my love with cars almost died. Other than having a midnight black paint job and chrome wheels, the car was largely unappealing to most human beings. The only thrill I had in that car was driving around and hearing the engine rev high. It was slow, but I was a new driver so I was largely amused with how much power was in the car.

The best part about owning a first car is learning to appreciate what is given to you as a new driver, and I learned that lesson too late to still appreciate my former car. These days, that problem is nonexistent as I drive around a Dodge Ram.

But regardless of the bad and good experiences of my personal rides, I have always loved and always will love cars.