BY CLAIRE WILDER
Over 140 Mariemont students pull into their parking spaces every day, but five cars stand out because of their unique exteriors. An inside look with the owners of these cars reveals their opinions along with special features and funny stories of their vehicles.
In no particular order, here are five of the most highly distinctive cars in Mariemont High School’s parking lots:
Number One: 2013 Ford Mustang
Owner: Sydney Nicholson
Special Features: heated seats, color-changing interior lights, GT fog lights, side mirror ground image
Name: Brently
Senior, Sydney Nicholson, received her Mustang in January of 2016 as a surprise Christmas gift from her dad. “I like that my car has a backup camera as well as the heated seats. They’re a blessing in the winter,” says Nicholson.
Funniest Memory: “Last year before my junior year pictures, I had just gotten my hair cut and was driving back home to change for pictures. I pulled in too fast and too close to the house and I completely took out our side gutter. I was legit crying hysterically like 15 minutes before my picture was taken, and it was very obvious too!” says Nicholson.
Number Two: 2007 Ford F-150
Owner: Brad Westmeyer
Special Features: custom LED footwell lights
Name: Big Red
Senior, Brad Westmeyer, “took” his truck from his dad in the summer going into his junior year. “I like how I never have to drive people around, but I only get ten miles to the gallon,” Westmeyer says of his truck’s minimal seating and school-bus-like MPG.
Funniest Memory: “One time, there was a family on the bike trail at the pedestrian crossing, and it was when I was still new with my license. I didn’t see them. I didn’t stop for them, and the dad threw his bike at my car. I even had a tire mark on my car afterwards.”
Number Three: 2007 Jeep Wrangler
Owner: Kyleigh Spang
Special Features: Lifted, off-road tires, light bar, bull bar
Name: Duke
Junior, Kyleigh Spang, picked out her Jeep about six months ago. “I like how it’s different from other people’s cars, and it’s so big that I can see over all the other cars,” says Spang, “but it’s really weird when it freaks out on me.”
Funniest Memory: “Sometimes when I hit bumps weird the car freaks out and feels like it’s having a seizure. What’s actually happening is the steering stabilizer isn’t stabilizing the wheels correctly. The first time this happened, we all thought I hit an animal and everyone was freaking out. Also people fall out of my car all the time because they expect the ground to be a lot closer than it is.”
Number Four: Toyota FJ Cruiser
Owner: Lauren Stinnett
Special Features: Gear shift handle is a big smiley face
Name: The Happy Car
Senior Lauren Stinnett’s dad surprised her with her Cruiser freshman year, before she could drive. “I really like the color: it’s yellow, and I collect smiley face things, but it makes really wide turns and it’s hard to sharply turn,” says Stinnett.
Funniest Memory: “I’ve never been in an accident but I’m pretty bad at hitting curbs because it’s such a big car, and it will just jostle my car whenever I do it.”
Number Five: 1971 Ford F100
Owner: Kyle Mason
Special Features: none
Name: none
Senior Kyle Mason’s dad surprised him with his truck about a year and a half ago. “I like that it’s old; it’s really fun to drive. It doesn’t have any heat or AC, though, and sometimes it’s hard to start in the mornings when it’s cold,” says Mason.
Funniest Memory: “The first time I drove it home, I was on the highway and my windshield wiper broke while it was pouring down rain,” says Mason. “One time I was driving to Dayton and it overheated and I was stuck on the side of the road for two hours.”
If you have an idea for a car to be featured in the Warpath, please Tweet us @MHSWarpath, email us at [email protected] OR see one of our staff writers!
