Students’ cars reflect personality
While many students drive in their Toyota Camrys, Honda Civics or Ford Explorers, some choose to cruise in something a bit more reflective of their personalities.
Here is a sample of three Utah State University students, coincidentally all mechanical engineering majors – and their unique vehicles, which are more than just means of transportation, but also an insight on their individuality.
The Blue Westy
Isaac Trujillo, a mechanical engineering senior, travels everywhere in a 1974 blue and white Volkswagen Westfalia Camper Bus.
“I think it’s a lot [of] my personality, because I’m pretty laid-back and it’s kind of a laid-back vehicle,” he said.
The bus is great for camping, Trujillo said. It comes with a pop-top, where the roof lifts and provides a bed and a backseat that lies down to form another bed.
“It’s so versatile,” he said. “You can pretty much do anything in it. Good for road trips. Carries a lot of people. It’s good for not knowing where you are spending the weekend.”
During the 2001-02 school year, he even lived in the van, which was parked at a friend’s house.
And girls really like it, he said, unless they don’t like the hippie aspect, which Trujillo said he’s not.
“It’s a great all-around Logan vehicle, but just not in the dead of winter,” he said.
Being dangerous to drive is the only big drawback he pointed out. The engine rests in the back of the bus and the driver seat only has a windshield and a sheet of metal to protect the driver from a collision.
Although Trujillo plans to sell the Camper in the near future, he said in the four years of driving it, he learned the virtue of patience.
“You can’t be in a hurry to go anywhere, because it doesn’t go fast,” he said.
Trujillo has now cleared off his speeding ticket records from high school days.
“I haven’t had one moving violation since I got this,” he said.
The “Evil Twin”
Steven Hanson, a mechanical engineering junior, cruises in style with a recently restored 1969 Chevrolet Nova – complete with shiny red paint and a black vinyl top.
Rightly named “Evil Twin” after he totaled his first Nova in an accident, this muscle car was brought to life with more added power and style.
“It’s built to look for performance, but [made] for daily driving,” Hanson said, who drives the car even through the winter.
The Nova has become a part of Hanson’s character.
“It’s an extension of me,” he said. “It’s how I show my pride for the things I do.”
Hanson enjoys spending time with others who are passionate about their automobiles. For this he attends three or four major car shows per year including the locally famed Cache Valley Cruise-In during the summer.
Owning classic cars is also a family tradition for Hanson. His brother drives a Mustang, his dad restores trucks and his uncles always have project cars, he said.
Hanson completed the restoration of the vehicle about a year ago. And with more than 1,000 hours dedicated and thousands of dollars spent, it was no small project, he said.
“It’s scary to think I’ve got more in this car than in my education,” he said.
The Green Machine
Cody Morgan, also a junior majoring in mechanical engineering, drives a solid green 1977 Toyota Land Cruiser.
The green machine and Morgan have a bit in common, including being born in the same year.
“It does the things I like to do,” he said. “I like to go outdoors and go explore new things.”
Morgan takes the Cruiser four-wheeling once a week and heads down to Moab about twice a year. He has equipped the vehicle with lockers, which creates better traction and makes all four wheels turn no matter the conditions.
He bought the Land Cruiser in 1999 when he decided he needed a car that was nicer than his mountain bike, and his girlfriend, now wife, talked him in to buying it.
“She convinced me to buy it and I’m glad I did,” Morgan said, who now says he appreciates the vehicle the more as time goes on and as he learns new features.
The vehicle, to the untrained eye, might be confused with a Jeep, but Morgan said it is quite different.
“These are built way better, a lot more heavy duty; they’re bigger and have a lot more personality,” Morgan said. “My pet peeve is people calling it a Jeep.”
His Cruiser is different than everything else, he said, “Everybody’s got a Jeep.”
-joelfeathers@cc.usu.edu
Isaac Trujillo with his Westfalia Camper. (Photo by John Zsiray)
The ´74 volkswagon westfalia camper bus is owned by Isaac Trujillo, who says it´s laid-back – like he is. (Photo by John Zsiray)
Cody Morgan four-wheels with his ´77 Toyota Land Cruiser, which his wife convinced him to buy about five years ago. (Photo by John Zsiray)
The Toyota Land Cruiser is different than any other vehicle on the road, owner Cody Morgan says. It´s also bigger, more heavy-duty and has more personality than other automobiles – especially Jeeps. (Photo by John Zsiray)