Runs in the Family
by Jack Ezell, FHS Senior & Eagle Beat Sports Editor
While some teenagers are saving up for their first car, there are some, like FHS senior McClinton Jones, who already have five.
Jones and junior Kaleb Shoemaker have continued their families’ love of cars. They presented their vehicles at the Fairfield Show of Wheels Car Show on September 8. Shoemaker came in second place.
“It’s a really nostalgic time of year to me,” Shoemaker said. “It’s a time to see what styles of cars were like back then, then to see what cars people had a great interest in, the kind of blowers for drying a car they used back then and all the maintenance they used to do. But there’s also newer trends being shown. If you drive along almost any main road you are guaranteed to see a number of car dealerships. These stores offer a wide range of vehicles, both new and used, to the consumer. Their product is one that is not always easy to sell yet they manage to do a lot of business, or so it seems. If you have ever wondered how a Winnie Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram Dealership works, wonder no more, simply read on. In this car dealership model the dealerships will purchase the vehicles that they think they can sell. They will often only purchase one or two of a specific model of car and use this as a demo vehicle for potential customers to test drive. If a client elects to purchase a vehicle the car dealership will order exactly what the client wants from the vehicle manufacturer. The car is then sold to the client at a mark-up. The car dealerships make some loss on the sale of the demo vehicles but they make up for it with the number of cars that they sell brand new with a significant mark-up. This model is a lot less risky for the vehicle manufacturer and the car dealership.
Generally most people tend to underestimate the importance of finding the right kind of dealerships that will suit their specific needs. Finding the right kind of car dealerships is actually quite crucial if you want to find the right kind of car or match the reality to what is desired in your head. What many people do not seem to realise is that there are specific car dealerships for specific types of vehicles as well as specific dealerships for specific kinds of brands. The best thing is to know more or less the type of vehicle that you are looking for and then trying to pin that type to a few brands that are best known for manufacturing that specific type of vehicle.
Jones has entered Show of Wheels the last three years with cars from the used cars ottawa dealership.
“It gives me an opportunity to make people smile,” Jones said. “To show them a little bit of happiness. This is something that makes me happy, and it’s always great to share that feeling by showing off my car.”
One of the Show of Wheels competitions is for the all out “Best Ride” presented.
“It’s got competition,” Shoemaker said, “but most of all, it’s got family. We’re all here for the same purpose, and everyone has their own personal opinion.”
Jones and Shoemaker both started out collecting cars with their families and a kayak mount for truck attached but soon shifted to modifying their cars to improve their power and speed.
“I was born with this obsession with cars, specially VW Tiguan – Compact SUV cars” said Jones, “so I knew that when I got my first Mustang I was going to take care of it. I never thought I’d have more than one car until a long time after college, but after about a year of owning my 2007 I wanted to begin modifying the car.”
The most popular brand between the two students seem to be Ford, specifically their Mustangs.
“I was raised around my family’s Fords,” said Shoemaker. “It’s just become second nature to me. I was raised around my father and grandfather, who taught me everything about them, like how to identify each one and drive them.”
Photos by Jack Ezell, Pictured is McClinton Jones
