Jimmy Fallon Asks People To Share Their Worst Car Stories, And They Are So Relatable

The funny thing about first cars is that no matter how much trouble we had with them, we always remember them with a smile on our faces. The purchase of one's first car is regarded as a rite of passage into adulthood.

The hard-learned lesson of expectations versus reality, in particular. Though some of us get Teslas when we're 17, most teens get a car that's been... well, let's just say, formerly loved.

That's probably a good thing, given that nearly half of first-time drivers get into accidents. I mean, why not get the dings on the lemon?

Of course, wrecks aside, buying a used automobile may end up costing more in the long run due to maintenance, breakdowns, and a variety of other unanticipated events. But, hey, at the very least, we can all laugh about it now.

On Twitter, Jimmy Fallon invited his "Tonight Show" viewers to describe their worst vehicle experiences. Some of those make my brake mess look like a walk in the park (or cake drive, in this case).

In any case, their responses may help us all feel less alone. We've chosen more than 20 of the best answers, and we know you will find them so relatable.

Let's take a look:

1. Jimmy Fallon said:

"My car in high school had a hole in the gas tank, but it was near the top, so you only had to worry about it if you put in more than $7 worth of gas."

– @jimmyfallon

Jimmy Fallon

2. Electric doors

"Our son’s first car has electric doors. They often malfunction and open or close at random when he’s parked. He has to time it just right as he dives in and out, or he gets stuck!"

– @Sohnzie

3. Sunroof

"The sunroof blew off of #myworstcar the first time I drove it on the highway. I duct-taped a piece of plexiglass over the hole, and that was the roof for the next two years. The electrical system shorted out from water getting in, and the alarm would go off randomly while the radio froze." 

– @hopesstillmedia

4. Bernie...

"1985 champagne Ford Taurus. Front and back license plates said 'Bernie.' Everyone who rode signed the roof lining. Brittany Spears sticker on the hood. Orange scuff marks lined the side from taking out rows of plastic construction barrels on purpose."

– @StaufferJacob85

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5. Want my $1 back

"Two months after my uncle 'got it checked by a mechanic,' the transmission went out. Over the years, the alternator broke down twice, the air conditioner failed, the serpentine belt broke, and the brakes... I could go on. I think I should get a refund for the $1 I gave my uncle."

– @rednicknack

6. Who needs gears...

"The first car I drove in the 80s was a Chevy Chevette in high school. It didn’t have second gear, so you had to go from first to third. The driver’s seat was broken, so we had a short 2x4 wedged between the back of the seat and the floor in the back."

– @englishteacher8

7. Sing!

"My mom owned a 1992 Chrysler LeBaron, and its car radio suddenly stopped working. So whenever my mom wanted to listen to the 'radio,' I had to do all the radio sound effects and static noise, sing random songs and commercial jingles, and recite ad voiceovers."

– @DulceFloCruz99

8. Drive slow

"I drove a '98 Ford Ranger in high school that could only go 45 mph before it started backfiring. When you got up to 46, people thought you were performing a drive-by shooting. I got stopped by the cops a few times for it."

– @amylynnfish

9. Where to begin?

"2004 Honda Civic Coupe. Where to begin? The muffler would fall off every couple of miles, the AC never worked, a brake pad fell into my hand, or the fact that only one of the vehicle's two doors would open?!"

– @moshimotions

10. Use your feet...

"I learned to drive a stick shift in '86 on a '76 VW Rabbit. There was a hole in the floor near the shift. I always felt like Fred Flintstone, and if I had a problem, I could just use my feet!"

– @AnnMcD87

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11. Just park on the slope

"I had a '91 Acura that had an alternator problem where it would not start if it was hot (I lived in Pasadena at the time), so it was hot a lot. In my 21-year-old mind, I decided not to fix the problem; I just parked the car on a slope wherever I went so I could start it."

– @astovesand

12. Bees riding shotgun

"My first car, a maroon Mitsubishi Colt Vista, had a nest of bees living in both the driver and passenger side doors."

 – @BrnSkr

13. Always in the same place...

"My car in college always overheated and broke down in the same place going up a mountain. I often had to drive in front of a sign that said 'Kentucky prison ahead, please do not pick up hitchhikers.'"

– @HancockTraci

14. We call it inflation now...

"My first car when I was 17 had a hole in the pipe that takes petrol to the tank. I’d put in $30 but averaged around $15 that made it to the tank if I was lucky. When I dropped into the forecourt, I would get the 'get the f#c@n sand bucket ready' eye roll from the cashier."

– @asalllas

15. Jesus-mobile

"My first car was a 1981 gold Honda Civic station wagon called the Jesus-mobile because it had one of those fish stickers on the back and would leak water while making a whining noise."

– @KyleKerouac

16. Enough said

@BrnSkr

17. Now, where did that engine go? It was there a minute ago...

"My first car was a Corvair. It had many issues, but the worst was when the motor mounts broke without warning, and the engine literally fell out into the street while I was driving."

– @styllpoint

18. Be careful what you put on the roof...

"I stapled a tie-dye tapestry to the roof of the interior, and it fell down while my mom was backing out of the driveway, causing her to hit the mailbox." 

– @JDylanNYC

19. 4-door, 4-color Toyota

"I had a Toyota that was four different colors. It had replacement parts on it, but I couldn't afford to get it painted. It had a cracked distributor cap, so every time it rained, I had to take it apart to dry it out so the car would start."

– @kmacassar

20. Must've been a coincidence.

"#Myworstcar was an Acura that my dad bought at the police auction. He made me deep clean it, and something suspiciously blood-colored came up from the back carpet."

– @KatieKlauss

21. More power!

"My brother and I had to get out and walk to the top of steep hills on family trips because our car was so underpowered."

– @Sohnzie

22. Coffee cans to the rescue

"In high school, I had a 1970 Ford Maverick. Every time I turned left in the summertime, the AC drain drained into the passenger floorboard. Well-placed coffee cans caught most of the water."

– @saxmelody

Does thinking about your first car bring good or bad memories? Even though we were confronted with a series of malfunctions and unexpected breakdowns, and we had to perform a lot of makeshift repairs, it was the first taste of freedom for most of us.

And freedom doesn’t come cheap. Never did.