WOODBURY — At 7:20 a.m., the parking lot at Nonnewaug High School could be considered a truck meet or car show. But it’s not a typical car show with classic cars and everything in mint condition.

With money being the main factor to owning a vehicle, Nonnewaug students find ways to work within their availability while being in school in order to afford a reliable vehicle to get them to school.

From Facebook Marketplace to hand-me-downs, the drive Nonnewaug seniors have to purchase a vehicle goes above and beyond. Students work hours on end for years to be able to afford what people may call a “clap box.” These are how Nonnewaug seniors get to school and the characteristics that make up Nonnewaug’s senior lot.

“My Parents Didn’t Want Me to Break Down on the Highway”

Nonnewaug senior Olivia Bernardi is part of the 21.13% of car owners who leased a brand new vehicle in 2023. She drives a 2023 black and gold Subaru Forester Wilderness edition.

Bernardi’s parents wanted their daughter to be safe in a new reliable vehicle, and to teach her the responsibility of having a car payment.

“My parents didn’t want me to break down on the highway,” Bernardi said. “Although a new car did intimidate me a little bit, as a 16-year-old teenage girl, of course I was excited. I just wanted to get in the driver’s seat and drive.”

A new car has its perks with all of its gadgets and screens built in, but it’s not cheap. Bernardi says she pays $400 a month for the car and keeps up with monthly payments.

With the help of Bernardi’s dad, who “put down money for it so my monthly payments would be lower,” Bernardi explains that she still can afford her monthly payments by working two jobs.

Bernadi’s first job is a caregiver at a daycare in her hometown of Middlebury.

“I go in there after school, and basically teach the kids, take care of them, make sure they are safe, and overall have fun so they aren’t bored,” she says.

Bernardi’s second job is lifeguarding: “I make bank lifeguarding, and I sit there and get tan but also I’m there to save lives.”

“Greta, the Grandpa Truck”

Senior Grace Nelson drives what she calls “Greta, the grandpa truck.”

Greta is a red 1996 Ford F150 that Nelson purchased from Facebook Marketplace for “a whole $2,000.” Facebook Marketplace is a great way to purchase cheap, old, vehicles that are ideal for a first time car/truck owner. When purchasing a vehicle on facebook marketplace, there are likey no payment plans and the vehicles are paid in full (unless you do a personal loan). This is a great option for most new drivers looking for a cheap car to get you from point A to point B.

Nelson bought her truck this way because she claims “It was super cheap, the guy I bought it from wasn’t too far, and he was really nice about everything.”

Nelson bought the truck with 150,000 miles and is almost at 170,000; Nelson says that its given her “no problems at all. Greta maxes out on the highway, and doesn’t even shake going 90. In fact, Greta got me to school in 5 minutes today.”

“Not Late, Just Perfectly on Time”

Seniors Katie and Kelly Farrell are twins who drive to school in separate vehicles because one of them wants to be on time.

Katie drives a 2015 Toyota Rav4 to school. She got it from a family connection where it was her “Grandpa’s sister’s old car, and my mom bought it for me for $14,000.”

Kelly drives a 2019 Jeep Patriot, which was a hand-me-down from a hand-me-down.

Kelly explains that it was her “stepdad’s car, which was then passed down to my brother Christian, and now it’s passed down to me, which is great because it’s already paid off.”

Katie explains that her need of having her own car is because “Kelly is always late.”

In contrast Kelly feels that she’s “not late, just perfectly on time.”

With the drama of constantly fighting over one vehicle and when they each can use the car, having two separate vehicles for them makes a lot of sense.

Kelly feels that since they are twins it shouldnt mean that they are the same person.

“We are a package deal, but I have different places where I need to be, me and Katie don’t have the same schedule,” Kelly explained.

While Kelly was captain of the Nonnewaug girls field hockey team, Katie was captain of the Nonnewaug girls soccer team, which means sharing one vehicle for the two would be difficult.

A Change in Vehicles 

Senior Zayne Brewster was commonly known for his black 2015 Mustang RTR V6 that he usually drove to school. However, Brewster recently sold his Mustang for a much bigger and completely opposite ride. He purchased a 2022 Ram 1500 just a couple of months ago.

Why he made this change? Brewsters states that it’s because “the more I modified the Mustang, the more it started breaking down. It started leaking oil, I eventually got down to 10 mpg, and I had to buy four new tires every four months.”

Brewster’s Ram 1500 is much more efficient and “a lot less maintenance.”

Brewster made the decision to finance his truck, and his ability to do this is because he works as an Airbnb manager.

“I manage my parents, my friends’ parents, anyone really local who owns an Airbnb, which is how I afford my monthly payments of $400 for my truck in addition to the $6,000 I put down on it,” Brewster explained.

Overall the change was necessary if he wanted a working vehicle to get to school every day. Even though it’s a huge size and vehicle difference from his Mustang, Brewster says that he has adapted well to it.

“It Worked Out Perfectly”

Senior Emma Jones is a hardworking student who says that she has been working since the age of 14.

“I started out by working with my family’s business here and there, and then I got a job through the ag program at Nonnewaug working in the greenhouse,” Jones said.

This is Jones’ 4th year working, which has ultimately resulted in her being able to afford her sweet ride — a black 2021 CT4 Cadillac.

“It worked out perfectly,” Jones says. “My brother bought the car at the Cadillac and Chevy dealership in Waterbury. After a few years of owning the vehicle, he decided he didn’t want to pay for it anymore, and he needed to buy a new work truck. This was around the time that I was in the process of getting my driver’s license and needed a car, which resulted me into buying the car off of my brother.”

With a down payment of $15,000 from Jones’ savings she got from working, she also continues to pay monthly on the car.

“It’s nice because it’s my brother and I can trust that he would never make me pay too much monthly,” Jones explained. “I choose to buy this car off of my brother for so many reasons. There’s so many modes like snow/ice and many other features.”

Jones is a huge advocate for this car brand and states that she also gets deals on tires and has a lot of lifetime guaranteed warranties.

There are so many features that Jones requires in her car. One feature her Cadillac has, which Jones emphasizes is the most important, is on the dashboard.

“I couldn’t live without Apple Carplay,” Jones said.

“You Can Hear and See it From Miles Away”

Senior Dylan Bambino can be seen and heard well before he pulls into the parking lot.

“All you can see is this big giant spaceship coming down the road,” senior Ava Hustek said. “You can hear and see it from miles away.”

Bambino drives a white 2011 Ford F350 6.7 Powerstroke. Bambino explains how he has been working all through high school.

“First I was working for landscaping companies like Theiss and LT Landscaping while also always doing side jobs to make extra money,” Bambino said.

Bambino eventually began to start up his own business with his brother, Travis, and created Bambino Brothers Property Maintenance.

At 16 years old, Bambino purchased his truck for $18,700 in full with a bank check. Within those three years, Bambino has made some upgrades to the truck, including “lights all around for about $2,000-$3,000, wheels for $3,500, color matched the truck for $800, and I added a drop visor for $600.”

This vehicle was most practical for Bambino as he is actively landscaping and carrying trailers with his machinery on them for work daily. Although some consider it a “spaceship” with all of the lights and added accessories, it’s a vehicle most convenient for him.