[Hannah Thayer, Abingdon, VA, is a 16-year-old high school junior. She’s a Land Rover enthusiast thanks to her parents, Kevin and Michelle Thayer. Her Land Rover makes possible her love of photography, 4-H, outdoor recreation, and spending time with friends –ed.]

I’m a car girl, the daughter of a Land Rover enthusiast and the granddaughter of an auto dealer. Whether because of my genes, or what I like to do in my jeans, I want to drive only Land Rovers.

As an infant I would play with my dad’s Land Rover models and drink out of our collection of Rovers North mugs. At age 4, I really started to notice the Land Rovers. My family owned the 1965 Series II-A 109” Pickup and a 1964 Series II-A that my father painted in Camel Trophy livery. I feel that I am following in my father’s footsteps. He would put me in the back of the 109” when the local Highlands Land Rover Club would join local parades. I listened to his stories about different rallies, trips to Vermont and off-road events. I could see that my dad’s Land Rover looked really different from what everyone else had; people saw it, usually liked it and I really enjoyed it even at a young age. I have been surrounded by his love for Rovers my whole life. Whether reaching into the kitchen cabinet for a glass and viewing an array of different Rovers North mugs, or selecting a book from his office and scanning the shelves of Land Rover books, his affection for Land Rovers is evident. Land Rover prints, matted and framed, adorn the walls of our house. My younger brother Tyler spent hours playing with the remote control Range Rover in the living room. I call it “life;” others, well, they may call it “craziness.”

Throughout my life, our driveway has been occupied by Land Rovers of different sizes, models, colors, and years. Whether ours, or just one that my dad was working on for a friend, they made our house look a lot better! Throughout elementary school, my dad would drive me there in the Series Rover; no one else got to ride to school in something so cool. My mom often had a “real car,” like our Honda, Chevy Trail Blazer or Tahoe. By the time I entered middle school my family purchased a 1998 Land Rover Discovery, which really became our family car. I developed a real “Land Rover radar.” Almost everywhere we went I could spot one in the middle of a million cars.

After a few years I started to dream about getting my license, and of course, the car of my dreams. I knew that I wanted a Land Rover, and that was that. In the meantime, I had to begin to learn how to drive. My mom’s Chevy Tahoe did not help me with that concept! Every time I drove it I would complain about its handling or its poor visibility. So I stopped driving until I could get a Land Rover to learn on—I was determined. My father had sold his Discovery and bought a truck more appropriate for the farm. We did, and still do, own a 1993 Range Rover, but at the time of learning how to drive, it underwent major refurbishment. So, I waited as patiently as possible for my own Rover.

One day, when my family ran some errands, I spotted a 2005 LR3 at a local auto auction. Of course I made my dad pull the car over so we could check it out. Being new to driving my parents did not think that I needed such an upscale vehicle. However, I still managed to convince my father and my grandfather to go to the auction to at least see how much it would cost—actually I had secret hopes that they would return with the LR3 in hand. Well, a girl can wish, can’t she?

Later that day they did not come home with the LR3, but a 1998 British Racing Green Land Rover Discovery. What a beauty it was! I was so excited, and I could not get over how perfect it was for me. I jumped right into learning how to drive again and could not wait to get my permit so I could drive it by myself.

Well I now have my driver’s license. I drive my Discovery to school every day and anywhere else I need to go. You really have to experience it to get the full effect. It provides great visibility; I have no problem seeing all around me. I can clearly see over the hood of the car and the multiple windows make backing up very easy. I hardly ever worry about being in a situation where I do not have adequate visibility, because I drive a Land Rover. It rides like no other vehicle I have ever been in. It is smooth, yet you get the full effect of the world around you. On the interstate, my Discovery rides with bliss and carries itself so nicely. It is almost a “carefree” type of driving that you experience when driving a Rover. Out in town my Rover is just as great; it’s so easy for me to handle.

From Friday night football games, the movies, or camping trips, my Rover serves me well. My friends love it, too. It seems like they always want to ride with me, and I take pride in that. They’ve told me they feel like they’re “on safari” in the car. The five disc CD changer also comes in handy as we battle over what music we want to listen to next. From the heated seats to the sunroofs, my Discovery sure feels luxurious.

Of course there is a little bit of “friendly jealousy” with those friends of mine who drive those things called “Jeeps.” For my Landy to be called a Jeep—that is one thing I will not tolerate. I do correct people, and it may come off as rude sometimes, but it is just one of those things you do not do. A Land Rover and a Jeep simply do not compare.

Of the 700 students at my high school, plus the faculty and staff, I’m one of two people who drive a Land Rover. So, needless to say, I do enjoy driving a Land Rover to school. I always told my parents that I did not want “just a car.” I wanted something different, and that is what I got.

A Land Rover really says a lot about a person. It is something unique; not everyone has one. You can learn a lot about someone from looking at their Land Rover, from the model, the year, the color, the accessories, and the stickers that cover the back window. Although, it is only something that a Landy owner would understand. It is a way of life and a good one, I might add. I know that when I get behind the wheel of my Land Rover I feel like I am on top of the world, that I am in the right place for me. I do not plan on owning any other kind of car—ever. I want Land Rovers for the rest of my life, and not just one—a lot of them.

When I am much older and have a family of my own, I want my kids to have memories just like I do with Land Rovers. I guess when I am older I’d better marry someone who likes Rovers or I just might drive him crazy. It’s a part of me that will never go away, a part that I will cherish forever. So I encourage anyone who has not had the experience of owning, driving, and loving a Land Rover to go beyond the limits and do it, for yourself, your friends, and your family. I promise you will never regret it. That is what I plan to do. I plan to have many more fun adventures in my Rover. Everyone has one life, so live it, but only in a Land Rover.

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