Tag Archives: Kathryn DiMaria

14-Year-Old Prodigy Builds Her First Car

It’s Friday, and we at the Approved Loan Store would like to send you into the weekend with a smile and a heartwarming story from Dearborn, Michigan.

Kathryn DiMaria has been building her first car, a 1986 Pontiac Fiero, since she was 12 years old. She is now 14 and shows no signs of slowing or losing interest. While she has received help from her father on most of the technical stuff and help from her mom on sewing the interior upholstery, the work has been her own, and along the way she has picked up many valuable skills, skills that will serve her well in future. She hopes to pursue a career in engineering.

I love reading stories about young people like Kathryn. Not only is she a great role model for young girls interested in cars, her goal of building this car from the ground-up is ambitious and a refreshing break from our me-centered culture. She didn’t just expect her parents to buy her a car when she turned 16. Instead, she made it happen herself, and currently Kathryn is on track to finish her car before her 16th birthday. She won’t have to cross her fingers and hope for a car because she will have built one herself.

To learn more about Kathryn’s project, click here, and if you’re looking for a car but feeling a little less ambitious than Kathryn, Approved Loan Store can help! Fill out our secure online auto loan application here, and get the latest auto news and buying tips by liking Approved Loan Store on Facebook, following Approved Loan Store on Twitter, and subscribing to Approved Loan Store on YouTube!