» Engine: 3.5 L EGJ V-6
» Horsepower: 250
» Paint: Off-white with dark pink to light pink mixed with blue pearl and separated by a thin line of purple.
» Wheels: 22-inch Golden Wheels (chrome)
» Interior: 10-inch O’Ryan subwoofer, 800-watt O’Ryan amplifier. Leather front and back seats
» Exterior: Billet grille
It’s not too often a car gains celebrity status before the person who drives it, but Jaime Shipley’s 2005 Dodge Magnum SXT, may not be too far off the mark.
When gas prices were leaping a couple of years ago, the reality of owning a 2001 Yukon Denali was becoming a harsh lesson in overindulgence. Shipley and boyfriend Allan Morgan wanted a vehicle that maintained the positive features of a sport utility vehicle (i.e., the space) without the outrageous cost required to maintain the vehicle. Shipley decided on the sleek Magnum, a car that virtually redefined what could be cool about driving a station wagon.
Jaime, who is mother to three boys, doesn’t simply use the spacious trunk in the Magnum to grab groceries for her growing young men; she also planned to keep the family looking cool while doing it.
The first step was to tint the windows, a somewhat perfunctory move, but nevertheless one that can quickly increase the driver’s “hip” factor. Shipley moved to the sound system next. An 800-watt O’Ryan amplifier was installed to feed power to a single 10-inch O’Ryan subwoofer. After the sounds were in order, the “girl” as Shipley calls her car, needed new shiny “shoes.” A set of 22-inch wheels made by Golden Wheels provided the bling necessary to hug the pavement.
The car, which was already painted in factory white, was still looking a bit too blase. Shipley knew that to make the car truly stand out, she would need to take extreme measures. While she liked the white and didn’t want to sacrifice the original color, she also wanted to do something completely unique. The option of two-toning the paint job began to look like a possibility. After sorting through a few color combinations, she eventually chose white and pink separated by a thin stripe of purple.
The car, which was already painted in factory white, was still looking a bit too blase. Shipley knew that to make the car truly stand out, she would need to take extreme measures. While she liked the white and didn’t want to sacrifice the original color, she also wanted to do something completely unique. The option of two-toning the paint job began to look like a possibility. After sorting through a few color combinations, she eventually chose white and pink separated by a thin stripe of purple.
With the Magnum’s unique paint job, Shipley said her car’s local celebrity has become an object of intrigue. One day at the hair salon, the girl fixing her hair began a conversation with the lady next to her, pointing to the car outside. When Shipley confessed it was hers, the ladies both laughed, simultaneously showing her both a photo they had stored in their phones of her car.
Shipley said the immediate future includes an effort to paint the Magnum’s roof to match the pink-and-white color combination.
What do you drive? A 2005 Dodge MagnumSXT.
Why do you drive it? It has lots of room for my three boys, and the trunk has room for everything.
What makes this vehicle so special? It is the girl I will never have, she wears her pink well.
What is your most memorable driving experience? One day I was driving down the road and there was another car coming the other way and before I know it she was up on the curb and into some bushes. She crashed her car looking at my car.
What was the first vehicle you owned? A 1994 Saturn.
What music are you currently listening to in your vehicle? I listen to 104.3 FM. It is a mix of songs.
And your first ticket? What was it for? Have not had a ticket yet, but got a warning for not having the front tag on.
