Counterman’s “Guess the Car” contest challenges our readers to solve an automotive riddle, for a chance to win $100. And each month, we receive hundreds of responses from aftermarket professionals trying to guess the model of the vehicle depicted.
The correct answer for the December/January contest is the Honda Passport. The winner is Jennifer Powell, an installer service specialist with O’Reilly Auto Parts in Winder, Georgia. Now, let’s get to know the “Guess the Car” champion.
CM: How long have you been working in the auto parts business?
JP: About 22 years.
CM: What do you like most about your job?
JP: On the commercial side, it’s talking to the same people every day, having that relationship with them, and just knowing who’re you’re dealing with every day.
CM: What’s the strangest question a customer has asked you?
JP: I’ve helped out on the front counter before. One time somebody came in and said, “I see you resurface rotors. I’d like to have that done.” I said, “OK. If you want, you can bring them in.” And he said, “Well, they’re on my car.” And we had to explain that they had to bring in the rotors for us to do that.
CM: What’s the coolest car you’ve ever owned or worked on?
JP: I haven’t really owned any, and I don’t really work on them too much, but I do have a cool-car experience. My brother-in-law is a mechanic, and he was working on a friend’s Supra. His friend bought an engine and had it shipped over from Japan. It had a turbo on it, it had nitro on it and everything else, and it was a stick shift.
My brother-in-law was away for the weekend and we were supposed to have a hailstorm. I was the only one who knew how to drive a stick shift, so they asked if I could move it inside. We went over to his shop, and I told my sister-in-law, “Let’s take it out for a spin before we pull it in.” That was pretty wild. To be thrown back in the seat when that turbo and that nitro kick in – it was pretty cool.
CM: Do you have any interesting hobbies? What do you do for fun?
JP: I like gardening. I love plants and having a garden. I try to do that when I have time.
CM: What’s your dream car?
JP: Oh goodness. A Chevelle – definitely a Chevelle. Probably early ‘70s.
