A question about that sleek, black 1967 Chevy Impala

[agt_spooky]

I've been wracking my brain for an answer to this and coming up blank - has it ever been said on Supernatural exactly when John gave Dean the Impala?

Now for the purposes of a story that I'm in the process of writing (before dairwendan kills me!) it would be great if John gave it to Dean when he was about 19 or so, but I'm thinking by the clues I can recall in canon it was a lot later than that.

We know the Impala was Dean's by the time of the Pilot, since he was off on his own in New Orleans when John went missing. Then in Dead Man's Blood, John gets on Dean's case about the car, saying he wouldn't have given it to him if he wasn't going to take care of it. Making it seem like the car had only been Dean's sole responsibility for a short while.

And again in Dead Man's Blood, Dean seems surprised to see John's hidden weapon case, like perhaps John hadn't had Truckzilla for all that long and/or the case was a new addition.

(As an aside, I wonder what happened to poor Truckzilla, abandoned with four slashed tires in front of that warehouse. Seems a shame that all of John's weapons were probably impounded by the police when the truck was eventually towed away)

Ok, so am I being completely dense and there was an answer on the show? If not, when do YOU think John gave Dean the Impala?

Comments

[riveryklown.livejournal.com]

From what I understood from the Pilot, he didn't have the impala before Sam left for Stanford. (Dad's letting you hunt alone? conversation)
So that's cca 3 - 1 years before the pilot. (I say 1 year cause Dean said "I'm 26 dude which sorta made it sound like he's all adult now and has been for a while, so I'm thinking it couldn't be a totally new thing, John letting him go on hunts alone)
That's my opinion. It was never confirmed though.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

From what I understood from the Pilot, he didn't have the impala before Sam left for Stanford. (Dad's letting you hunt alone? conversation)

True, true. Though I guess you could also take that to mean that Dean had had the Impala for a few years, but hadn't been hunting on his own until recently.

That's my opinion. It was never confirmed though.

And thank you very much for it! Now if only the show would tell us...

[bitchtude.livejournal.com]

Duh, never mind what I just wrote. Read the dang question wrong, LOL! I don't think it's ever been firmly answered in the show but I'd think Dean got is when he went out on his own hunting. Kind of like a rite of passage present.

Poor Truckzilla. Not only did the police get all the cool weapons, they got John's stash of fake IDs, LOL!

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

but I'd think Dean got is when he went out on his own hunting. Kind of like a rite of passage present.

So you're thinking somewhere between the ages of 22 and 26, the years Sam was gone, since Sam sounded quite surprised that Dean was hunting on his own. That's kind of what I inferred from that scene as well.

Poor Truckzilla. Not only did the police get all the cool weapons, they got John's stash of fake IDs, LOL!

I know! That makes me so sad!

[charityflint.livejournal.com]

Hmm, good question. I don't remember there ever being an official answer to this according to canon. Because of that, you could probably do anything you want to.

For me, I think John would have started pulling away from Dean both emotionally and physically shortly after Sam left for Stanford. Prior to that time, there would have been no reason for John to go it alone. His family was intact and functioning like he thought it should and always would. When Sam left, it threw everything into chaos for both Dean and John. John had never learned how to comfort his kids once he took to being a hunter because he was too busy indulging his own pain and loss. It's that inability that drove the wedge between John and Dean. John couldn't handle Dean's devastation over Sam abandoning him/them, so withdrew both physically and emotionally.

I see him giving Dean the Impala at that point as a way to try and compensate for that emotional vacuum. He knows Dean loves the car and will see it as a special rite of passage, but it will also allow John to function more and more on his own because Dean has his own wheels.

John hoped the car would function as the comfort blanket he couldn't provide. And Dean accepted it for what it was, knowing it was the only thing his Dad could do for him.

Gorram, I'm a Drama Queen in the high court of Angst, aren't I?

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Prior to that time, there would have been no reason for John to go it alone

I guess I wasn't thinking along those lines so much as I was thinking that with John being gone so much, and Dean quite capable of driving, that he wanted to leave the boys with transportation, so turned the Impala over to Dean.

Though I like your angst theory even better! :-)

[khek.livejournal.com]

I sort of thought that once John left Sam and Dean alone, and Dean was old enough to drive, he would have had his own car. It would make sense, just because it would mean Dean and Sam could be left alone for longer stretches, and be able to get around on their own more.

I don't know if that car would have been the Impala, but I bet Dean had his own car at 16. Now, it could have been the Impala, or it could have been something else. It would make more sense for John to have something that was more mainstream if he was hunting alone though, because he didn't have anyone to back him up and invisible would be better.

As for the weapons arsenal in truckzilla, I always thought that Dean was less surprised by what was there than he was by how it was organized; with electrical access and little individual foam compartments for each weapon. It was a little overkill! (Although both Gordon and Steve Wandell had similar organized weapon spaces...maybe there's a hunter out there who did special jobs, and John just didn't tell the boys!)

My theory would be that Dean got the Impala around 18 as a rite of passage, or at 21, after Sam left as a kind of consolation gift.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

I sort of thought that once John left Sam and Dean alone, and Dean was old enough to drive, he would have had his own car.

Yeah, exactly. That's why I thought it would've been in Dean's teenage years that John turned it over to him.

It would make more sense for John to have something that was more mainstream if he was hunting alone though, because he didn't have anyone to back him up and invisible would be better.

Right, exactly. The Impala isn't exactly inconspicuous!

I always thought that Dean was less surprised by what was there than he was by how it was organized; with electrical access and little individual foam compartments for each weapon.

Yeah, he was probably like, "Dad left the trunk like this for ME, then he goes off and gets this custom case??"

My theory would be that Dean got the Impala around 18 as a rite of passage, or at 21, after Sam left as a kind of consolation gift.

For my story it would be great if it was around 19, but I can also see him getting it later on, like you said.

Ok, Eric, here's something else we want an answer for! :-)

[sj0126.livejournal.com]

i think john gave him the impala when he was 18 or something. he obviously had it before sam left at least because he wasn't surprised by the fact that dean had the metallicar when he showed up. i think though, espacially after sam left, that john was gone a lot more and got more and more obsessed with hunting and such, which is why the trunk being all organized like that may have been a surprise.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

i think john gave him the impala when he was 18 or something

For my story, I'm hoping that it is, too. :-)

and got more and more obsessed with hunting and such, which is why the trunk being all organized like that may have been a surprise.

And Dean's probably like, "you left the trunk of the Impala a mess for me!" :-)

[cloex-brosluvr.livejournal.com]

Ooh good question.

Well, for me it would seem he had to of had it awhile now. (I'm guessing since about he was 19-21 years old). I remember in the season 3 ep 'The Kids are alright' when Dean talks about Lisa and how he met her 8/9 years ago when John and Sam were doing something else, so I would think they BOTH would of needed a car since they were in two different locations. :shrugs:

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Well, for me it would seem he had to of had it awhile now. (I'm guessing since about he was 19-21 years old)

I like your thinking - it fits perfectly with my story. :-)

and how he met her 8/9 years ago when John and Sam were doing something else, so I would think they BOTH would of needed a car since they were in two different locations

Ah, good point! I'd forgotten about that comment, thanks!

[dairwendan.livejournal.com]

I think John would have given it to Dean as soon as Dean could legally drive, when he was sixteen. Because that would allow John to be gone longer on hunts. Dean could get himself and Sam back and forth to school, work, the grocery store, etc. It would have made life so much easier.

Not to argue, but just imo, John's comment didn't necessarily mean that Dean hadn't had the car long. I think for as long as Dean had the car (2, years, 10 years, 20 years) John would have had the same proprietory feeling toward it and would have been on Dean's case about taking care of it.

Also, I don't think that Dean would have been allowed to hunt alone just because he had the car. Nor would he have been given the car just when he was allowed to hunt alone. He could easily have had the car as his own but not been allowed to hunt on his own.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Dean could get himself and Sam back and forth to school, work, the grocery store, etc. It would have made life so much easier.

Yeah, that's why I was thinking teenage years, too.

John would have had the same proprietory feeling toward it and would have been on Dean's case about taking care of it.

That comment pretty much fits John in general, eh?

He could easily have had the car as his own but not been allowed to hunt on his own.

I agree. That's why I lean toward him having the car as a teenager, but didn't start hunting alone until after Sam left for Stanford.

Thanks for your thoughts, my friend!

[tracys-dream.livejournal.com]

I don'nt know when John gave Dean the Impala but I always thought he gave it to him when he was 17.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

My initial thought was his later teenage years as well. I think Eric needs to give us an answer on this! :-)

[tracys-dream.livejournal.com]

Yes that would be good and a little story behind it.

[alphabet26.livejournal.com]

I never really thought about when Dean got the Impala, but there was some discussion here about John using it to keep Dean in school and I like the idea of Dean getting it as a reward for finishing high school/getting his GED, whatever Dean did.

If you go the high school route, Dean would probably be about eighteen and a half in June of that year. But you can fudge with his age there, because I know there's some idea that Dean started school a year late what with John trying to recover and all. I don't know that I entirely believe that, but I can buy it.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Hey, thanks for that link! I didn't even know there was a weeChesters community!

I know there's some idea that Dean started school a year late what with John trying to recover and all. I don't know that I entirely believe that, but I can buy it.

I never thought about there being a gap in Dean's schooling, but I can see with John's grief and him up and leaving Lawrence that Dean may have missed some time. Something to think about, thanks!

[alphabet26.livejournal.com]

Well, I figure Dean probably went to some sort of preschool, but that probably stopped after Mary's death. Or maybe John (or Mike) tried to keep it up to help and keep some normalcy for Dean.

I'm really fuzzy on what's canon/journal and what's comic, sorry, but if he'd already left Lawrence and was focused on hunting, September of '84 might have rolled around without him even realizing he should have enrolled Dean in school.

I also think that John would have tried to avoid enrolling Dean in a school if they were just going to move away soon. You know what? I recently wrote a fic about all this here so I'll just link that, too. (Blatant self-promotion for the fail!)

...And of course, this has nothing to do with your original question about when Dean got the Impala. Well, tangents are always fun, right? ;)

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Sorry for the late reply!

but if he'd already left Lawrence and was focused on hunting, September of '84 might have rolled around without him even realizing he should have enrolled Dean in school.

Yeah, I can actually see that happening, as John's focus during that time was finding the thing that killed Mary and avenging her death.

I also think that John would have tried to avoid enrolling Dean in a school if they were just going to move away soon.

I've often wondered just how many schools the boys were in over the years.

I recently wrote a fic about all this here so I'll just link that, too. (Blatant self-promotion for the fail!)

Yay! Fic! Thank you for the link!

Well, tangents are always fun, right?

Tangents are awesome!

[andromakhe001.livejournal.com]

It seems to me he mustn't have had it before Sam left for Stanford. I think perhaps he was sometimes allowed to use it if John didn't feel he'd need it but I don't think it was actually Dean's until after Sam left for school. That's just the sense I got from the Pilot and how surprised Sam seemed to be that Dean had ever been on a solo hunt.

I think it was a way for John to distance himself without making Dean immediately suspicious(and wow, doesn't this just break my heart for Dean, he never gets ANYTHING without a price to pay for it).

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

It seems to me he mustn't have had it before Sam left for Stanford

I keep going back and forth with this. On one hand, like you mentioned, I can see John giving it to him after Sam left, and that's kinda the clues we get from the Pilot.

But then I keep thinking that John would've given it to Dean in his teenage years, simply because it would give the boys transportation while John was gone for days at a time on a hunt.

Ok, Eric, this is the next thing you need to give us an answer to! :-)

[fergus80.livejournal.com]

I don't think that giving Dean the Car meant that he got to hunt alone. But I also don't think that Sam saying that Dad let you hunt alone on the pilot really meant that much either... except for the fact that John would have not gone missing while Dean was out on a hunt in case he was needed to come in and help.

However, remember when Dean had that time with Lisa? A few states for a few weeks, but it was mostly with Lisa? I totaly see him having that car then. The truck might have been new though. John might not have kept old cars like Dean does, and thus started to get new ones when the trail on him got to close. I'd say he probably got it around his 18th birthday.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

I don't think that giving Dean the Car meant that he got to hunt alone

I agree. John could've given the car to Dean in his teenage years simply because it would allow the boys transportation while John was off on a hunt for days at a time.

owever, remember when Dean had that time with Lisa? A few states for a few weeks, but it was mostly with Lisa? I totaly see him having that car then

You're the second person to mention that, and I'd totally forgotten about that line. But from that, yeah, I'd believe that the Impala was Dean's by then.

I'd say he probably got it around his 18th birthday.

That'd work for my story! :-)

[even-dusk-fades.livejournal.com]

Personally, I think John would have bitched at Dean for not taking care of the car if he'd had it for ten days or ten years, so I'm inclined to believe that he'd had it for at least a year or two.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Personally, I think John would have bitched at Dean for not taking care of the car if he'd had it for ten days or ten years,

Yeah, that does pretty much sound like John, doesn't it? :-)

so I'm inclined to believe that he'd had it for at least a year or two.

Thanks for your thoughts!

[even-dusk-fades.livejournal.com]

Yup, that's pretty much John in a nutshell; he bitches.