By
Jeremy Duda
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Sophomore beats out nearly a quarter of a million hopefuls for brand-new Saturn
Collin Hughes is going to be driving in style soon.
The graphic-design sophomore received word yesterday that he is the winner of a 2001 Saturn SC1 from Target.com, beating the odds of 1 in100,000.
"I already have a good car, but I've got to take this on general principle," Hughes said.
It may take up to six weeks for him to get his prize, which has a retail value of about $20,000, but if any Tucson dealerships have a black 2001 SC1 with an automatic transmission, as he requested, he could have his new car within a week.
Target.com's contest rules stated that anyone between the ages of 16 and 21 could fill out an application entitling them to a free CD at any Target department store. The application had to be notarized as proof of age before being sent in.
Hughes, who filled out the form about three weeks ago, called the contest hotline yesterday around 3:30 p.m. only to discover that the car was his in what the operator he talked to described as a "1 in 100,000 chance." Nearly a quarter of a million people entered the sweepstakes, and two of them were chosen to receive the grand prize.
Hughes' victory is not the first random event in the free-car saga. He would not have even known about the contest if his mother, who lives in Seattle, had not told him about the free CD offer after reading about it on Target's Web site.
"The first thing I plan to do when I get the car is go into Target and get my free CD," said Hughes.
Plans are already underway to sell his current car, a 1995 Dodge Intrepid, which he bought just eight months ago from a family friend. Hughes expects to get $5,000 to $7,000 for his current car, which he plans to use to pay for taxes on his new one.
With the remaining money, he said he wants to "pimp out" his new Saturn with rims, tinting and a stereo system, as well as give some to his mother for a shopping spree.
"I'm making her spend at least $1,000 of it to go to Nordstrom's or something," Hughes said.
