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| Antigone circa 1992 |
I'm a firm believer in the Toyota Corolla. This dependable
and reliable car is one of the best selling cars worldwide and it just turned
50 in the USA!
My 2nd care was a 1985 Toyota Corolla. I got it 2nd
hand in 1988. It was red, had no AC (air conditioning) a hatchback, and had 2
doors. It said "twin cam" on the side and it was a stick. (manual
transmission). I was in the Army back then, back before I had kids, and it
followed me to the 295th MP Company at the Seneca Army Depot in New
York. I loved exploring upstate New York in my little "putt-putt." Eventually
I gave it a name - Antigone.
My corolla had character. All I had to do was keep up with
oil changes and rotate the tires. It was mega-dependable and fun to drive. In
1989 when I was assigned to Fulda, Germany, I shipped the car overseas and
drove it all over Europe. Antigone visited Berlin, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Paris,
France, Berchesgarten and Garmish. Maintenance was easy. I must have went over
400,000 miles while Germany. (I was young back then and didn't pay much
attention to the mileage, just enough to get my oil changes).
In 1992 I had it shipped to Ft. Irwin, CA. Boy, did I miss
not having AC then! I kept up with my maintenance, but Antigone finally sprung
a gasket and starting leaking so I sold her in 1994.
The Corolla has gone through 11 generations since 1966.
Antigone was the 5th generation. Corollas are a compact car and nowadays
you find them in automatic with 4 doors.
There's a reason why Corollas are popular: They've got great
gas mileage, they're dependable, easy to care for, and fun to drive. With just
a little love, they'll last forever.
Last year I bought another Corolla. I drive 32 miles each
way to work and I needed a compact car with good gas mileage that was
affordable and fun to drive. The Corolla fit the bill. I found one in a stick,
but most are automatics now. It's got 4 doors, a moon roof, and AC - a must in
southern California.
My 9 year old son has named the car "Shortez," (the
z is silent) because it's small and short compared to our 4Runner.
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| Shortez (the z is silent) 2015 |
We've already taken Shorte on a trip to Pismo Beach and
we're looking forward to exploring California with him.
So, all said, "Happy Birthday Toyota Corolla!"
You're one fun and dependable car. Now, you just need a Hybrid model.
Question for you: Do you have a Toyota? If so, what make? If
you don't have a Toyota, what was your first car? For those curious about my 1st
car, let me know.
Smiles to all
Steph
We had a small Toyota Pickup Truck that my mother-in-law drove. It later somehow survived my teenage son driving it...I credit that it had a chain-drive valve-train versus a prone to failure belt-drive valve-train. An automatic tranny was the only weakness.
ReplyDeleteI miss the old cars that were so dependable. It seems like the newer cars aren't as fun. I loved my Chevy Tracker which was really a Suzuki. My daughter inherited it and she has 200,000 miles on it.
ReplyDeleteOlder cars are a bit more dependable. I think the workmanship put into them was a higher quality. Perhaps that's something you lose when you use lighter parts and more robotics? Older cars hold up better in traffic accidents, too.
ReplyDeleteSmiles
Steph