When I left the house today there was something missing from my driveway. It's been there for years now and I had come to rely on it being there for quite some time. Last night they came and took away my 1996 Toyota Camry.
If I remember correctly I purchased the car from a friend 4 years ago this past November. I paid $1800 for it and it had a ton of miles on it then. I remember having to make statements like, "It's a Toyota Camry. That's still a baby." I aged it well, I believe it was sitting at over 276,000 miles on it when I pulled it into my driveway for the last time.
It had been showing it's age. Leaking oil out of various places like a sieve. It got the point where I was putting a few quarts of oil in it every week just to keep the oil light from blinking it's bright, red face at me on a regular basis. On two occasions I waited a little too long to pacify that red light and my beige beauty made me regret that decision. The engine started to seize on me on the highway one day. I was able to get it onto the shoulder and let her sit and cool down and then was able to coax her to the office and fill her oil pan. The last time she did it, I just don't think the engine could hold oil long enough to last at all. I was close to home and literally coasted her into the driveway.
I could still get her started, her engine would turn over and purr, but as soon as you pressed the gas it sounded like you dropped a silverware drawer into the engine block. It wasn't pretty.
I'm a guy. Would I like to drive a nice, cool sports car? Of course! Is it worth it to me? Not really.
There's a freedom in driving a car and not a status symbol. Once in a school parking lot, I had a lady not pay attention as she was pulling into a parking space and slid the bumper of her nice SUV down the passenger side of my car. She got out completely panicked about how her husband was going to yell at her. I told her, just worry about your husband, don't worry about me or my car. It was fine.
There was the time I was cleaning out my garage and while we swapped out the garage doors the wind caught our portable basketball goal and slammed it across the hood of the car. I didn't care. It's just a nice dent and some scratches that needed simple auto repair and new auto parts.
Prior to it leaving my possession, Kelley Blue Book wouldn't have even slapped a "FAIR" condition sticker on it. It didn't matter to me. It got me from Point A to Point B and up until the very end I was averaging 27-30 MPG. One of the things I loved about the car in the winter? The heater would heat up almost instantly. It was so warm on a cold morning. The A/C wouldn't hold refrigerant for very long at all, but I always preferred the windows down and fresh-air anyway. Oddly enough, my biggest concern was that if it were in a wreck and totaled the "value" I'd been given for the car would have been far less than the actual value the car was to me. PAID FOR. COMFORTABLE. LOW-STRESS transportation.
I'll miss you my Camry. I'm sure within hours you'll be stripped of all your valuable metals and parts and be crushed in a junk yard. Farewell old friend. You aged well. Thank you for taking me where I needed to go. Here's to finding an acceptable and affordable replacement to you very soon.