04-12-2020, 02:46 AM
Edit - just moved this from another part of the forum. I transmogrified my posts...
I learned the value of Toyotas early on. My dad was an oilfield engineer, and worked overseas on contract projects. He would only come back to the U.S. long enough to get another job. So, he'd only spend a few hundred dollars on a used car, since he'd only need it for a few months. At first, he'd buy Pintos, Vegas and other cheap small American cars. Part of our ritual when he'd come back was to do a road trip from L.A. to Northern New Mexico to visit his family, which were my aunt, uncle, and cousins. Making these long trips in a dodgy old Pinto was always an adventure. I learned to pop a clutch to start a car, swap fuses, and do all sorts of other vehicular survival skills on these old cars at the age of 10.
Then, he bought a Corona, I think a 1972. It wouldn't die under any conditions. After that, his old beaters were always Toyotas. I entered college as he left for another job, he gifted me the old Corolla he was driving, and it lasted me through graduation.
My first new vehicle when I got out of college was a Toyota truck. I eventually sold it to a neighbor who used it in his plumbing business. Whenever I visit my old neighborhood, I still see it in his driveway.
Then again, you never can discount the longevity of other cars. My friend's '99 Ranger just rolled 398k on its original engine and clutch. My cousin's '95 Bronco has done over 350k.
I learned the value of Toyotas early on. My dad was an oilfield engineer, and worked overseas on contract projects. He would only come back to the U.S. long enough to get another job. So, he'd only spend a few hundred dollars on a used car, since he'd only need it for a few months. At first, he'd buy Pintos, Vegas and other cheap small American cars. Part of our ritual when he'd come back was to do a road trip from L.A. to Northern New Mexico to visit his family, which were my aunt, uncle, and cousins. Making these long trips in a dodgy old Pinto was always an adventure. I learned to pop a clutch to start a car, swap fuses, and do all sorts of other vehicular survival skills on these old cars at the age of 10.
Then, he bought a Corona, I think a 1972. It wouldn't die under any conditions. After that, his old beaters were always Toyotas. I entered college as he left for another job, he gifted me the old Corolla he was driving, and it lasted me through graduation.
My first new vehicle when I got out of college was a Toyota truck. I eventually sold it to a neighbor who used it in his plumbing business. Whenever I visit my old neighborhood, I still see it in his driveway.
Then again, you never can discount the longevity of other cars. My friend's '99 Ranger just rolled 398k on its original engine and clutch. My cousin's '95 Bronco has done over 350k.