Chris Writing Anything

What is your all time favorite automobile?

When I was younger, I loved skimming auto magazines. I desperately yearned for a sports car. Ferrari, Lamborghini or Porsche…it didn’t matter. I wanted a cool car. Guess what, although, in my teens, I did have a Camaro, my favorite car was far from sporty.

Okay, disclaimer, as far as quality and economy, I think my EUV is awesome. However, if I’m to sift through my long list of past vehicles, the story behind my sentimental favorite is a better read.

So, here it goes….

I was 19, and I was at an auto show. The setting, as I wistfully remember my first summer, was Fairbanks, Alaska. So much was new, Alaska was wide open and I needed a car.

For those who don’t know, because most car parts have to be shipped a long way, auto insurance in the Great White North was not cheap. As a matter of fact, in Alaska, I believe the monthly total to be in the 200 dollar price range.

That being said, I needed a low car payment. Among all the vehicles at this expo, a small hatchback caught my eye. And, as I gazed upon the humblest vehicle at the show, I remembered a conversation I had a couple years back.

This exchange, I’m talking about my conversation, took place in a grocery store parking lot. I was bringing an elderly gentleman’s groceries to his car, and he was bragging. He claimed he had 300,000 miles on his car. I thought he was trying to pull my leg. Yet, after I set his bag’s in the hatchback, he showed me his odometer. He hadn’t quite told me the truth…the odometer read 287,000 miles. He had told me, when I shopped for a car, buy a Honda or Toyota.

Flashback to the car show. With that man’s words in my head, and a monthly payment of 89 dollars chalked on the windshield, I knew this Toyota Tercel would make an excellent buy. I signed the paper work, registered it on base and purchased insurance.

What I didn’t do, and I certainly should have, was winterize my vehicle. It’s an expensive process. Basically, an oil pan heater, transmission fluid heater and a battery blanket keep most cars running during Alaska’s frigid winters. My car had none of that, but my tiny Tercel, well it took on Alaska’s winters as mightily as any four by four truck. My friends were impressed.

I did not treat that car well, yet that little guy never, and I do mean never, let me down.

Today, Toyotas have a better reputation, and for good reason. Because they do, their resale value is higher. No way, now how, will you find a two year old Toyota, one with four thousand miles on it, for under four thousand dollars. What I found was an absolute steal, and the man selling to me was probably glad to just get it off his hands…go figure!

Have an Excellent Day!