Ode to an Old Yaris. A Love Story.

[Redbat01]

With deep regret, I traded-in my little eleven year old Toyota Yaris. Aside from a little bit of noise in the transaxle, it was running just fine. But it was the logical thing to do.

I bought it back in 2008 as a commuter car to take me back and forth between my home in Lower Heidelberg and my place of work in Allentown, an 80 mile round trip.

Over the years, I racked-up 192,000 miles with nothing but routine maintenance, which consisted of oil changes, air filters, tires and one set of brakes. Oh, and two headlight bulbs. It still had its original exhaust system, catalytic converter, suspension struts, clutch, spark plugs, etc. It was the most reliable car I ever owned by far, and I've had some good ones.

The hatch was large and tall, so I used it to haul my yard clippings to the dump in a garbage can which fit handily inside. I transported my 20 foot ladder in it, big pieces of lumber and tree branches in it.

When the pine tree in my side yard blew down, I straightened it back up with the Yaris, hitching the tree trunk to the tow hooks located beneath the bumper. As I pulled forward, the tree tried to pull the Yaris backward. But the Yaris won the battle.

With the tree tethered to the Yaris, I guy-wired the tree to thick steel stakes that I had pounded into the ground. The tree has been straight ever since.

I drag raced the Yaris and drove it on the track at full speed during several high speed time trial events sponsored by the Northeast Corvair Council. It was by no means the fastest car, but with an aftermarket anti-roll bar and sticky tires, I managed not to disgrace myself.

Despite this abuse, it left me stranded only once, when the battery went dead while parked in the economy lot at Philadelphia International Airport. The AAA service truck replaced the battery right there, on the spot.

Balthasar Gracian once wrote, "The sensible person’s maxim: abandon things before they abandon you. Know how to turn an ending into a triumph."

And so, I've taken leave of my little Toyota Yaris. I'm sure it will be resold to someone quickly and I hope it will give several more years of good service.

If my new car is half as much fun, I'll be more than satisfied. My new car is a Toyota Corolla Hatchback XSE.