December 2007: while driving some guys around for my buddy's bachelor party, a strange sound emanates from the front axle of my now profoundly beloved Corolla. I (unwisely?) choose to ignore it and drive on, but am slightly disturbed.
March 2008: Sounds come and go. I'm still alive, and I'm still ignoring them.
October 2008: It's too much to bear now. I take it to Firestone, where the service manager, shocked, asks, "Exactly HOW long have you been driving it like this?" Front struts and lower control arms need to be replaced. I replace the struts only, because apparently the latter isn't of utmost safety importance (although it was the cause of the nails-on-a-chalkboard grinding noise. The end is nigh.
December 2008/January 2009: On its last legs. I decide that a round trip around the perimeter of my own, lesser-known version of the Texas triangle (Dallas, Longview, Austin) will be its last, as my brother and I celebrate Xmas/New Years. So, I decide to dust off my camera (Which rarely is used; I always forget. Seriously, there's very little photographic evidence that I even exist.) and, in the interest of partially alleviating the intense nostalgia that will inevitably result once the car is gone, plan on taking some shots on the road. And you're in luck, you're about to see the results.
DISCLAIMER: My photography skills were substantially hampered by the fact that (1) I was simultaneously driving for many of the shots and (2) I am not my semi-pro photographer friend. Enjoy, to the best of your ability.
Me and the "golden oldie".
Profile.
Speedometer. Misleading, because the little pointer actually has gone around twice, translating to an actual speed of about 206 mph. Also, note the awesome mileage I racked up. All told, it stands at 161405, and will hopefully hit 200k for its future owner.
Duct tape holding a portion of the wheel well that mysteriously would break free and drag against the ground.
Rearview mirror. Will try to convince Pearl Jam to use this picture for an album cover on future prints of their album, Rearview Mirror. I am cautiously optimistic.
East Texas scenery. Doesn't get any better.
My brother arguing a topic of importance. I'm guessing something related to which Whataburger we should stop at on the way down to Austin.
From the passenger seat.
Hill country, out by Lago Vista, where we were looking for a disc golf course. If nothing else, it provided some good scenery.
Skyline, on the way back in to Big D.
So, late next week, Dallas Can Academy (a charity) will come haul it away, and, after some work on the engine and the wheel assembly (or whatever the technical term is), someone else will become the third proud owner of this marvel of Japanese automotive art. It really is funny how attached we can get to machines, but I guess the experiences associated with the car are what we are most attached to. Many, many road trips; countless songs played on CD/radio; people who sat in the passenger seat. Interesting.
"The sun rises, but the sun also sets."
- Ryan Adams
2 comments:
Good morning! I was watching the web .. I will stop here that ritendgo interesting with beautiful pictures. I make a little effort to write well in francase but I think that with time you better. I am fond of poetry with a dream in the drawer, open a room where you can eat and drink in Paris.
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Ah, goodbye old Corolla! Your replacement is much nicer, though.
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