It Keeps Coming-Back! (A long boring car story)

Has anyone ever owned a car which just seems to follow (maybe stalk) you through life? I think I’m being stalked by a Corolla I used to own. Let me explain...

Circa 2012 I bought a year-old Corolla for a now former in-law who needed a car but had no credit. The car was everything which you’d expect a year-old Corolla to be; basic, reliable, boring. It’s only saving graces we’re that it was magnetic grey and had alloy wheels. It’s only con was that I bought it from Hertz so it had been a rental. No biggie, it wasn’t going to be my car, all I had to do was cash the checks each month until I was paid back.

That worked well for the next two years until I went through a Divorce and said Corolla (because it was titled in my name) came back to me by a now former in-law who I guess didn’t want to keep writing me a check every month.

The car was filthy and I really had no use for it. I briefly tried trading it in for something else I did have use for but money was tight, most of my things were in storage and I was bouncing around the Southwest working, playing and bank-rolling $$ for a house. Somehow parking it in the garage at my then GF’s Condo made sense, so I did that.

In that time the car started to grow on me. It was nice owning something which averaged 30 MPG, ran with no complaints and attracted no attention. I made a lot of trips to Las Vegas, Palm Springs, the river. We might have toured some National Parks in it too, I don't really know apparently I only have one pic of it, which is weird for me. All that said, eventually I started liking it. My friends teased me endlessly about it (my other vehicles are all more custom). The girl I was dating at the time called it my ‘Mom car’ since she was a Mom and had well, the same car. We also once lost the car for a day in Las Vegas because neither of us could remember exactly where we’d parked it and there are a lot of grey Corolla’s in this world.

Eventually a buddy of mine borrowed the car for about a month. During that time my attraction to the little car began to wane. I decided my GF’s garage was a better fit for my air-cooled VW and with four other cars, I realized I didn’t really need a Corolla in my life. So I made my friend who had been on an extended test drive a screaming deal on it and sold it to him. He eventually gave it to his wife and other than seeing it from time-to-time when I’d stop by his house I largely forgot about the car. It mainly reminded me of a shitty time in my life I’m happy to have behind me.

Yesterday I got a text saying that my friend's family has out-grown the Corolla and they’re getting a minivan and would I like to buy the Corolla back for cheap. I laughed as I pictured myself back in the boring grey car. I told him no thanks and went on with my day.

Then last night my current GF mentioned she might want it for her soon-to-be 16 year old son. We’re going to look at it in a week. I’m hoping it catches on fire before we get there.


Here's what I think is the only pic I have of the car from the time when I owned/drove it. I used to back it in so I'd feel cooler LOL!

 

I'm sorry but that's some funny shit.

 

No need to be sorry, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction!

On that note, it sounds like it’s coming home. Yay, my life is feeling more boring already LOL!

Quick update: It looks like my current GF is going to buy it and I get to store it at my house until her son gets his license sometime next year. She mentioned we could take some trips in it since it gets better mileage than anything else we own. Sometimes I feel like my life revolves around the same situations but with different people LOL!