What happened was, I was turning out of a convient store parking lot and I heard something crack, then I couldn’t steer. Before I even realized that I was out of control I was up on a curb and stopped by a young maple. Getting outside I noticed that practically the whole undercarriage of the vehicle was dragging on the ground. Luckily I wasn’t traveling fast, or I and probably other people would be dead. Anyway, my second corolla, and the first car I ever purchased, was a blue 1990 sedan that I found advertised on the internet and bought for US$1550 from Mexico Auto Sales in Van Nuys California. I still have the “Mexico Auto Sales: You’re Numero Uno with Us” key chain in the shape of a number 1. I drove that shitbox all over LA county for 5 months and sold it, sight unseen, to a girl who was moving to LA to do the same internship program I was on at the time. She sent me a check, I sent her the papers and keys and left the car in the parking structure at the apartment complex for her to find. She paid me $1500. After moving home I broke the streak and bought a 1993 Honda Accord that wasn’t even paid for when I left to go to New Zealand. Now my dad is making my payments on it and my sister is driving it to school and work, but I’ll get it back when I go home. Now I’ve found this red 89 corolla hatchback. It’s a manual (my first) and has 260,000km (161,500mi) on it. But the motor is new and only has 80,000km (50,000mi) on it. It cost me NZ$1350 (US$900) and it runs really well. I'd been thinking about what to name it since I agreed to buy it. Then, driving home with it for the first time, I was thinking I wanted it to have a first and last name. The flatmates and I had just been talking about Kiano Reeves movies a couple days before and it came to me: Johnny Utah. The ex-star-quarterback turned undercover FBI agent/surfer from Point Break. So here you have it, ladies and gentleman I present to you Johnny Utah:
3 comments:
Johnny Utah - I like it. I think car names are important.
Oh, you weren't coming out of a "convenient store" you were coming out of THE convenient store - Coats' Convenient. Haha! I remember that accident though - it was scary!
That's right, Coat's Convient - two of my best friends were working there at the time. All I wanted was to pick up some French Onion Dip for my mom. . .
The ironic part of the story is I was driving my Dad's car (a white minivan with a remarkable resemblance to the space shuttle) because my car at the time needed a new muffler and was really loud. So to save myself the embarrassment of driving a car that needed a muffler, I drove a minivan that broke and caused me to lose control and hit a tree.
I can still see the van sitting against the tree... a scary but funny moment now that you think about it. Don't forget the dash on that minivan slept 6 easily, ha.
Anyways, Johnny Utah, what a great name for Corolla #3. Johnny always put up a good fight and never quit the same could be said for the Corolla, always moves along and never quits. It's hard to say what Corolla has been the best so far because the 2 I've been in each had their own thing going on and I'm sure the new one has something different about it too. It's a shame you'll have to dump this one when you're ready to leave, just think of the fun that could be had around the post if #1 was still around and with your Corolla from LA & NZ. It would be a circus of Corolla's, you, me and shawn all in a seperate one pulling up to the Sit'n Bull for PGL's. Good times!
-Greg
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