Yesterday marked the end of an era. Namely, upon the acquisition of a new vehicle in the household, it was time to say goodbye to Big Blue, the ’96 Corolla I’d driven since ’95, the one that still had rooftop dents from folks sitting atop it in the Darlington Raceway infield.
I first met Big Blue out of necessity. You see, I’d had an incident with my previous vehicle on a slick roadway in Florence, SC. months after I’d arrived to launch my career as a journalist.
She was purchased — for somewhere around $14K if I remember correctly, which wasn’t too far off from my annual salary at the time — from a place called Bob Bible Toyota.
She then accompanied me to Sea Isle (and Atlantic City) for five years and lasted 15 more in the city of Philadelphia. She was a good vehicle, albeit one that I was loathe to take on the highway in recent months.
So, goodbye, Big Blue. You were a pleasure with which to share the past two decades.