There is another thread that was asking what kind of person drives a Corolla. There were some posts about people trading F150s for Corollas that I found interesting.
I was wondering then, how did others end up driving Toyotas - corollas specifically - and do you plan to keep doing so?
Myself, my car history has been quite varied. The fact I'm driving a Toyota is something I couldn't have predicted a few years ago, but I've earned a healthy respect for them.
Here's my car history:
1984 Dodge Charger - (1992-1995) - Sold Running at 140,000 miles after only 1 blown headgasket.
1985 Dodge Charger - (1994-1998) - Sold Running at 145,000 miles - a bit hotrodded, it was massive fun. Needed a headgasket not long after being sold.
1983 Ford LTD II V6 (1996-1997) - Sold Running at 115,000 miles- Smaller bodystyle but still only got 13mpg highway or city. Drove it over most of the western half of the U.S.
1990 Plymouth Acclaim (1997) - Voluntary Repo - Mitsu v6 blew oil, transmission quit, rear wheel literally FELL OFF, and I told the finance company "what to do with it" at 155,000 miles.
1976 Plymouth Duster - (1998-2001) - Totalled - \6 engine, most reliable ever made (sorry Toyota fans). Was restoring it, put 70,000 miles on it for a guesstimated total of 250,000 miles. Then hit by a Dodge Ram.
1967 Plymouth Belvedere - (2001) - Sold Running at 85,000 miles - Hugely regret selling it, needed MINOR work but nobody would let me park it for the 1 month until I could afford the work.
1994 Dodge Shadow - (2001-2004) - Given Away Dead at 161,000 miles - Cost me a new tranny, had to replace the headgasket 3 times, then it blew the font seal and died. Made me hate Dodge.
1992 Toyota Tercel - (2004-2005) - Insurance Loss at 152,000 miles- When I got this in 2004, it looked so good people thought it was a rental. Fixed tons of stuff, drove it all over the place. Then a woman in a 96 Corolla pulled out in front of me on the freeway.
1994 Dodge B250 Van - (2005) - Ran Away as Fast As I Could at 70,000 miles - My family's "answer" to buying me a replacement for the Tercel. P.O.S.
2001 Ford F150 - (2006) - Given Back at 203,000 miles - Family's second "answer" to helping me replace the Tercel. Great truck, looked & ran like new. Got 15mpg. I gave it back to my sister.
1990 Toyota Corolla (2006-2007) - Current Vehicle) - Bought it for $500 from a friend who let it get flooded rather than bother moving it before the water rose. Water was only in the floorboards, so it still ran. After I bought it, put on new CV joints, fixed the AC and a few minor things - and now have put another 20,000 miles on it for a total of 221,000 miles.
Next car? I'm leaning toward Volkswagen. Mostly because I really don't like most of Toyota's current lineup. The Yaris tantalized me, but it is too much a "cutesy" car for my tastes. I prefer something a little more sporty - not that I always get my wish since I'm a bargain hunter.