goodbye Celica.

last week i was in a car accident*. i'm fine, and no one was hurt, except for my friend of some ~11+ years, who was not able to survive. it was only a car, but having now said goodbye, i find myself remiss.

my '96 Celica was not my first (the first being the '84 i inherited from my dad + sister), but it likely will be my last. it was my first "new" (to me) car - having gotten it late in my college years (used - a family first!).

it was a cool ride then - cd and tape player, power windows, hatchback, spoiler and all - and it was a cool ride now - until the very end. over the years, the clutch had been replaced (after teaching far too many friends how to drive stick on it), as had the brakes, the tires, and even the radiator (a project i embarked on with my future brother-in-law at a crowded train station). when the a/c went out a few years ago, i didn't bother replacing it, opting to rather keep the windows down, and music blaring.

it had driven me all over AL, GA, MS, and GA for road-trips to see rock-shows, pretty girls and/or good friends. my tv, computer, clothes, comics and far too many personal belonging had been shuttled in and out of it between dorms, apartments, houses, and condos. it had moved me to OH - twice, and into (and out of) my first house. eventually, it took me out to NY for our most recent (and what would be its final) move. despite all the work/hassles of life, they were OK as long as i had my good Celica buddy. because driving it was always a fun (and fast) time.

*and then, it all came to a (fitting?) speeding end. driving in the rain (carefully, and slowly, believe it or not), crossing a bridge, i hit a patch of water, and hydro-planed into a concrete barrier at a not-so-slow speed. fortunately, the undercarriage of the car took most of the damage, though leaving the car undriveable. i got lucky, as the accident could have been much worse (others could have been hurt, i could have gone flying). i was in immediate shock after the accident, so it wasn't until much later that night that i realized how much worse it could have been, especially in light of recent events.

but i was ok. the Celica would not be. in it's aging years, as i had long ago dropped the collision insurance (opting only to pay for damage to anything else in its path), so the repair guy let me know it really wasn't worth it to fix up. while i'd already been thinking a new car was inevitable, it was not something i really wanted, even though i knew i had to grow up eventually.

so this past Saturday, i went to the tow-lot, cleared out my belongings, and handed over the car title to have it "junked." you've already seen the final pictures above.

so goodbye, dear Celica. R.I.P. you'll always represent the white machine (as said by my dad, and coined by my buddy Joe). but you sure could go fast, so we'll have always called you the InjoXpress (mach deux).

i guess i now have to buy a new car.