From 1967 to 1974, I owned a used 1965 Pontiac Catalina (1967-1971)...

...a used 1966 Ford Mustang (1972-1973)...

...and a very used 1963 Mercury Comet (1973-1974).

I purchased my first brand new car in 1974. It was a Chevrolet Impala Custom with a V-8 engine. I paid $3,800. for it. I drove it for 10 years and approximately 130,000 miles. During that time, I had to replace the transmission, the alternator, both rear wheel bearings, the starter, all the shock absorbers (struts were not used back then), the power steering unit, both upper and lower steering arms and bushings, the radiator, the entire exhaust system and I had to replace body side moldings, eventually having it totally repainted.

In 1984, I traded what was left of my Chevy for a new Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais. It was a good-looking car also with a V-8. In 1986, with only 27,000 miles on it, the car needed a front-end alignment. During that service call, the mechanic told me that the next time I bring it in for any front-end work, it would also need front-end parts. I was shocked. I asked him, “How is it possible that these parts are worn out so quickly?” He told me that General Motors had been using the same front-end design on all their sedans for nearly 15 years with no improvements. This mechanic was a good friend and one who had worked on my cars for years, so I trusted his opinion.

With that information, I decided to trade the car in for a new 1986 Oldsmobile Tornado, which had a totally new design inside and out, and especially under the hood. I’m not sure if it was because I had long hair, or maybe the way I was dressed (blue jeans and a T-shirt) but I was handed off from one salesperson to the next, and after nearly an hour waiting to speak with someone about buying that new car, I left. Apparently, they didn’t think I could afford it. The joke was on them. It was the last time I set foot in an American Car Dealership. (By the way, that car dealership went out of business a few years later.)

Over the years prior to 1986, I had been paying attention to Toyota’s entrance into the American auto market. The company was making great strides in the small and medium sized car market and the quality of their products was starting to be noticed by American consumers. The American car manufacturers were too slow to catch on to this situation, and as a result, their sales started dropping significantly.

After leaving the Oldsmobile dealership, I drove straight down the same street to the Toyota dealership. A salesperson approached me right away, as I’m sure they are trained to do. I told him I had a 2-year-old trade in excellent condition. We haggled price (as was usual with me) and I ended up purchasing my first Toyota that night: a new 1986 Toyota Celica GTS with a high performance 4-cylinder engine and a 4-speed transmission. What a fun car! I drove it for 6 years.

During that time, my need for a bigger car forced me back to the dealership. Again, I was treated like any other person looking to buy a car. In 1992, the all-new 3rd Generation Toyota Camry was introduced. I immediately signed up for one.

Two years later, I traded for a 1994 Camry – this time, I leased it.

The following year, realizing that I was putting too many miles on it, I was ready to trade, fully expecting to get another Camry. But that year (1995), Toyota introduced the Avalon. A more luxurious version of the Camry with a Lexus drivetrain. I was traveling a lot and pulling a trailer, so a heavier, more powerful engine appealed to me. I signed a lease for a 1995 Avalon.

Two years later, during a routine oil change, I was browsing the new car lot at the dealership. I noticed a 1997 Avalon that had been sitting on the lot since my previous oil change. A salesperson approached me and asked if I was interested. I told him I was not, that I still had a year on my current lease. He said, “Make me an offer.” I made him a ridiculous offer that I was certain would be refused, but his manager accepted it, and I drove home with a new 1997 Toyota Avalon that day.

I kept that car until the lease was up in 2000. In July, I leased a new Avalon and after that 5-year lease was up, I purchased it. I drove it for a total of 21 years and nearly 250,000 miles. During those years, I never replaced a transmission, an alternator, a power steering unit, wheel bearings, a starter, an exhaust system or a radiator. With that many miles, there were routine things that had to be done, but nothing major failed on the car ever. The engine, transmission and trans-axles were still strong. The car did develop a little rust over the passenger side rear wheel well, which was repaired as soon as I noticed it. No other rust ever developed on the car. It certainly did not need to be repainted. I sold the car right out of my driveway, after it sat there for only about 2 hours, for cash.

In 2021 I was not traveling or pulling a trailer like I did with the Avalon. I decided a Camry would be enough car for me. But as the world was slowly coming back to life after COVID, new cars were not easily found. I was even looking at Hondas and Hyundais. Ultimately, I was very fortunate to find a base Camry with exterior and interior colors that appealed to me and I jumped on it. The car was certainly all I expected and then some. It’s 8-speed transmission combined with a large 2.5 litre 4 cylinder engine had plenty of power. It handled great and got 40 mpg on the highway.

So that's my car-owning history over the last 58 years. It was obvious to me that beginning in the late 1980s, Toyota had it all over the American car manufacturers. I doubt that will change during my remaining car buying years.