Do you remember that one car you owned in your life that took on memorable status?  The one that not only revives horrible flop-sweats, but also brings back memories that make you smile?

I have one of those.

It’s a 1999 Toyota Camry.  A white, four-door.  The car that if you gave its description to a police officer, they’d say “well that narrows it down to about two million possible matches.”  They made a ton of these back in the day, and when I first purchased it (used) back in 2001, it was a sweet ride.  I had traded in my Toyota Tercel for a more “family-oriented” sedan, as my wife and I were expecting our first child.  The Toyota Camry was a sensible, reliable, middle-America choice, and we both loved the car from the first test drive.

Over the years, it handled our kids’ car seats, lugged countless groceries, and took us on many, many family trips.  In fact, It has made the journey from Maryland to Florida so many times, it could probably tell you where “South of the Border” is on Route 95.

As the kids got older, it was my “work” car – the one I used to commute back and forth to my job every day.  I dutifully kept the oil changed and did the scheduled maintenance.  As my girls grew older, they thought it would be fun to name our vehicles, and the Camry was christened “Stan” (I also had a mini-van named “Wheezy”, which was replaced by a Nissan Sentra dubbed “Mr. Lee”).

As Stan grew older and more road weary, the kids used to make fun of him.  “Keep it up,” I’d say to them.  “Someday, you’ll be driving him.”  The years passed and lo and behold, Stan did provide them with their transportation – through both their high school years and college years as well.

Stan has had some hard knocks over his lifetime.  He’s had both side mirrors ripped off in accidents (none of them with me driving), and has been backed into on several occasions (after the latest one my youngest simply applied a “Band-Aid” to the dent, which is still there).  I’ve never washed Stan (that’s what the rain is for), and I’m convinced if I did, something might fall off of the frame.  I got Stan “classic” plates from the DMV back in 2021, as it removed me from the need of annual emission inspections and other regulatory requirements that poor Stan was starting to fail with regularity.  I’ll do what it takes to keep the old boy on the legal side of the fence.

These days, Stan doesn’t get much road work.  He spends most of his days parked along the street in front of my house, but every now and then, he gets to take a ride on the road and relive his glory days.  New passengers are often alarmed when first riding in Stan, as the A/C quit working years ago, his door handles have snapped off on occasion, and he bobs up and down over bumps due to poor suspension, which my brother-in-law refers to as the “Cadillac glide.”  All of the console lights illuminate (and stay on) when riding around in Stan, from the “Check Engine” light to the brake and tire pressure lights.  Folks riding along often get worried if the car is going to make it to their destination, but my kids and I know it’s just Stan, vying for attention.  He’ll get you there.

I still get the oil changed on a regular basis, and Stan recently received a new battery (after the last one gave out after twelve years of service).  I think he may also need some new back tires, so that will probably be in the works soon.

Friends and neighbors see Stan and say, “why don’t you get rid of that thing?”

“Because it’s Stan,” I reply.

Stan has been with us for over twenty-two years.

Stan is family.

• Editor’s note – I’ll be taking the next week off for some R&R down south, but I’ll be back in the last week of June for more rantings and ravings about the world around me. Have a great week!