If your husband parked and covered the car it seems as though he wants to keep it for a period of time. You’re going to do him a favor and give it away?
I park my cars for 6 to 8 months with a cover on them and they don’t fall apart.
When a person bonds with a machine like this man seems to have done, his family and friends often don’t understand what’s going on. They see an old beat up car; he sees a reliable and cherished old friend. I just don’t understand why there’s so much pressure to get rid of it. It’s worth nothing, it costs very little to keep, it sits quietly under a tarp. He wants it, a lot. Are his wishes so stupid and toxic that the family is compelled to disrespect him and trash his car?
People collect stamps, but not for postage. They collect tobey mugs, but not to drink coffee. A closet full of shoes is fun, although no one really wears them. Baseball cards, earrings, turtles, none of those collections is seen as a family problem, but an old car? Get rid of it! It’s a piece of junk!
Once again, I just don’t get it.
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Have you ever done something similar? I have. Now that he has a new car, he won’t be driving that old car much if at all. Sitting under a tarp anywhere except the desert southwest that thing is going to rot away faster than you can imagine. BTDTBTTS. It’s simply going to waste and he may not see it now but I’ll bet he would feel better about it if someone in need can use it while it’s still worth something - in fact a veritable fortune to those that cannot afford anything better. Or just let it rot away and have fond memories of it sitting there…sometimes people can’t see the whole picture until someone helps them to see it…
52 years ago when I found I didn’t really have the time to be a short wave radio listener, the boy scouts were advertising for a short wave radio receiver. I should have given them my Hallicrafters S-20 R receiver, but I didn’t. I haven’t used it since that time. It just sits under my work bench taking up space. Vacuum tubes are now pretty expensive and I would guess that the type 80 rectifier tube might be hard to find if it burns out. Had I donated the receiver, it might have been useful for 10 years before transistors really took over. I am now trying to find someone who wants old radio parts.
I feel the same about a car. As a car gets older, parts are more difficult to come by. I feel good about giving something away or, in the case of a car, selling it at a low price or donating it, if someone can get some use out of it.
One of the few things that is old that I don’t want to part with is a pendulum clock that I inherited from my grandmother that was made before 1900. It still bongs out the hour and half hour. It started acting up a couple of years ago, but an old time clock repairman fixed it for free.
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Camry’s are GREAT cars, but not a classic. They are just an extremely reliable people mover. Nothing fancy. They’ll never be a classic. There were also extremely popular.
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Hi kiki92057. I sometimes interact with Toyota’s PR team and I copied your post to my contact in case they might be interested. Rascal243 is right, dealers sometimes do like to buy-back (or borrow) unusual cars like this Camry, but they need to be almost showroom condition. They will sometimes show them off as displays in the lobby. We long-time Toyota owners love to see the ones we drove “back when.” If Toyota comes back with a “yes” answer, I will find a way to reach back to you. I will tell you that we who write blogs for auto publications love those stories and the best way to attract attention is with a short Youtube video.
Have you ever done similar?
Yeah, but not under a tarp. I just had one of my Rivieras in the driveway until the realtor selling the house next door complained. Then I put it in the garage. Funny thing is that’s when they snapped the pictures of the house for the on-line property tax and property register. So whenever I go look at my property information, there’s a picture of my Riv sitting in the driveway for posterity or whenever they take new pictures.
I don’t get it either, but the OP’s husband is clearly operating on an emotional level, rather than a rational level. I have a tendency to save/hoard old things that are “perfectly good”, but the reality of the situation is that once I put them in my basement or my garage, I am never going to use them again. Over the past couple of years, I have–finally–decided to rid myself of all of those “perfectly good” items, and Goodwill Industries is very happy to receive them.
Last year, I legitimately claimed over $400 in donations to Goodwill, and this year I will probably break the $500 mark–for clothing and household goods. If I was also donating a functioning vehicle the total would be far higher.
You are correct. Over the past several years my wife and I have donated or thrown out thousands of dollars worth of stuff, including cars. It feels so good. That old car would be gone the moment I decided to put a tarp over it.
If it was still as good or as reliable or as comfortable or as safe is it once was there would be no reason to park it. It was purchased, served its purpose, was used up, and it’s time to move forward.
CSA
WTHIT?
CSA
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Yup!
It is–literally–cathartic–to rid one’s self of old stuff that will never again be used.
And, the income tax write-offs are a fringe benefit.
About 1/2 mile from my house, there is a very old guy who has stashed really old, really decrepit-looking Volvos in various places in the groves of trees on his property. The same cars have been sitting there for the 20 years that I have lived in the area, so it is obvious that he will never drive those rusted beaters again, and their condition makes it fairly clear that nobody else would want them either.
I think that it is only a matter of time before the municipality orders him to remove all of that JUNK from his property.
644k is a heck of a lot of miles. I knew a guy who drove a Tacoma with almost 400k on it but that’s the highest I’ve encountered. It wouldn’t hurt to send a letter to Toyota about your car. They probably won’t be too interested in it but who knows. I think the Volvo guy sent many letters to Volvo but they weren’t too interested until he was in the millions of miles. You could keep the car going and try to beat the Volvo guy’s record.
Heh heh heh. We tried. We had a class reunion get together Friday and four of us were talking. One of the guys who was also retired took up small engine repair as a side line. So I offered him my Toro mower I bought in 85 for $500 that was just fine but the carb just needs to be cleaned and adjusted. I lost my interest. He said no. Then another guy said he had (can’t remember the brand but a good one) riding tractor complete with snow blower but needed a little engine work. For free. He said no. Don’t have the room. So there we are. Stuff is too good to throw out but not good enough to pawn on anyone else. So there they still sit.
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Been There Done That Bought The T-Shirt
And still have that darn T-shirt, even though your wife has been asking you not to wear that old rag anymore.
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When you can’t even wear it to the hardware store anymore, it’s time to put it in the oil change and painting drawer.
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I remember that! Thanks! 
CSA
Everything sells if the price is right. I think expecting $500 for a 32 year old mower might be setting the bar a little too high. From a repair business perspective, there’s no room to make any money at that price. Probably tough to sell at $100 needing any work. It’s not uncommon to place a higher value on something we have owned for a long time and still works but nobody else will look at it that way…
I’ve got quite a few of those “oil change and painting” t-shirts @bing mentioned, and some that are just rags now, in my garage rag-bag. And I’ve got special tools I bought years ago to do something, the car is long gone, but the tool remains. I think I still have that flexible driver with a small square head that I used to adjust the points on a GM car in the 60’s and 70’s. Why do I have half a dozen running scooters from the 80’s? Because I can, I guess. They are much smaller than 6 cars or trucks, and much cheaper to own. But I know that my family thinks I’m nuts and they’d dump them in a heartbeat.
Why do you think I enjoy gabbing with all of you about machines? Because only one person I know well around where I live is interested, that’s why. So if the original poster’s husband loves his old Toyota, who am I to say he should feel guilt or shame? The hell with that.
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Did anyone say anything about guilt or shame?
My point was he may feel even better if he sees someone getting more use out of it than he ever would now that he has a new car. Heck, I have way more cars, boats, motorcycles and other engine driven conveyances than most would ever need or maybe even want. But I have also literally given away many that were worth decent money simply because they helped someone that needed them more than I did. Sometimes I have pangs of regret but then recall the excitement of the person that got it and the difference it made for them. Nobody is saying he HAS to do it or should feel guilty about keeping it but at least consider the alternative…
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