When I took this picture of my 1985 four-wheel-drive Subaru station wagon in 2004, it had 192,000+ miles (309,000+ km) on the odometer. It was versatile but not powerful, as it had only 70 (seventy) horsepower. The speedometer went up to 130 mph, but I rarely got it above 70 mph. Steep hills forced me to down-shift to ascend. Merging with freeway traffic was challenging.

It was a GL wagon, predecessor of the Loyale and Outback. Typical of Subarus of its era, it lost its cosmetic wheel hub covers. It required a key to lock/unlock the doors (no flashing of lights or chirping!) and manual cranking to raise or lower the windows. It had no power steering, no power windows, no air conditioning. I loved its boxy look and the fact that it had rain gutters (a convenience for roof racks) and four-wheel drive. It was so much a part of me that I was reluctant to think about getting another vehicle, even though I had sunk too much money into it for engine repairs and other things. But in 2007 I sold it and bought a new Toyota Sienna mini-van.

My personal assistant, Joe Tripod, supported my camera for this photo. He doesn’t care what kind of car I drive.