Panamanians Love Toyota

My friends left me their 1976 Toyota Land Cruiser while they are back in the States. This is fortuitous because our car is in the shop and we need a vehicle.

Alright, a loaner car in a time of need.

This isn't just any old Land Cruiser. It has different colors on the doors, quarter panels and body from repeated repairs.

The leaf springs on the front axle are clearly visible. This gives a ride somewhere between brain homogenizing and spine crushing. Lucky, I have false teeth or the fillings would rattle out.

But the most charming item is the key.

It falls out of the key holder on the column. You are supposed to remember to loop a rubber band over the key to hold it in place. Except for engaging the starter, the key is not necessary to run the beast. It will run once started without the key.

So, the key tends to fall out on the floor. No problem you say. Well, the floor has holes in it. There's plenty of road visible between your feet. If the key falls through the holes, goodbye for good on these roads! Then you couldn't start it again. So the key popping out is a constant concern.

The engine is turned off by pulling out a level that shuts off the fuel. This leads to an interesting starting procedure when you forget to push the lever back in.

I drove the Land Cruiser to our wood shop. As soon as the cabinet maker walked out of the building, he started to gush about the Toyota. You got to remember, this is a multi-colored car that looks like crap.

They love'em here.

He thought more about this 1976 car than anything else that has approached his shop. He went on and on again about how his father had one, etc.

Any time I arrive on a job site with a Toyota, no matter how old, they love'em.

Toyota rules in Panama.

By the way, this car runs like a Swiss watch. The owner is a mechanic and keeps it in perfect mechanical condition. Can't say the same about the looks though.