After inheriting my parents' 1976 Corolla, I learned a lot about what that high-quality, high-rust Japanese construction can do for a guy. The two best memories:

1) The hole in the driver's side floor that reminded me whenever I ran through a puddle. ("It's like a refreshing spring shower!")

2) I delayed fixing the well-dented right fender for several months. One day, I looked away from the road long enough to plow through a bank of mail boxes. After quickly fleeing the scene, I somehow found the motivation to swap in that new fender...