The Story of the Corolla Toyota 16-Valve

 

The Story of the Corolla Toyota 16-Valve

It was in 2019 when Komundu Patrick Kavari bought his first car, a Toyota Corolla 16-valve, from Mr. Novengi for N$13,000.00. The car, though old, looked reliable, and Kavari was excited to finally have his own vehicle. Without wasting any time, he decided to test it on a long journey to Opuwo.

The Journey to Opuwo

As they set off from Windhoek, the excitement filled the car. They were four in total, with Kavari behind the wheel. The trip went smoothly until they approached Otjiwarongo, where something unexpected happened. A bull suddenly crossed the road, and Kavari swerved sharply to avoid hitting it. The car spun on the road and ended up facing the direction they had come from, back toward Windhoek.

A man driving a Toyota Quantum who had been following them stopped and approached. He told Kavari that he had been driving too fast because he had overtaken the Quantum just before the near-accident. Shaken by the incident, Kavari lost confidence in driving. From Otjiwarongo, he handed the steering wheel to Ramos, who had been sitting next to him.

The Burst Tire

The journey continued, but trouble was far from over. About 32 kilometres before Kamanjab, one of the car’s tyres burst. To make matters worse, the tyre had a lock nut, and they had no tool to remove it. Stranded in the middle of nowhere, they had no choice but to spend the night by the roadside.

The next morning, they managed to contact someone in Otjiwarongo to bring the right tool. Once the tyre was changed, they continued their trip safely and finally arrived at the village. This car became quite special to the people there, it was even the first car that Mr. Kaurivi used to learn how to drive.

The Journey to Ondangwa

A few days later, Kavari drove the Corolla to Windhoek again and later continued to Ondangwa, where he spent the night at a lady’s house named Brenda. The next morning, he left Ondangwa with an Otjiherero-speaking man he had met there.

But just 10 kilometres from Ondangwa, the gearbox started giving problems. Gear 5 refused to engage properly. The only way he could drive was by holding the gear lever tightly with his hand whenever he used 5th gear; when his hand got tired, he switched to 4th gear. It was a tiring and frustrating experience, but he managed to keep the car moving.

The Final Breakdown

When they finally reached Windhoek, the car gave up completely. The gears got stuck, and while he was at Customs to collect some papers, the vehicle began to smell as if something inside was burning. Despite his attempts to fix it, the car struggled to move. Eventually, when they got home, the Corolla stopped running altogether.

Realising that it was beyond repair, Kavari contacted Mr. Novengi and told him to come and take back his car. Mr. Novengi agreed and bought it back for N$11,000.00.

Epilogue

Ironically, even though the Corolla had disappointed Kavari, it still managed to come back to life under its original owner. Up to this day, the same Toyota Corolla 16-valve still moves, faithfully serving Mr. Novengi, the man who sold it in the first place.