Army veteran from San Diego buys first four-door at the age of 87
- Army veteran, Herb Stern, has owned numerous iconic cars
- The 2025 Toyota GR Corolla is his first four-door
- Or is that five?
Published on Jan 17, 2025 at 9:43 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Jan 17, 2025 at 9:43 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
87-year-old car enthusiast and army veteran, Herb Stern, has owned numerous iconic cars but he’s bought his first four-door: the 2025 Toyota GR Corolla.
He previously owned a 1931 Ford Model A, Lotus Europa, Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider, and multiple GTIs.
His latest purchase, a 2025 Toyota GR Corolla is breaking a lifelong streak of coupes and roadsters.
Premium Plus and automatic, in Ice Cap white), it’s his first-ever four-door vehicle – and he wants everyone to know about it.
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First four-door for the veteran
Describing himself as a ‘geezer’ who’d been ‘lurking’ in the group, he told members of the 2023+ Toyota GR Corolla Group on Facebook all about his recent purchase.
“It doesn’t have a fantastic B58 engine,’ the veteran begins, comparing it to the Toyota GR Supra he drove for the past five years.
“But at least it can do a Costco run with another person in the car.
“It’s actually very interesting in its own way.”
He concluded: “My tombstone was going to say ‘He never owned a four-door’. Guess that’s not going to work anymore.”
Why the 2025 Toyota GR Corolla?
While he was looking for something in red or heavy metal, another car came along instead.
“I found a white premium + auto for under $47K,” he explained.
He seems thrilled with his purchase and posted about it in the niche group eliciting over 1,800 reactions from fellow members.
However, he was forced to do a quick edit and admit that ‘okay, it’s a five-door – but that’s three doors too many’ – comparing it to his previous two-door cars.
While he praised the 2025 Toyota GR Corolla for its performance and versatility there was one thing that was a step too far for Herb – the roof racks.
“Anyone interested in the roof racks that I took off immediately?” he offered.
London-based Amelia cut her journalistic teeth covering all things lifestyle, wellness and luxury in the UK capital. Fast-forward a decade and the experienced content creator and editor has put pen to paper for glossy magazines, busy newsrooms and coveted brands. When her OOO is on you can find her spending quality time with her young family, in the gym or exploring the city she loves.
