One of the highlights of our November van trip to New Mexico were the numerous natural hot springs. We soaked every couple of days, and most were in remote locations requiring a hike in and out. One of those was San Antonio Hot Springs, in the Santa Fe National Forest. All of the online guides claimed that the five mile forest road to the trail head was very rough and that 4×4 vehicles were recommended/required. I was a bit concerned initially but became increasingly dubious, as I’ve come to realize that contemporary standards have really changed in this regard. People underestimate what a non 4×4 can do, such as our Promaster van, which has survived some genuine 4×4 roads.
But then we saw this abandoned Yaris on the side of the road…
The reality was that this had nothing to do with the road, as it was no big deal at all; a bit rocky, which makes grading it difficult, but other than a rough ride it was a total non-event. This Yaris expired for other reasons. And that’s a bit surprising, given how exceptionally durable these are. But the exact reason is a mystery.
My xB, which has survived twenty hard years bashing down forest roads as well as a memorable week-long offroading trip in Nevada, is essentially a Yaris with a boxy body. It’s never let me down once.
I can only speculate what caused it to end up here, but if it was a mechanical failure it may well have been the consequence of gross neglect. Of course some might accuse me of that in terms of my relationship with my xB…if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Well, this one definitely is broke, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to get fixed.
It’s an automatic, but then who ever heard of an automatic transmission in a Toyota dying prematurely? Or just about ever?
Obviously this Yaris has quite a lot of body damage all over; it’s very lumpy all over and the front end is missing major pieces. Did these rocks come down naturally from that bank or?
It’s a bit mysterious. Was it already beat up, which is why it was abandoned? We may never know.
We continued to the parking area and hiked about a half hour to the springs, which were across the river and a ways up the far side. There’s a lovely series of pools, from the hottest at the top to the coolest at the bottom. There were a few other folks there, which is why I didn’t take any pictures, this one being from the web. Wanda had fun playing with the other two dogs and we had a lengthy soak.
I am also a great fan of hot springs. I would love to visit the one featured here!
Maybe it’s stolen? The Toyoglide 3 speed automatic in my 1970 Corona Mark II failed twice. First time was rebuilt by a trans shop. It failed. Second time I rebuilt it myself. End of problems.
Stolen en dumped.
Count us as fans of the Yaris. My partner’s 2007 Yaris has never let her down. It’s the same color as the unfortunate cover car, so she calls it her “Blueberry”. Despite originating in salty southern Ontario, the body still looks good, perhaps due to being regularly oiled, as is/was the custom in that province. As it always lived outside until moving to Alberta 5 years ago, the clearcoat is peeling. Last year we gave it some cosmetic love, as well as tending to the first signs of rust on the rockers and some body corners. With regular maintenance, we plan to run it for years to come.
I’m surprised nobody’s harvested the right one, or the taillights. Without having been beaten on, this car probably had at least 10 more years left in it.
When I read this comment I litereally LOL’d and told my partner…
She has a Yaris in this exact color and configuration. I hit a dear on Thanksgiving 2023, and I finally have been able to piece it back together with another Yaro that with a seized engine…except for the right rear rocker panel. Of course every one I’ve seen is rotten…makes me want to head out and find this and cut it off myself!
Looks like someone might have already taken the left headlight fixture. To which I’d say, sure, why not. It’s like pizza or donuts or leftover meeting food in the break room. If you don’t just help yourself, someone else will.
Abandoned and trashed cars always make me a bit sad. Broken down or not, there’s always some value left in a vehicle. Just leaving it there to be trashed (and to become trash) represents some kind of break in faith with our material culture. That’s what makes me sad.
Of course, the fact that this Yaris still wears its plates is kind of mysterious and hints at something other than stoned abuse of property. I do wonder what happened.
+1 for the NM hot springs!
Sad to see it like this .
Interesting hot pools, I remember soaking in some in the California Desert in 1969, those were good times .
I’m a strong believer of “pack it in, pack it back out” .
-Nate
Driving through Yellowstone NP years ago they had a stretch of road torn up down to the gravel. Rains caused a few perpendicular washouts with the deepest being no more than four inches. Driving my lowered Volvo C30 behind full size SUVs that came to a full stop before proceeding at a snails pace became frustrating and on my way back I drove the speed limit of 25 mph with no issues except some dirt in the wheel well I blasted off at the self service car wash.
Those of us here look at an old vehicle along the side of the road and see something that might be salvaged, whether as a car or as parts. Sadly, too many people see an old, well-used car as next-to-worthless, and when it fails to start and run (even because of something relatively simple) its value becomes zero. That might have been this one, at least before the vandalism.
Looks like the Yaris been sitting there for a while. Surprised the county or park has not towed it yet.
Via the VIN # or license plate, should be able to tell if abandon or stolen (less likely if it had been a stick shift).
Looks to me like someone drilled out the ignition lock. So, I’m going to guess stolen.
I had a Yaris RS, same color, same 3 door style. I really loved that car and seeing this post makes me a little sad.