Back to School With One Family's Trusty 2013 Ford Fiesta

The 2013 Ford Fiesta has been a part of the Rollins family's back-to-school ritual since Tristan Rollins started first grade in Grundy County, Tennessee, and his mom, Alaina Rollins, snapped an image of him before he hopped into the back seat of the lime green hatchback. It took her a few years to realize she was having him pose in the same spot each time. Then, it became a tradition.

The photos captured him growing up with the distinctively colored car year after year as he moved up to the passenger seat in fifth grade and then, after earning his driver's license, to the driver's seat in 10th grade. That's when the Fiesta that his friends dubbed "the kiwi car" became his - and Alaina Rollins moved on to a new Ford Edge, although it's not in the same bright green.

"Lime green has been my favorite color since I was born, and I just had to have this lime green car when I saw it," she said of the Fiesta.

"My husband was not amused with it, but I usually get what I want, so he went ahead and bought me the car. We just stuck with it. We only had one son, so we really didn't need anything bigger than that at the time."

The annual back-to-school image of her son next to the Fiesta drew attention on Alaina Rollin's social media account, where friends and relatives eagerly welcomed each new photo.

"They would usually make comments about how good the car is, like they can't believe how long we've had it," she said.

The Fiesta allowed her to commute back and forth to the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga while she was earning her degree. She now teaches high school English.

"I feel like it's lasted longer than most cars do," she said. "I've always enjoyed it."

The Rollins expect the Fiesta, with just over 140,000 miles on it, will be part of the family for many more years.

Tristan Rollins developed mechanical skills while working on the Fiesta with his dad. Some of their recent work includes changing out the transmission control module, the timing belt, spark plugs, and the distributor.

"It's in great shape right now," he said. "We're thinking we can at least get it to 200,000 miles and probably even longer after that. The motor's in really good shape."

Over the years, the Fiesta has been part of family vacations, including trips to Florida. He used it to visit friends around Grundy County, go on hiking trips, and twice to take his girlfriend to the prom, he said.

Tristan Rollins is now driving the "kiwi car" around the University of Alabama in Huntsville, where he is studying aerospace engineering with hopes of, one day, designing rocket motors.

And while it may not be a rocket ship, it's reliably gotten him to wherever he needed to go. It's easy to maintain, excellent on gas, and it's plenty fast, he said, "if I'm the one driving."

Michelle Morgante is a From the Road contributor.