Palisades Wildfire Prompts Nurse To Offer 'Not For Sale – Ever' Corvette for Trade: 'Something Compact—but With Soul'

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA, UNITED STATES, May 27, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The license plate bracket said “NOT FOR SALE – EVER.” But that was January 7, 2025.

On January 8, 2025, a devastating Pacific Palisades wildfire swept through the hillside home of Pamela Jane Nye, a 77-year-old acclaimed nurse, philanthropist, and nonprofit CEO.

In its wake, Nye lost nearly everything: her home, all content, her business including its' nurse-education production studio—and eventually, her trust in the 25-year insurance policy she thought would protect her.

Now, the woman who once vowed her pristine 2004 Chevrolet Corvette would never be for sale has made a bittersweet reversal.

“Yes, I’m open to selling—or preferably swapping—the Corvette,” Nye revealed in a recent interview. “I need something more compact, more efficient, and yes… something with soul.”

A practical pivot after Nye's loss is more than a transportation matter—it's symbolic of a life pivot. With her nonprofit work continuing despite the loss, and an insurance claim initially delayed and denied, Nye says she’s making decisions based on “survival, perception, and practicality.”

The car, a low-mileage, showroom-quality 2004 Corvette coupe, has spent most of its life under cover, used primarily for weekend drives. Nye bought it from a tearful engineer whose pregnant wife with twins was the motivating factor.

“Cost, looks, and condition made it a smart buy,” Nye explained. "While I'm known for conservative spending, I had just sold my early nurse-education business and decided, for once, to buy myself something special. So I got the Corvette... and two King Charles Spaniel puppies.”

She adds with a smile, “Yes, I had a practical car too, but the Corvette was just my weekend joy on wheels, “But now,
Nye adds, "practicality trumps sentiment.”

But following the wildfire, sentiment now bows to necessity. With limited retirement income and no payout from her insurance provider, Nye is rebuilding her life from the ground up.

“I don’t need the image distractions of being a senior-age nurse driving a Corvette,” she says candidly. “It’s not me anymore.”

Researching Nye's trade for a "compact car with soul," a quick Google search identified the "2025 Kia Soul." From there, there was a list of comparable models: Jeep Renegade, Mazda CX-3, Buick Encore, Honda HR-V, Honda Fit, Hyundai Elantra GT, and the Kia Sportage.

Still, Nye isn’t ready to pin her hopes on any one option, stating, “I’m not going to get all excited about something that might never happen,” she says. “I’ll consider a thoughtful, cost-comparable trade. That’s all.”

A life still in motion with both personal and professional loss challenges, Nye isn’t slowing down. She continues to teach as an Associate Professor at UCLA’s School of Nursing and mentors the Los Angeles Nurse Network members. She leads Operation Scrubs, Inc., her nonprofit devoted to global nurse advocacy and continuing education. She's also pursuing legislation requiring insurance policies to disclose exclusions at the beginning of the policy's Declaration page and do so in simple, understandable language, not legalese.

Interested parties—buyers or those with a thoughtful trade proposal—are invited to email Nye at pamelajanenye@operationscrubs.org, using “Nurse Car Swap Interest” in the subject line.

Chuck Foster
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