Rusty But Trusty

If you live outside the San Francisco Bay Area or certain parts of the south, you maybe haven’t noticed the numbers of cars that are being turned into scrapers (full-size American sedans with large chrome wheels) or donks (same but with a lift kit). There are a couple of things that are kind of fascinating about this trend, aside from what happens to the driving dynamics of a large old American boat: 1) this must seriously be accelerating the attrition rate of a type of car that’s no longer made; 2) why are young people suddenly attracted to driving cars designed for the very old?; 3) Why the hell is painting your car with consumer product logos like YooHoo (chocolate milk), Shrek, or KoolAid Twists ever cool? The first point is pretty evident – while those cars are not for everyone, they are a part of America’s automotive history, and it’s sad to see that diversity disappearing caused by a raised roll center, stress on wheel bearings, and the general hacking-up a car goes through. The second and third questions are really hard for an outsider to answer, but the folks performing those modifications probably can’t say why a BMW 2002 shouldn’t have 22″ wheels and a Red Vines logo on the sides, either. If you’re feeling charitable and would like to save a piece of malaise-era Americana from a miserable fate, check out this 1980 Chevrolet Caprice Classic coupe, for sale in Concord, CA for $2400.

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