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.
(more…)
Rusty But Trusty 