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Posts Tagged “

beaters

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offbeat news

Concours D'Ignorance Postponed Until 2009, Crap Car Connoisseurs Wait Impatiently

In what is probably one of the greatest press communications ever issued, Alan Galbraith, the brains behind Billettproof, has let us know the first Concours D'Ignorance will have to wait another year. We're a bit disappointed that we have to wait until 2009 to celebrate the eye-gougingly bad in automotive history, but for truly perfected automotive terribleness, we will happily endure. Also, the eyebrows perk up when we see Alan mention the name of fair Flint, MI. Could he actually be eyeballing Michigan's armpit as a midwest location? We certainly hope so. Aforementioned press communique below the fold. More »

9:40 AM on Tue Jul 15 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
2,258 views, 54 comments

Latest by n/a: I'll win that show with my 1980 Cadillac Seville Bustleback. Only if the 1-year only and crazy complicated electronics don't experience a crisis of confidence on the way. Any car made while the hostages were in the embassy is a more »

question of the day

What's The Most Disgusting Car You've Ever Driven In?

There's a great song by The Coup wherein the protagonist, in true Jalopnik style, jumps from one cheap vehicle to another including a 1988 Cadillac Seville, 1981 Datsun and 1976 Ford Pinto. The lyrics include this great exchange:
Got my rearview attached with some duct tape/ Keep yo' knee right there! I'm tryinta keep that glove compartment closed playa/ The seatbelt don't work just tie it round your waist/ If you crash through the window, just cover your face/The radio gets one station on AM/it's Chinese but if you listen you could catch what they sayin
It's one of our favorites and reminds us all of those unsanitary vehicles we've had to crawl into at one time or another. More »

11:40 AM on Thu May 29 2008
By Matt Hardigree
3,146 views, 127 comments

Latest by Bartoni: @Bartoni: Unless he smells it first... more »

i feel gassy

Save On Gas! Buy A Beater Subaru Brat!

It's no mystery that buying a new pious Hybrid to save money on gas is a bit counter-productive. Yeah, you'll spare pennies at the pump and score points with the eco-snob crowd, but the cost of that new car is likely to still end up costing you more than what you'll be saving on gas. But what if you could save gas with a car that's hardly costs anything to buy? That's what these gearheads are trying to do. They've parked their full-size trucks and bought old beaters for daily driver duties. Proving it can be done in style, one guy even went for a vintage Subaru Brat complete with rear-facing jump-seats! You hear that truck guys? Now you've got "gas prices" as the perfect excuse to indulge in that secret little Japanese fantasy you've always had.
[CNN]
Hat Tip to Sugi!

2:20 PM on Tue May 6 2008
By Mark Arnold
4,111 views, 89 comments

Latest by Naturally Exasperated?: all this talk about downsizing... i never even 'upsized' to begin with. i drive a '87 Holden Commodore with the factory 3Litre six. i get around 11L per 100km or 26mpg. i've been driving her for 8 years now and more »

retro

Shabby Dolls: An Ode to Beaters

Writing for Farago's The Truth About Cars, Lesley Wimbush offers up a love letter to the car most likely parked outside our place of residence (or was, once upon a time): the Beater. We recall our old Ford Festivas, Honda CRXs, Oldsmobile Firenzas or Buick Centurys in in the same way remembering the girl who kissed us willingly then left for some guy with an IROC makes us grip our PDAs tighter during the sales meeting. We remember the good times — the beach runs, the parking-lot doughnuts, the Friday-night cul-de-sacs — though the bad ones, say, leaving a clapped-out transmission lying in front of a prom date's house, don't seem as bad now. Here's to you, beaters, breaking down on the New Jersey Turnpike in the rain, you $%^#@*&! More »

11:08 AM on Fri Jul 28 2006
By Mike Spinelli
90 views, 3 comments

Latest by Mike the Dog: All those '68-'70 B-Bodies make us nostalgic for our '68 Belvedere 2-dr post. 225 ci slant six and a 727 auto, God I loved that car... more »