Punks aren't known for having much money, but they usually have pretty good taste in cars. Crank the stereo, pop in a Sex Pistols or Black Flag tape, and give society the finger with these ten commenter-chosen punk rock cars.
This is Answers of the Day — a feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day's Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It's by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!
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10. Decommissioned Police Crown Vic
Suggested By: thor77
Why It's Punk: What's a more ironic car for a bunch of anarchist punks? Fresh off the auction lot with the spotlight still attached and the paint faded, the Crown Vic is cheap to buy, cheap to run, and swallows up lots of band gear.
Photo credit: mp3car.com
9. Geo Metro
Suggested By: Half The Wheels And Twice The Fun
Why It's Punk: It's tiny, but says "I don't care what you think about me. Go ahead, laugh. I'll kick your face in." The Geo costs even less than a decommissioned Crown Vic, and despite its tiny dimensions, can still hold a drum or amp in the back seat. And as Half the wheels points out, it's unassuming enough that it won't get trashed by an angry dickhead at the gig.
Photo credit: In My Not so Humble Opinion
8. 1970-ish Chevrolet Wagon
Suggested By: pauljones
Why It's Punk: The mid-'70s Chevy wagon is big, old, American, and totally punk. The exact year isn't really important (pretty much anything from 1959 to 1979 will do), because we're not talking about a restored show car. The one the punks are after has faded paint, torn seats, and probably spent the last few years of it's life outside, sitting behind someone's house. The gnarlier the better.
7. Volkswagen Golf GTi
Suggested By: LuckyChuck
Why It's Punk: What's more punk than a car with plaid seats? It helps that the GTi is quick, and that many of them were black, but mostly, it's all about that bad-ass plaid.
Photo credit: Bring A Trailer
6. Hyundai Accent
Suggested By: Smells_Homeless
Why It's Punk: Older Accents are small, but they can hold enough stuff to make them worthwhile band cars. Smells_Homeless notes: "I never got tired of watching that little thing swallowing the drums and two half-stacks." Like the Geo, Accents are pretty stealthy, so one can probably survive a night outside the venue.
Photo credit: CarDomain
5. Buick Turbo Regal
Suggested By: twitchykun
Why It's Punk: Loud, fast, and out of control. When painted black, they absolutely look the part, and the engine is loud enough to sound it. This is an all-business machine, a squared-off, no-nonsense monster. The Regal looks angry just sitting still.
Photo credit: Team Chevelle
4. Ford Taurus Wagon
Suggested By: Filmomaker
Why It's Punk: As punk morphed and split into a whole bunch of other genres and sub-genres, the outcast and filthy still needed wheels to get to the gig (even if those wheels probably belonged to mom). Filmomaker describes the scene as he saw it back then: "Sometimes, after the gig, the car just goes missing, then it turns up in a very strange neighborhood or on the side of some railroad [tracks]. Sometimes some angry drummer or guitarist kicks the living fuck out of the car before or after the gig. Sometimes band members use the car to have sex with a groupie. Sometimes band members use the car to sell drugs and alcohol." So really, the Taurus was more like a Mobile Band Command Center than anything.
Photo credit: Pinkie's Blog
3. Camaro
Suggested By: mytdawg
Why It's Punk: How could we not include a Bitchin' Camaro?
Photo credit: Youtube
2. Ford Transit Van
Suggested By: Shep_Shepherd
Why It's Punk: If your band was from England, chances are that you spent quite a lot of time at one point or another in the back of a Transit. They were the default vehicle, much like the Econoline in America, for up-and-coming bands that had to get to the gig. Bands used them for decades before the punk movement, and they continue to use them today.
Photo credit: Vision Motor Services
1. Decommissioned Ambulance
Suggested By: withayou
Why It's Punk: Commenter Withayou is a punk alum, and has this to say about his old band's ambulance: "To make it (vaguely) street legal, we had to remove the decals and paint over the emergency lights, but nothing at all was disconnected. That meant that at any given moment any of us could flip a switch to turn on the sirens, emergency flashers, loudspeaker, or floodlights and the thing came with an abundance of 120v outlets so the Marshall half-stacks could be plugged in at any rest stop. In retrospect, there is no reason the 17-year old version of me shouldn't be behind bars."
Photo credit: fotki