|
Every now and then, someone asks me why I own such an
old car or such a big car. I haven't been asked lately, as most
of those that bug me about it are friends, co-workers, or neighbors,
and the "debate" has long been put to rest. For those
of you who might be wondering WHY anyone would want a big old
car such as those found on this website, or for those of you
that are considering a big, old car, or can't decide what to
buy for your next car, please read on, and your questions should
be answered.
~ For starters, big old cars redefine the term safety. You
can give me all the air bags, crumple zones, and "high tech"
bumpers you want, but when it comes down to
it, its the 4500lbs. of steel that will protect you the most.
~ Big old cars are generally old, and in a lot of cases, not
quite in tip-top shape. A little scratch or a little dent isn't
a problem with these cars. If someone in a
new cars bumps you at a stoplight or in the parking lot, you
can bet that the damage to your car will be
little to none...if you're not convinced, just go to www.stillruns.com
and check out the list of accidents the 72
Impala on that site has been in...I believe 8 accidents, and
the car has never needed a major
repair...or even
a minor repair for that matter...just a scratch or two and maybe
a dent.
~ Big old cars are CHEAP. Luckily, for most of you looking
for a big old car, most 70s landbarges aren't too popular
yet. With no more than a couple thousand dollars,
you can land a fine old machine in very decent shape. It probably
won't even need any major work done to it,
or at least not anything that you couldn't do in your driveway.
In fact, you
could find a pretty decent deal
even if you only have a couple hundred dollars...it might require
a little more work, but
not necessarily (gotta
love those old folks that only drive their cars a couple times
a week, always keep them clean,
and only want
a couple hundred dollars for them when they go to sell them).
All of the big cars I've owned have been
in pretty decent
shape. The only major problems I've had between three big old
cars were a transmission that needed
rebuilt on my
72 Impala, and I needed some front suspension/brake work done
on my 57 Dodge.
~ Big old cars are great learner cars. Along with most of
the reasons stated above, big old cars are great as a first car.
For one, owning a big car really makes you
aware of your surroundings when driving, parking, turning, etc...
I don't know about where you live, but where
I live, I see multiple people EVERY DAY that have more trouble
driving or parking their two-door
Civic than I do my 18.5 foot Impala. I still haven't figured
out why a Toyota Celica would take up two parking
spaces, but I saw one doing so just the other day. If you buy
a big car as your first car, anything else
you buy
after it will probably be smaller, so driving, turning, parking,
etc...will come as no problem at all...and
hopefully there will
be one less Toyota Celica taking up 2 parking spaces.
~ Big old cars are your best Anti-SUV insurance. Someone who
just dropped 40 or 50 grand on a brand new SUV wouldn't
dare mess with you in your one or two grand big old car. If they
do try to cut you off, run you off the road, etc...
you can always take comfort in knowing that if you do the same
back to the idiot in the SUV, he'll probably get
the hell
out of your way, as he (or she) wouldn't want to scratch the
paint on his/her shiny new crapmobile.
~ Big old cars are distinctive. Now a days, it seems like
everyone and their brother has some sort of Honda civic or an
equivalent foreign or domestic automobile.
If you beg to be different, a big old car is the way to go. Especially
now
with all the body kits and terrible looking
spoilers, a big old car is the BEST way to distance yourself
from these
import folk (not that I have anything
against tastefully modified imports, or stock imports, but you
know what I mean,
some of those cars...most
of them really...look totally stupid...but I guess its supposed
to look cool). Remember,
"Life's too short to drive
ordinary cars."
~ MOST big old cars are still pretty quick. I don't care what
anyone else says, there aren't many cars with V-8s that are horribly
slow. These make great "sleeper" cars too. Most of
these "youngsters" these days (not that I have any
room to talk, I was born in 1981), don't seem
to know a whole lot about older cars. Unless its an old muscle
car, or any year Mustang, Camaro, or Firebird,
most kids just think old cars are big (which they most definitely
are) and slow. I've fooled several people with
my Impala...never take big old cars for granted.
~ If you are a student, a big old car is GREAT because you
needn't worry about the small scratches and dings that will occur
in the student parking lot.
~ If you have a family, there's no safer or better way to
transport your loved ones than in a big old station wagon. You
get the style of an old car and the safety
of an old car, but still retain the passenger space of a big
new SUV, and the
gas mileage too. The only
difference is that you won't ever pay $40,000 for a big, old
station wagon. If the people
that your family
is friends with would think less of you for owning an older,
more distinctive, and economical big car,
then you're friends
with the wrong type of people.
Visitor Submitted
Reasons ~ Well it is like this my girlfriend says: "a car
is a representation of a man's penis". Need I say more...for those that
need
an example; I drive a 1968 Plymouth custom suburban
station wagon, white. With her reasoning in mind it is large
white and can accommodate many people (Submitted by agent
687).
WEBMASTER'S COMMENT: Mine is big and can accommodate many people...but it's
green. Is that a problem? ~ Another
reason...long trips. Big old cars float down the road and they don't
jiggle and jounce the stuffings out of
you. You aren't TIRED by the end of a day's travel (Submitted by E,L.
Booth). |
