Might have something to say about who his friends are or where he goes Saturday nights.
The Audis, BMWs, and the Tesla all had built on security systems. If I lived in a high-theft area and my beater had no security system, a Club would be a few bucks well spent.
Besides, the value of a car to its owner is very different from its value on the market. The Tesla driver probably has multiple vehicles. The beater owner probably needs his beater to get to work.
VDCdriver I remember an article on chop shops which included a photo of an 8 ft high pile of clubs in the corner!
@the same mountainbike–I understand what you are saying about that rotted-out truck being very precious to its owner, but the reality of the situation is that the area where I saw it parked is definitely not one with a car theft problem, and…who would want to steal that truck anyway?
Even if a thief bypassed the late-model luxury vehicles because of their built-in security systems, there were large numbers of somewhat older cars available that were both much more valuable than that old truck and not likely to have a security system.
If you had seen the truck in that environment, I think that you would also have noted that the attempt at preventing theft was just not necessary.
Sometimes it’s the old beaters that are the most likely to get stolen… simply because they’re easy. In any event, if it makes the owner feel more secure, it’s worth the few bucks.
"…pile of clubs in the corner! "
In an interview, a reformed car thief said he looked for The Club, and with a hacksaw just cut through the steering wheel. Also, unlikely to have any other deterrent.
Car thieves are the scum of the earth
They should be tarred and feathered, run out of town, and then hanged, drawn and quartered
No redeeming qualities whatsoever
Just imagine if somebody can’t make it to work, because their car was stolen . . . and then they lose the job, because the boss has no sympathy for the situation. That could start a very rapid downward spiral
How about the big diesel pickup trucks with the giant exhaust tip or the smokestacks coming out the sides or the bed? You also have to love how they have turned up something so they can blow thick black smoke going down the main street of your town. I hate these things and just find them obnoxious. It is like the ricer burner Civic but in redneck version. These huge exhaust tips and stacks neck down to the normal size just out of sight. I have always thought it would be fun to insert a pumpkin or watermelon into one of those pipes and see what happens.
cwatkin Yes. the old potato in the exhaust pipe prank. I have experience with exhaust systems. The efficiency is the narrowest constriction.
@cwatkin:I haven`t seen many of these but yeah they do look ridiulous,
Stack exhaust for pick up trucks:
This dude thought they would look pretty cool on his car:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHhahahahahaha
How many remember this Paul Newman classic?
Those stack exhausts looked pretty good on the Dodge Red Express from the 70’s but the only ones i’ve seen on modern trucks are lifted diesel pickups.
I just found this topic and laughed my butt off at some of the opinions here. You all made my night.
Cwatkin; "I have always thought it would be fun to insert a pumpkin or watermelon into one of those pipes and see what happens. "
That reminded me of when we got “open carry” in Wisconsin. There was this fellow who nobody liked because he was just a braggart and know it all. He came into the bar with this shoulder holster for a hog leg. This thing could have held my timing light and a few wrenches to boot.
He knew he couldn’t bring the gun into the bar, but he had to try to impress everyone.
I thought it was so funny, watching him wander up and down the bar…making sure everyone saw his holster. Maybe he didn’t even get a gun yet!!!
He never caught on, but everytime he’d pass by me with his back to me…I’d fish another olive out of my drink and drop it in the holster. I must have gotten 6-8 olives in there before he decided to go show off at the next bar.
Here’s a few from me;
Some guy here in Wisconsin used to make…I think it was called an “Excallibur” kit that mounted on a VW chassis. It was a sharp looking long roadster looking car from a distance, but when you found out it had a little bug motor in it!!!
Then there was this phase around here in Wisconsin in the 80 where young mechanic’s to be were mounting a compact car on a 4WD frame. It must have took some ingenuity, but they all looked so stupid. A little Ford Festiva with the bottom of the doors 30 inches off the ground.
Then the 4WDs that are so on lifts that you need a step ladder to get into the thing. And they probably never go off the road either.
As we criticize these ridiculous add-ons, we should remember the definition of “immature”; a word used by boring people to describe fun people.
@Yosemite a co worker’s next door neighbor is often featured on local facebook posts for his 1987 or so Toyota Camry on a Jeep frame. I used to see the car often when it was owned by the guy who built it. Also a 1980 Honda Accord and a Fiat X/19 on either Jeep or Suzuki frames. Haven’t seen any others but they crop up every now and again.
keith Have you ever searched Plastic Jesus lyrics. The song has something like 20 verses!
I don’t care if it rains or freezes
Long as I got my plastic Jesus
glued to the dashboard of my car.
No, but there are a lot of versions out there by a surprising number of artists. I heard that it was parody of a religious radio station in Texas that used to sell a lot of plastic religious stuff. I guess it is a little like a blues song in that artists add or change verses to suit their moods. Supposedly there are over a 1000 different verses written for it by various people over the years since the original.
Careful-don’t drift into music. We’re at what over 8,000 views so it’d be a shame to get closed.
But wasn’t MUSIC the first non automotive-essential ‘‘add on’’ ?
Aside from the mechanical necessities to have a vehicle get you from here to there, when did mankind start to ‘‘add on’’ ? ( even upscale conestoga wagons had curtains, fancy upholstery, and better springs )
When was the radio first put into a vehicle ? ( 1930s ? )
When was a radio first offered in a production vehicle ?
What other non essential add-ons pre-dated the radio ?