Yesterday I was exchanging emails with two different friends, who made some smart ass remark about cars that were on Craigslist. The comments were about features that the vehicles we were discussing, did not have. This got me thinking, and of course I was forced to send both of them an email with the parts store solution to the supposed short comings of both vehicles. Read below to hear about their shortcomings, and vote on which fix is the one you either want, or would be less embarrassed to have, in your car.

The first vehicle was a 1983 C20 Chevy pickup that is the perfect level of beat, has newer Chevy wheels and good tires, power almost everything, and is only missing two things, all for $700. It’s powered by a 350, has a 700r4 trans, 14 bolt rear, is 2 wheel drive, and would be the perfect haul your stuff around truck. Now, how can it only be $700 and be current on registration, have a clean title, and have all matching body panels? Well, the two things it’s missing are door panels and reverse.

Door panels are an easy fix thanks to LMC Truck, but reverse is probably going to take a freshening of the trans. Call that $700 if you farm it out and do the R&R yourself. Still a good deal when you can buy the truck for between $500 and $700 if my negotiating skills haven’t decided to fail me.

What made me realize that my buddy was both a real car guy, and a poser, all at the same time was the fact that he did not once comment on the fact that reverse and door panels were in order, but did mention that these C Series trucks suck because they do not have cup holders. WTF?

I sent him an email that said the following, and included the following picture.
Here is how you fix that…

My other friend sent me a link to a clean little 1969 Toyota pickup that he was inspired to search for due to my recent posts about my son Cole’s newfound love for LUV trucks. It’s a clean little truck, says it runs mint, and he can get the thing for just under $2000 if he has any negotiating skills at all. It has no rust, ALMOST no real body damage, and the pain has the perfect fade going on. It’s worst trait is the fact that it’s lime green, but I could get over that if it was mine. What makes the truck bad is the fact that it broke a ball joint and rammed the tire and wheel up under the truck and folder the bottom of the front fender under and pushed the floor up a bit. The truth is some pulling and a little hammer and dolly work and it will probably almost disappear, but the floor is going to take a 5 pound sledge. Again, this doesn’t phase my buddy, and he doesn’t hardly acknowledge that a repair is needed. Another win for the car guy attitude! And then he says this…

“You know, the only thing bad about getting this thing is that it doesn’t have power steering. Not having power steering sucks man.” I wanted to say “REALLY!!! It weighs like 2000 lbs! A dead guy can steer this truck!”

But since I’d already responded to Mr. It Ain’t Got Cupholders, my response was as follows and included the picture.

Please read this with the voice of Hanz and Franz from Saturday Night Live in your head.

Since you are such a girly man, maybe one of these will make it easier for you to drive!

So which one would you rather have in your car? Or which one would embarrass you less?