I swore that once I moved out of the U.S. I was NOT going to buy a car again. Ever.
I have a fixation on weird cars which completely overwhelms logic that sees the frustrations of repairs, part costs and resale value. XRTi4s, Yeomans, Sterlings and Saabs have all been part of my car buying past. I thought I was over it.
But now that we are looking at a place in the country I am going to need some wheels. Specifically I want a truck from the 50s, 60s or 70s. Is my excitement coming through? I get to buy a car in Uruguay, weird-car central.
Cars are kept running by inexpensive mechanics way past the time they would have been junked up North and no one throws anything away in Uruguay–I have been told the mechanics are very creative.
Apparently 5 years ago there were many more classic cars and trucks on the streets as daily drivers but they have been bought and exported by Brazilian collectors. However, it appears to me that there are still a fair number of classics on the road.
Seeing as how the Latin American version of eBay served us well for the purchase of the property in Uruguay, I thought I would check the ads for trucks. Bad idea. There are a lot of weird old trucks.
In addition to the standard North American truck brands like Fords and Chevys, there are the standard Latin American brands like Fiat, Citroen, Opel, Peugeot and Renault.
Some of the brands I remember from my youth: Studebaker, International and Willys.
Then we get into the more obscure names: Orient, Asia, Lada, Faw Brio, Bedford, Furgon, Indio, Mahindra, Panhard, Fargo, Dacia, Comer, Gutbrod.
With no Bluebook and no experience I am at a loss.
I assume the ride will be rough, the gears will be clunky and the motor will sound odd so there will be no purchase based on any of those standard observations.
Guess I will be forced to go with weird.
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