In 2006 Mike Foster sold his luxury Infiniti G35. He now drives a modest 1993 model Toyota Camry. He wanted to give more. He wanted to make a statement against run-away consumerism. He started talking friends into joining him in a club he calls the Junky Car Club. The Club has members in the US, Australia, Russia, England, New Zealand, Scotland, and Singapore. There are different levels of membership in the Junky Car Club. The ultimate level is called the Elite Lemon Level. At this level the requirements include: “Your vehicle is 10 years old or older and MAY have trouble starting on cold mornings, have a funky smell inside, and have an annoying hum coming from the radio.” You can check it out here: https://junkycarclub.com/ I have qualified for this club all my life.
My dad has worked on his own cars all his life. He is always puttering around on Saturday mornings fixing things. He keeps his older cars in top shape. He told me often growing up: “If you will just spend about forty minutes a week keeping on top of your car repairs you will save yourself a lot of money.” I can hear his voice now saying, “Spending money repairing a car from time-to-time is better than paying a car payment.”
These are lean times. Unemployment in our neck of the woods is at least ten percent. In some areas of the country I have heard of unemployment at 17%. Now is a good time to re-think defining yourself by your cool toy collection and what kind of car you drive. These are times to think of people who are in need. There are people everywhere to help. It’s a good time to think of creative ways to help people.
Ken Pierpont
Granville Cottage
Riverview, Michigan
February 2, 2009
Being an avid car ethusiast, I find this to be a dumb idea.