Krugerrands For Clunkers

This essay on Delicious Tacos, about the life and death of an $800 Mercedes-Benz diesel sedan, drove home one of the unfortunate realities of living in a snow climate: it's nearly impossible to find anything for $800 that hasn't been completely consumed by oxidization. For those who don't have to deal with road salt, there are lots of vehicle choices available. Former EIC Niedermeyer told me that his first car was purchased for a few hundred dollars in cash. My friend Jake, who lives in Florida, was able to buy a very nice 1996 F-250 Powerstroke for about $3,000 – the same truck would cost at least 50 percent more up where I live, and would have some kind of rust that needed repairing. An $800 budget is a tough budget to adhere to, but $1,600, or the price of one gold Krugerrand bought at a precious metals dealer, gives you a bit more breathing room. By comparison, the $5,000 budget set forth by Thomas seems opulent. In my area, Kijiji, not craigslist, is the go-to for buying or selling a car, and a quick search yielded a couple interesting prospects. The first is an Infiniti G20. I've always had a soft spot for these cars, even though plenty of people disliked them. I don't know where my affinity stems from, but I'll blame it on too much exposure to early 1990′s Car and Driver, Motorweek and the fact that my neighbor had one with swapped-in Nissan Primera badges, before the "JDM" craze ever even hit. The white example has about 157,000 miles on it and is apparently mechanically sound, but has some cosmetic issues. For $900, I have enough left over to get a cheapo re-spray of the hood. For those that are feeling brave, we have a true Steve Lang Mileage Champion – a 1995 BMW 525i wagon. With a stick shift. And 267,000 miles on the odometer. Apparently it runs well but needs "exhaust, brakes and body work [sic]" to pass our wonderful emissions and safety inspections. Now that I have access to a shop, the exhaust and brakes could be knocked off in reasonable time, depending on their severity. I'm not sure what kind of bodywork is needed, but I'm not optimistic. Nevertheless, something pathological has compelled me to email the guy and ask about it. Granted, none of those cars are even worth as much as one krugerrand, which would seem to take away the whole novelty of paying in gold bullion. Luckily, the Royal Canadian Mint has a solution, with their half ounce gold coins. Or I could always pay with 4 Bitcoins. from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

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