Junkyard Exploration

I have to be completely honest with you, I was quite surprised to find this sitting in the junkyard. I remember seeing this car shortly after it arrived at the yard and I was immediately stuck on how good condition that it seemed to be. The body was perfect and the interior was immaculate. Just arrived Perfect interior The car also had its original sticker with an MSRP of almost $45,000.  For only being about 7 years old and being a rather expensive car to buy when new, I was very surprised to see it here and I really wondered what happened for it to be here, waiting for a date with the crusher.  This was the first model year for the Volt which as described as a "plug-in hybrid".  The Volt operated as a pure battery electric vehicle until its battery capacity dropped to a predetermined threshold from a full charge. From there, its 1.4-litre engine powered an electric generator to extend the vehicle's range as needed through the car's ele

I'll be honest, I always liked the look of the Crown Vic. In particular, the "civilian" versions of it that basically drove like you were riding couch. My very first car was a 1979 version of the Crown Victoria which I had when I left home to work at my first job in a city that was about a 5-hour drive away. With no air conditioning and only an AM radio, it certainly didn't fit the image most people would have for these cars. It did have a 302 V8 engine in it though, and for a 19-year old kid, that was the only option I needed, though I did collect the occasional speeding ticket. I drove that car for a couple of years, doing that 5-hour drive to visit "family" (OK - the girl I was dating at the time) until one night in February the oil pump gave up the ghost and left me stranded literally hours from anywhere. Even though it let me down in the end, I always had a soft spot for these cars so I was quite excited to find this one since the major

I've always had a bit of a fascination with my local "Pick and Pull" auto salvage yard. The beauty of these places is that the inventory is always changing so I always make it a point to check it out at least once every couple of months or so. I'll just never know what I will find. Besides the cheap entertainment factor of exploring these old hulks, it's actually a good way to get some fresh air and exercise. And yet I always have a sense of sadness whenever I enter the yard, for a few reasons. The first is that every car in the junkyard started out as someone's brand new pride and joy, was lovingly maintained by someone and was a part of the events that happened in someone's life. In the end, they only wind up at the end of the line, up on blocks and being scavenged. It's especially poignant if a car was considered to be very expensive or considered to be among the best of the best Sometimes you find an old soldier, surviving fo