Coffee Brake: Finders Keepers
Time for another edition of Daily Turismo’s Coffee Brake — where we step away from the calculating and clinical nature our standard posts and experience life on the lighter side. If you are anything like me, then you’ve purchased a few used cars over the years and when I say few, what I mean is too many to count. One of the first things I always do when I pick up a new (to me!) ride is give it a thorough cleaning and descuzzification — get the all the previous owner’s funk, junk, and DNA out of the car. This involves reaching under seats and finding unknown gems and sometimes you find some bizarre stuff, which is a perfect segue to today’s Coffee Brake question. What is the coolest thing you’ve found in used car?
In the Draken I found a Lightning McQueen toy car permanently fused to the rear under-trunk carpet due to the gasoline dissolving Lightning’s tires, but the strangest thing I found in the car was a Saab breath mint wrapper.
Also included was a spare Inka alloy wheel, which I knew about ahead of time, but a surprise bonus was a set of minty clean rad Saab mud flaps.
What is the best thing you’ve found in used car? Comments below.
I've found many pop (or 'Soda') bottles in old trucks; not in the best condition, but still funny.
Cheers
In 1988 I bought a 1970 SS 396 Chevelle off a older high school badass. I found a feather roach clip with a little dubie in it.
Basically I bought the car off McConaughey in Dazed and Confused.
This happened to a friend of mine but it was found in his own car, a gti, right after being repaired at the local VW dealer.
My best find: I almost always find inner piece while descuzzifying my automotive acquisitions.
Full 6-pack of Narragansett Lager. Found it in the spare tire well of a wrecked Volvo 144 in a junkyard. The smell those things gave off when we opened the first (and last) one put me off of beer for years. Little did we realize in 1997 that it had been at least a dozen years since cans had come with pull tabs.
a big honking screwdriver wedged between the block and motor mount – bent but usable, still have it – 77 saab 99 ems i drove during college in the mid-80's
Ratcheting snap on 10mm end wrench under the back seat of an A4 while I was pulling the interior to clean it. Thanks, Audi tech guy, haha! Over the span of flipper cars probably about 20-30$ in change and bills.
Worst thing i've found: diarrhea medication… ~_~'
And that mummified bird in the front grill of a Miata. That was an unpleasant surprise.
Yes the usual misc tools and spare change did find a really nice framing hammer in the road once only to lose it again on the tarmac.
Back when I was on S14.net a guy bought an M3 with drug running compartments containing leftovers. I would guess running narcotics in an e30 M3 would be almost as exciting as moonshine in a 1940 Ford.
An eulogy for a boyfriend from a fiancée… Not funny of course, but interesting and sad…
I bought a low mile 84 Porsche factory wide body that was loved when traded in on a new BWM. I did a lot of detailing and then under the seat found a receipt from Walgreens for condoms. Apparently having an exotic car (at least when new) has the ladies paying attention. Needless to say the 911 doesn't have much of a back seat but I scrubbed down the car extra well after that find.
I bought an '87 4Runner to drive through the winter from a sketchy-looking dealer in a nearby town. I drove the truck through the winter, and when I decided to sell it in the spring, I found a loaded .38 special tucked underneath the driver's seat while I was cleaning it out.
Okay Andy, you win!! I'm guessing the driver just kept it there as a handy place to keep his temporary fuses safe.
Those mud flaps are for an earlier 99 and are kind of hard to find. You need the aluminum hangers for that style. They would look great on my Sonett, if you want to sell them?
I recently bought a 1970 c10 step side and found a check in sheet for the previous owners AA meetings…. maybe that explains the dents, dings, and shady repairs. also found a giant brown tarp and some assorted snap on tools SCORE
-Kevin
A broken champaign glass under the front passenger seat of a brand new 1987 Acura a few weeks after I bought it. That must have been some test drive. I was sorry I had already paid for it.