Living Largely on the Cheap

What kind of car you drive says a lot about who you are and what you are all about. A new Volkswagen Beetle? You are hip, cool, sure of your self, and possibly homosexual. A Volvo wagon? You are safety conscious and practical. A Volvo wagon painted Lamborghini orange with metal-flake flames? Safety conscious and practical…and crazy awesome. So, granted, this is a blog that is ultimately about saving money, so I can’t expect you to go out and get a brand-new car to flaunt your inner self. You might have to make do with that hand-me-down beat-up Plymouth Acclaim.

However, there is an amazing way to flaunt what you’ve got. When they came out with your vehicle, they probably came out with several models. Often, the main way to distinguish between them is a letter or number combination after the name of your vehicle. The Dodge Neon SXT, the Toyota Yaris S, the Izuzu GIGA 20 Light Dump.

Whatever you’ve got, it could always be improved with a little alphabetical or numerical bling. Just go to a junkyard and find these emblems, and make up your own for your vehicle. You could add an S, an SE, an X, or any combination of these three letters easily to add some major alpha dog charm to your car. There is always the option of going to the dealership and actually finding a vehicular suffix that was available for your car when it was new, but the dealership is expensive, and they probably won’t let you leave the lot without selling you a new car anyway. Besides, it is always more fun to try and scrounge up your own endings so your car is very unique.

I’ll give you a personal example. My car is a 1996 Dodge Neon AWD. How did it become all-wheel drive? Simple, the letters used to be on a Volvo XC90. Now, I get to tell people that my Dodge Neon was a manufacturer prototype or a former rally car. Create your own backstory to why you have a Volkswagen Jetta 425 Turbo Super Sport! For even more giggles, create a game where you see how long you can keep a straight face while telling the tale of how you bought this car off of a former automotive employee and saved the little experimental gem from being crushed. Hey, if you can keep it up, they may even offer to buy it off you, and then your hard work will have really paid off.

See, doesn't it look able to go over snow and ice?

Of course, if you want to make do with the emblems you already have, you can just make your car have the “appearance package”. This is fancy talk for taking all your existing emblems and painting them gold. Or blue, or green, or whatever strikes your fancy. The important part is your car is different, and your neighbors will think you got a raise or something.

So, for the cost of a trip to the junkyard or a can of paint, you can make it look like your car was bought for a couple grand more when it was new. And that is priceless. Or a couple thousand dollars, when it was new.

P.S. It is generally not a good idea to include “Light Dump” at the end of your vehicle’s model name. I know I put it as an example, but seriously. Gross.