What Is The Most Beat Up Vehicle You Owned That Still Ran ?

Not a truck, but a work car...

I had a brand new '87 Sunbird I didn't want to smoke delivering pizza, so I went looking for a $300 POS to deliver in. I found a 1980 Datsun 200SX that was owned by a kid who had the car, didn't pay the loan, had it repossessed, tore the dash apart to steal it back, no maintenance, faded paint. I took it home and started doing repairs... It needed a new clutch plate (they had somehow gotten a Toyota plate to work, gotta love Toyota parts). The rear rotors were worn to the point that they were as thin as a cracker (I am not kidding or exaggerating). The kid had ripped the key ignition switch apart and I had to screw a 1/4 20 bolt with a wingnut to turn the switch to turn the car on.

I drove it for 60K miles. I really didn't care if it got hit so if I knew the other person was in the wrong, I would take the hit (Yeah, I was an a$$hole who allowed other a$$holes to suffer the repercussions of the a$$holeness). When I got rid of it, the fingers that held the shift lever in the gear slots were gone, so you could stir the gear shift like a spoon in a cup. It still ran well, the air worked, the brakes were sound. When I went to look for another delivery car, I was asked if I had a trade. I told him it was in very poor shape, but the salesman said that if my trade in ran, he would give me $400 for it. I ran home to empty it out and drove it back to trade. The salesman had a sick look on his face when he saw the trade but honored the price. I got a 1980 Datsun 280ZX to drive to deliver. I liked the car but the injectors would go bad and it was a $1200 job to replace. I sometimes wish I had that old 200SX around just to scare expensive car owners in parking lots again.