PennSilverTaco's "Perfect 5-Lug Regular Cab" Build, Aspergers, and General BS MegaThread!

Unlike my aunt and uncle's '97 Voyager, this purple Caravan had only the AM/FM cassette and no CD player (or Infinity speakers)...




The inspection stickers expired in May 2012, but the van arrived at the salvage yard in September 2019 (less than two weeks before I took all these photos). This would indicate that the van was not an abandoned vehicle, but more than likely suffered a catastrophic (and expensive) mechanical failure years ago and sat in someone's yard for years before they finally decided they wanted it gone...

 

This F150 was one of the few non-junkers in the yard; It not only has a free and clear title, but runs and drives great!

 

I am often saddened to see most vehicles in a salvage yard, especially the ones that seem to have been whole and undamaged prior to ending up there. However, this early 90s Saturn is one of the exceptions to that rule! The inspection stickers expired in September 2015, and there is a FOR SALE sign on the dash advertising the car for $300. There isn't an "Abandoned Vehicle" warning sticker in the window, so I'm guessing that like the Dodge Caravan (that is actually similar in color to this car), this car had some catastrophic and expensive mechanical failure prior to September 2015 and was parked. The owner attempted to sell it, then gave up and called the salvage yard to take it away...




I dare anyone to call this number and ask about the Saturn...










Gotta love that early 2000s Pioneer Super Tuner head unit!




It does appear to have a parking ticket under the wiper, but the "it sat in someone's yard for years and the seller gave up" story seems more plausible...

 

Olds Omega

 

Another Saturn with an aftermarket Pioneer head unit; This one had a bad engine and was destined for the crusher...

 

@shakerhood

I'm going to post some pics of a 1994-1996 Dodge Dakota; I got a side shot of the engine but couldn't tell if it was the 2.5L 4-banger or the 3.9L V6...

You think you could help me out here?

 

I can try my friend.

 

@shakerhood

The same uncle I went to this yard with had a truck similar to this one; It was a black 1993 Dodge Dakota Sport 2WD with the 3.9L V6 and 5-speed stick. The Sport came standard with full instrumentation (tech, etc) and a cassette player, among other things; He bought it brand new and ordered it with every option including A/C, cruise, tilt, power windows, power locks, and a posi rear, as well some other options I'm probably not remembering. He paid like twelve grand for a fully loaded Dakota (and he paid CASH too). He owned it for a year, then a couple of hoodrats got into a fight outside his hubcap store in Allentown, and one of them slammed the other into the side of his truck. My uncle came out and yelled at them to "stop fucking with his truck", and they stopped, but not before they had put a dent in one of the rear fenders. My uncle traded the otherwise perfectly good Dakota for a 1994 Ford Ranger XLT regular cab 2WD, ordered just like the the Dakota with the middle-grade engine, a 5-speed handshaker, positraction, and every single option. When he traded the Dakota in, the Ford dealer gave him exactly what he'd paid for it! His ex-brother-in-law now owns the Ranger, and he regrets getting rid of the Dakota...




The airbag identifies this one as a 1994-1996 model...

Yes, there are plants growing in the dirt on the floor of this truck!




The color-coded headlamp bezel indicates this truck is a Sport...







Unlike my uncle's 1993, this truck does not have A/C...

 

1997-2003 Ford Escorts were once everywhere, but as the years have passed their numbers have dwindled; The Mercury Tracer twin wasn't that common twenty years ago and is almost unheard of now (when we lived in Washington from 2000-2002, a friend's dad had a car similar to this one)...

 

I remember my buddy having a GF that had a Tracer back in the day, almost remember it being a hatchback or possibly a wagon, they nicknamed it Fishbowl...

 

When a car is so overgrown you can't tell the make and model; I think this was a Dodge Neon but I can't remember...

 

I know exactly what car you're talking about...

 

I visited this same yard with my dad back in 2006, and the minivan section was just as I remembered it...




If anyone ever wondered what happens to a vehicle's interior when exposed to the elements for years or even just months...

 

My Ex GF's son bought a 2004 Dakota despite me pleading with him not to buy it, its been a huge steaming pile of crap that he has barely driven at all, he cant even make it a half a mile from his house without it shutting off and leaving him stranded.

 

I think the 1992-1996 Dakotas were the best...

 

I believe those Tracers were Mazda-based...

 

@shakerhood

Can you tell if that green one has a V6?

 

Lol my mom had one from 2001-2007 manual everything with an eagles cassette tape on repeat

 

Absolutely, the early more basic ones were solid!