I had an Exxon station in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, back in the mid-1980s. When the local Ford dealer moved to larger facilities, a gentleman opened a Yugo dealership in its place (Out of Balance, September HMN). A lot of the cars delivered had to be pushed off the car carrier on arrival. He used to brag that he had the largest inventory of Yugo parts in the country. He didn’t last long but I did buy a car off of him — a 1980 Toronado diesel for $600. It got almost 30 mpg. I installed the updated head bolts and head gaskets, but my wife hated it. Hood too long. Doors too heavy. And it stunk. I sold it back to him for $300. Now the place is a Dollar General.
Rich Cross
Brick, New Jersey
My wife and I just completed a drive from Northern California to San Antonio, Texas, and up across Newfoundland and back – 10,098 miles. Our supercharged 2008 Range Rover isn’t vintage, but at 15 years old and now over 225,000 miles, it soon will be old enough. It ran the recent trip at high speeds and off-road in a few spots without a burp or belch. We saw one MGB in Ontario, Canada, and no other vintage cars on the road (Fast Idle, September HMN).
We drive
