Car Options

[Joel Merrill]

I've never been able to order a new car with the options I wanted. In fact, the closest thing to a new car I have owned was my 2003 Pontiac that I bought in 2003 with 17,000 miles on it. I still have it and will probably keep it for a long time.

My wife and I were talking about options tonight. Of course you can get fancy wheels and stereo systems and things like that but I think it would be nice if you could get a choice of dashes and grills and things that would really make your car look unique. People used to get custom bodies for Volkswagens to make them look like a 40 Ford or a 39 Chevy or a Rolls Royce. What if you could order a PT Cruiser with a 40 Ford or 39 Chevy styled front end or maybe as a 2 seat coup?

This may already exist but I've never seen it. It would be nice if when you pulled your door handle, a little light would shine on your keyhole. I would also like a built in BB gun in the front and the back for people who won't dim their lights.

Joel

[Jim Franklin]

I would like to have a switch that would let me turn on the lights of approaching cars when they are driving long after sun down.

[David Cash]

The BB gun might get you in trouble, Joel! :basic03

Most of the customizing options I'm familiar with are for pickups. You can do about anything you can set your heart on with an older truck and do it largely with bolt on parts.

I'm guessing though that if you look around online for custom car parts or some such, you might find what you're looking for. Also, the J.C. Whitney catalog would be another place to look. Maybe a street rod site would have some interesting things. Also the kit car industry will sell parts to spruce up some vehichles, without doing a complete new body. I recall parts to make an S-10 pickup or blazer look like an old Ford. Expensive, but it would be fun.

My last two vehicles were distinctive. The little Toyota wagon because of the shade of green the previous owner had repainted it with and the '84 Chevy pickup because of the wooden box sides I put on it. My current gray Dodge is harder to recognize. Doesn't make a lot of difference except my friends are less likely to wave if they meet me on the road.

David Cash