Holy smokes, these are exactly the cars I would have built if I'd determined to head to the Sierra Nevadas with my wife and three-year-old daughter after 9/11. And needed something to navigate all those snowy mountain roads and my 300-foot, 12% grade driveway. And knew how to marry a Mercedes Benz 300TD turbodiesel station wagon and a 1984 Nissan 720 4x4 pickup chassis. And how to create a true hybrid, a Volvo 245 wagon on a 1986 S10 4x4 Blazer chassis, powered by a 1997 Pontiac Firebird 3.8 series II.
Cool rides! I wonder, though, what the builder meant by "My number one priority with any vehicle is that it be legally exempt from any emissions testing."
What's his beef with emissions testing? Hmmm...
[i assumed emissions testing was the dealbreaker for a DIY carbuilder, something his mutant rides couldn't ever pass. -ed.]
Mah Na Mah Na.
I am the builder of these two vehicles. I have owned well over 100 vehicles in the past 28 years that I have been driving. I guess my issue with emissions testing comes down to this: I hate having others do things for me. I don't trust them. I hate hiring people to do work. Seems like it is often done incorrectly, dishonestly or late. Back in the day I failed many a smog check, some of which I should have passed were it not for an inept technician. Did my last on 6 years ago. I'm not trying to convince you that you should live your life like I live mine.
Brian
[thanks for stopping by and expanding on that, Brian, and you don't need to convince; you can let the sheer awesomeness of your rides do it for you. -ed.]
the volvo is sexy as hell. i'm moving from SC to CA in a few months and i need a bigger car for my trip over and i'll sell it there. you have any recommendations? can i buy the volvo?
hi can you call us about the benz wagon if its for sale or give us info on the build thank you joe or serena 734-778-2750 or 734-362-0549 or jetplane@usa.com
wow. i have that blue volvo. 1984. thinking of rebuilding it (the inside) because i loooove that car. can you give me some tips and do you have any idea how much it would cost? thanks natalie.
The mercedes wagon started life as a diesel so no emission test in Calif. Leave it registered as that and nobody will be the wiser.