You know you might be a hillbilly when you have parts cars

We keep a few in the yard behind the barn.

You never know when you might need a random part.

Heck, sometimes you pick up a parts car and it turns out to be in better shape than your daily driver. That's when you swap the plates around and enjoy many more miles of happy motoring without the inconvenience and expense of safety inspections etc.

Guy I knew was in Kentucky when his motor went. Bought another blue Lincoln Town locally, swapped the plates, had his old car towed to the scrap-yard, and drove that Lincoln all over Canada for the next ten years with nary an incident.

But I digress. What's troubling me is that I have failed to fire up the old Allison back-hoe for longer than I care to admit. I'd bought a brand new battery last summer, and when I hook the battery charger to it, it doesn't even want to take a charge.

Meanwhile, the old Montana van behind the barn, where it's been buried in a snow drift for the last six months, fired right up with its ten year old OEM battery.

My old pal Jimmy Lippert, may he rest in peace, prided himself on never driving a car built during the decade he was driving it. I recall him going to the wrecker to find a AC unit for the Buick LeSabre he was driving. Buddy at the yard wants $250 for the AC.

So Lippert says "well whadya want for the whole car?"

After a bit of back and forth they settle on $300 for the entire vehicle, and by golly he drove that car for a good five years!