Every so often I get the uncontrollable urge for that new car smell or in my case, that new truck smell. When this happens, I start finding all kinds of faults with my existing loyal, reliable vehicle. I mean, it has scars, dings and scratches representing years and miles of service. The armrests are stained and greasy from years of my sweaty elbows. It probably needs new tires; the oil needs to be changed, etc., etc. After days of rationalization, I decided that I owe it to myself to shop for a new vehicle.

My current truck is a Chevy, with fairly low mileage for a diesel powered vehicle. I had decided that since the government took over Chevrolet, I would never buy another GM product. I was angry at the bailout of a failed business. However, habits are hard to break and since I’ve always had Chevy trucks, I decided I would amble down to my local dealer and take a look at the new offerings. Besides, rumor had it that car dealers were hard-up and offering really good deals.

I found the truck of my dreams, a loaded brand new 2500 diesel with that wonderful new smell. I was in love; all I needed was a salesperson to pursue the deal. I strolled around the truck admiring the shiny new paint and bright chrome. I looked at the sticker to see the list of goodies that were included.

My heart stopped! The sticker price was $59,950.00

Sixty Grand! What happened to hard times, to needing to sell to get the economy moving, again?

A nice looking blond salesperson arrived at my elbow. “Good looking truck isn’t it” she asked? I told her I came to buy a truck not make a down payment on the dealership. “Ha, ha”, she chortled, “but this one has everything, it’s loaded”. I told her the truck might be loaded but I wasn’t and with my head held high, I left.

With every step I took toward my used but trusty ride, the better it looked.

The answer was to visit the Pomona Swap Meet and upgrade my truck. A spray can of new car smell, new floor mats, filters, oil, wax, Armor All – aimed at restoring the pride of my old friend.

Thank goodness we have places like the Pomona Swap Meet, a place that supports older vehicles and an auto enthusiasts dream shopping experience.

There are those in our society that would take places like this from us; that would have us throw all our wonderful older vehicles on the scrap heap and drive vehicles powered by wind and peddles. We need to be alert to all that these people are doing to sway our government representatives in this direction. One of the ways we can do this is to join organizations that are dedicated to watching out for the threats to our industries and our freedoms.

The following are among the most active organizations in protecting, preserving and promoting the collector car industry.

Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO) is a council of Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), an association of 2500 producers and marketers of specialty equipment products and services for the automotive aftermarket.

http://www.sema.org/armo

The Center for Concerned Citizens for Automotive Safety (CCCAS)

Chris M. Zora, ASA, ISA, Director

P.O. Box 9939, The Woodlands, TX, 77380 (Houston)

(800) 559-8258, Fax: (936) 477-4027

Clean Air Performance Professionals (CAPP)

Charlie Peters, President

Stella Pyrtec-Blond, Public Relations 84 Hoy Avenue Fords, New Jersey, 08863

(732) 738-7859, Fax: (732) 738-7625

E-mail: [email protected]

Coalition for Auto Repair Equality (CARE)

105 Oronoco Street, Suite 115, Alexandria, VA 22314

(703) 519-7555, (800) 229-5380, FAX: (703) 519-7747

http://www.careauto.org/main.html

National Motorist Association (NMA)

James J. Baxter, President

402 W. 2nd St., Waunakee, WI 53597

Membership info: (800) 882-2785, Administrative Office: (608) 849-6000, FAX: (608) 849-8697

E-mail: [email protected]

http://www.motorists.org

World Organization of Automotive Specialists (WOAS)

Eric Baltzer, President

P.O. Box 1331 Palm Desert, CA 92261

(800) 428-1883, (760) 346-1984, FAX: (760) 568-6354

Membership and information for many of these organizations is free or the cost is minimal. We urge you to stay informed and active in these all important issues.

Our freedoms were earned by fighting for them; let’s not lose them because we have forgotten how to do battle.

–Citizen Wayne