The Worst Used Car Ever

Another common sight on "The Upper East Side" is the marginal used car. They usually sport a paper temporary dealer tag. And every other car on the streets near my house has a temporary dealer tag.

So this afternoon, I went home to let the dogs out. And on my return trip, I was behind a fine example of the marginal used car. It was an indeterminable year model GMC Safari mini van. It was painted a winning combination of powder blue and primer. It was rolling on four mismatched tires. And when I say mismatched, I also mean mis-sized tires because there was a smaller tire on the front which caused the Safari to lean to the left. Of course, the tail pipe was belching out a steady stream of white smoke which made it hard for me to see the road. And to top it all off, the car had a loose rear brake line that was dragging the ground.

I felt like asking the driver of the Safari who had sold him this incredible pile of dung that had no hopes of passing inspection, much less surviving until the dealer temporary tag of 08-13-05 expires. Then it hit me. The marginal used car is also the disposable used car. People probably pay 300 bucks for them with no hopes or intentions of getting the vehicle inspected. And if it gets impounded for lack of tags or registration, who cares?

Of course, there's always the chance the marginal used car will find its resting place on the front yard next to the living room furniture. But everyone has to do their part to make "The Upper East Side" what it is.