J.W. Burleson photo / Boquillas del Carmen, Coah.

PHB

My photo
Brooklin, Maine, United States
We own a 1975 GMC Sierra Grande 15 in Maine and a 1986 Chevrolet Custom Deluxe 10 in West Texas. Also a pair of 1997 Volvo 850 wagons. Average age in the fleet is 28 years--we're recycling. I've published 3 novels: THE LAW OF DREAMS (2006), THE O'BRIENS (2012), and CARRY ME (2016). Also 2 short story collections: NIGHT DRIVING(1987) and TRAVELLING LIGHT (2013). More of my literary life is at www.peterbehrens.org I was a Fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study for 2012-13. I'm an adjunct professor at Colorado College and in the MFA program at Queens University of Charlotte. In 2015-16 I was a Fellow at Harvard University's Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. The Autoliterate office is in Car Talk Plaza in Harvard Square, 2 floors above Dewey Cheatem & Howe. SUBSCRIBE TO THE AUTOLITERATE DAILY EMAIL by hitting the button to the right.

Monday, December 31, 2012

Best Trucks of the Year

Every Man's Second Car Should Be a Beater Truck...
...that was a piece I wrote for GQ (November 2012) on buying, recycling, and using an inexpensive old truck. Don't much like the term 'beater', as it implies a machine that is thrashed and can be treated with zero respect. I like mending, tuning, and driving basic old trucks. Below, some of my Autoliterate favorites of 2012. The good thing about old trucks is that they are usually for sale. And pound for pound, pretty cheap. RUST is the 4-letter word to avoid. Surface rust is fine, it's patina. Anything deeper gets very expensive. While it is relatively easy, and not wildly expensive, to drop a new engine into an old truck, dealing with a serious rust issue can be extremely costly, and often hopeless. If you're looking for a great old truck, think--high & dry climate. Think--south & west. That's where to buy. And if you live in the Northeast, plan on an adventurous road trip, or pay a good outfit--like Safe-Way Auto Transport, out of Kentucky--to bring your baby home from the desert.
Texas Dodge

Texas Chevrolet C-10
Texas F-1 Ford

Donald Judd's Dodge. Should called it The Judge
Vancouver International

Saskatchewan Econoline


Maine/Texas GMC (with Chevrolet tailgate)

Colorado Springs International

Banff Dodge

Colorado Dodge

Saskatchewan International grainer

California F-2

Saskatchewan Chevrolet grainer

Saskatchewan Advanced-Design Chevrolet

Colorado Sprinsg A-D GMC

Willys Jeep, Colorado Springs

Dodge, Times Square NYC

Citroen, Wassenaar, NL

Citroen, Wassenaar, NL

Morris, Berlin

Chevrolet, Texas

F-250 Texas

Chevrolet c-20, Los Angeles

Chevrolet Portland ME

F-100, Saskatchewan

Willys Jeep, Blue Hill ME

1 comment:

  1. 'The Judge' made me laugh. Should be included in a shop that deals with Trucks for Sale in Texas.

    ReplyDelete

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