Well, with the price of gas higher than Whitney Houston in a weed patch and a muddy mess at work due to construction, the beater ('93 Escort) has been getting some use lately. The Crossfire is literally babied. It is always clean, well tended, and covered up when not in use. It is somewhat refreshing then to be able to pull dents, spray primer out of a can, slap bondo around, sand, and spray Duplicolor on the Escort to work away its flaws. Whereas the Crossfire is a rare and precious car that I dote on (and have not yet worked on at all), the Escort doesn't need the best. The work can be "good enough" instead of perfect. It doesn't need to be washed. It doesn't matter if it gets dings and stone chips. And, when I want a project, there is always something to do. I gave it a good tune up the other day, adjusted the clutch travel, and changed the oil. The carpet has been scrubbed, and things that were not working in the dash have been repaired. It starts right up and hums happily now. About half of the rock marks on the window have been filled. New bumpers are going to find their way on to the little wagon, at less than $30 an end. Of course, I wish the beater was an older European sedan. And, maybe in the future it will be. You can always get your money out of an old car like that (if you pay less than a grand and keep it up). But for now, it's the Escort. And, the little bit of tinkering I can do on it is cheap, and satisfying. It some ways, it is a fun car too. Just fun in a different way than my Crossfire.

Anyone else have a project on the side, that you work on, when you are not waxing up your Crossfire or bolting on the limited range of aftermarket parts available to us?