I agree. The guy has the means to have a customized car, and he dreams big. Sure, his vision may be muddled and understanding of the process limited, but mine would be too if I started a build today. The fact that the guy may not be the most informed about the process, or about the greatness of the Lada Niva or…

No, Canadian Loons.

My estimates have the value of the stones at 35 trillion dollars.

I love having blanks. It reminds me of all the dumb crap I didn't buy and appeals to my frugal side. There is no optional equipment yet invented that I can't easily, happily, live without.

As mentioned in the other replies, I have one of those old Civics lacking both a passenger side mirror and rear defrost. I'm in California, so the defrost isn't so much an issue. No mirror results in me looking over my shoulder all the more (and really, my driver's side mirror is so rusted through that it shakes in…

Barely related, but are there any Jalopnik readers over the age of say, 33, who don't immediately think of Huey Lewis and the News everytime a headlines tells us "This Is It?"

You're simply the best, JT.

Reminds me of the jeepneys in Manila, though those are covered in Bible verses, weird 80s advertising slogans, and Mercedes/BMW logos.

Yes, I also need to understand this concept better. Not want, NEED. Please?

Yeah, these are the times I miss Michigan. But, we do have the advantage of having old iron hanging around without rusting. And if it does rust, it's top down from rain or ocean salt, not structural. Still, wish I could mess with my car without worrying about smog.

No, engines can't be older than the car's model year, since those engines weren't designed to pass smog regulations for that model year. This much I know! (I think.)

Thank you for helping me feel less crazy here. I briefly looked in to swapping a new engine into my Civic, and I thought it had to be a Civic engine or other approved engine from the same manufacturer, and it had to retain all my stock smog equipment. Getting a newer engine is easy, getting it to work with my 70s smog…

Was there a list you consulted before doing the swap to be sure it was legal? I have heard of such lists, but havent been able to actually find them on the DMV site.

Nice Tony, keep helping me out here. Does this mean it has to have the smog equipment from the original car, or the smog equipment that corresponds to the new engine? (Serious question.) I am not entirely sure what all is considered "smog equipment" even. 

I never spun it or lost control of it except on the ice. Really I probably wasn't driving it too aggressively to ever get into any real trouble. I was just happy to be able to drive when I was sixteen. And I wish I had a GT.

I can see no possible way this car, with that engine swap, is legal in California. That's my guess as to why he is selling, and also my confusion as to why he built it in the first place.

My first car too! Came to write the same thing. Can't really blame the car, but whenever I drove it, poorly and carelessly, during the three month ice festival known as Michigan winters, for some reason it didn't handle that well. I actually crashed it before it was even given to me, because I was a Teen Jerk.
Still,…

Good to know, thanks!

2001 also had the S54 engines, I think. Finding a 2001 or 2002 model is tough, and while I don't know if I've seen one in the 30s, mid 20s is common enough. You can still get a 2001 for 15k around here, though it will have 100k miles on it.

2002 BMW Z3 Coupe or MCoupe. Sure, it's a hair over ten years old, sue me.