Working in the auto repair industry for 16 years I've seen some pretty hacked up cars. Things like zip ties holding bumpers in place, flex pipe used as the entire exhaust system and duct tape. Lots of duct tape.
Although entertaining to see peoples' ingenuity and flat out unwillingness to spend any money on their car, this story takes the cake. As the Ottawa Citizen reported, a 28-year-old man was pulled over for no brake lights.
During an inspection of his 1999 Toyota Tercel (the last year for this glorious road machine) it was discovered that wooden logs were being used as part of the suspension.
Ottawa Citizen
Looking at the picture it seems a rear coil spring had broken and he just jammed a log in its place. Seeing as how the springs are responsible for holding the entire car up, he was relying pretty heavily on a piece of lumber.
Aside from being punished with what I imagine to be a very harsh ride, the man was ticketed for no insurance and having an open beer. His fine was $481 and his car was impounded for further investigation.
Please, oh please Ottawa Police report back with your findings. A rear spring for a Tercel runs about as much as a case of Molson Canadian Beer so there has to be many more interesting "repairs" going on here.
A late 90's Tercel had about 93 horsepower. I'm betting this guy was able to replace the worn out engine with a hard working team of mice running on a exercise wheel. We want to know everything.
Related: This Collection of Redneck Car Repairs Will Make You Laugh Your Ass Off!