With a record-breaking $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package clearing Washington and checks for up to $1,200 going out to every American adult, there’s about to be some serious liquidity pouring into the American economy. Mind you, a lot of it will go toward bailing out tax-dodging corporations (including cruise lines) instead of hardworking Americans, many of whom need help keeping their children fed and lights on due to job furloughs, unsympathetic landlords, and student loan officers.
But hey, those of us whose lives haven’t yet been brought to a grinding halt will feel 1,200 burning holes in our pockets, and many of us will feel the urge to blow the whole sum on car parts. It’s enough to buy, like, a cheap-and-cheerful set of coilovers or a set of attractive (if questionably made) cast wheels. So, while we learn how to break locks on dumpsters so we can stay fed during this downturn, we’d like to ask our readers: What car stuff will you buy with your stimulus checks?
I personally hope to have my daily-driven Toyota MR2’s engine rebuilt, as my mechanic told me during my last service that my lack of power and declining gas mileage is because all four cylinders read 60 psi of compression. I’ve already been working extra hard this year to try to afford the rebuild, and if I can scrape the money together, I’d love to build a stroker engine while I’m at it by swapping out the 3S-GTE’s block and crank for those from the 2.2-liter 5S-FE found in the 1991-1996 Toyota Camry.
That, of course, can only happen if I don’t catch COVID-19 and rack up five to six figures of medical debt before Washington mails out checks—which ABC 10 reports might not happen until May. Here’s to hoping continued social distancing keeps me—and my family members and colleagues—alive until our checks clear.
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