It's an Easter Miracle, Donks are dying

[topher5150]

Now that the whole donk thing is basically over--we only saw like one at SEMA last year--what will become of all the cars that have been built this way? When I saw this Monte Carlo on 26's on eBay today with zero bids, it reminded me that what will really kill the hi-risers is the resale value: you can't give these things away, and that more than anything is going to discourage people from continuing to build new ones. I don't really blame anyone not wanting to take on someone else's hi-riser project: because of all the cars that are likely to have been shoddily engineered, cobbled together, extensively abused, and generally cheaped out on, the donk has the rat rod beat by a mile. But you can see also why owners are reluctant to send them to the junkyard or to sell them for the 1500 bucks that an '82 Monte Carlo is generally worth. After shelling out for wheels that are at least that much apiece, big-diameter/low-profile tires, a trunk full of television screens, and a color-change paint job that cost more than a year's worth of state college tuition, they're going to want to get back at least what they have in. Hi-risers are an inherently ephemeral trend--the fun's gotta end somewhere--and so you can expect that people will soon be trying to offload them in substantial numbers. But who will take them? Will sellers try to convert them back to stock, putting them on 15" steelies and attempting to sell off all the (questionably) valuable parts separately? Will they primer them over in an effort to obscure their hi-riser heritage? The hi-riser could very well become the next generation's flood car--once they've been donked, they're basically valueless. Add to that the fact that the average hi-riser owner can't seem to take a decent picture with the entire car in the shot to save his life (see below), and you're looking at a pretty hard sell. It'd be surreal to see them start turning up in the junkyards--I guess I can't see that happening anytime in the immediate future. But with the price of scrap going up, who knows? Where will the hi-risers end up?


http://autoholics.com/2011/04/25/What-Will-Happen-To-The-Hi-Risers-525945

 

[MaddShadez]

They have been banned in Cincy, OH. Police will impound your car if you have oversize wheels, it's causing a huge uproar.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/cincinnati-police-target-impound-modified-cars-1143860.html

 

[V-Tally]

I'd pick up a donk for the sillyness and novelty value. Especially knowing some other shmuck actually spent a whole crapload of money to get it that way. I'd drive around blasting Russian music, dressed oh so off the boat fresh.

 

[danny_holtermann]

i would take it and part it out to someone trying to donk it out

 

[k9t8m]

Ive got a neighbor with a 70s cadillac coupe deville with 24's but after seeing it every single day its starting to grow on my.

Its still not my style at all, but I have to give some of those guys credit because if they wouldn't be fixing up those less desirable cars, they would all be in junkyards somewhere. I can definitely appreciate the time, money, and effort spent on their cars.

 

[Raped Ape]

Personally I am glad to here that those sight for sore eye cars are falling to the waist side. We have a few around here in a street gang deal and they are all painted up and sitting 24 or inches off the ground. I think it is and was I hope a ridiculous fad. Glad to hear this is happening.