They just keep going and going and going and going and going: at overseas bases, one man's clunker is often another man's ride to work. And another's. And another's - Andersen Air Force Base, Guam

Airman, March, 2003 by Mark Kinkade

Staff Sgt. Wyatt Crozier isn't really proud of his car, but he's proud of the deal he got. For a little under $900, including registration, Crozier picked up a 1986 Chevy Spectrum sporting a tan-and-green camouflage paint scheme, more than 164,000 miles on the odometer and a handful of "problems" perfect for shade tree mechanics with some time to spare.

Like a lot of people at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Crozier took advantage of a longtime tradition of buying cars at a cut rate from people who leave the island. When he leaves, the 36th Maintenance Squadron munitions specialist will sell the car to someone else. In time, that person will probably sell the car, and so on and so on as long as the vehicle keeps running.

"It's one of the unique things about living here," Crozier said. "People don't want to ship these junkers back to the United States -- they aren't worth it -- so they sell them. You can get some pretty good deals on wheels that will get you around the island."

Crozier has what is euphemistically called a "Guam Bomb," "GI Junker," or "boonie car," Or a hundred other names. Whatever the name, these cars tend to be old, beat up and just about worn out. They are plentiful at overseas bases from Guam to Germany and Japan to Iceland.

Automobile legacies

The Spectrum isn't the first Guam Bomb Crozier has bought. During a previous tour at Andersen, he bought two cars for a total of less than $1,000. Like the camo Spectrum, he used them as "point A to point B" cars -- able to make it a relatively short distance from home to work, or from the base to nearby businesses and attractions, but little else. These are cars you definitely don't want to see tooling down the interstate through the deserts of the western United States.

"These cars aren't the type you take on long trips," Crozier said. "They get you where you need to go, but you might have to put some work into them. But whatever you spend keeping them running is still going to be cheaper than buying a new car, and for young families especially, that's an important consideration. A lot of single airmen like to buy these cars so they can save their money for other things."

At one time, the Spectrum was a new car. The original owner of the vehicle long ago left the island for parts unknown, but the vehicle stayed behind. And there are thousands of similar stories at bases around the world.

For example, one auto legend in Germany tells of an airman arriving for duty during the waning years of the Cold War at Rhein-Main Air Base. As he walked out of the terminal at the base, another airman was walking in. The departing airman stopped and asked the new airman if he had a car. The new airman shook his head, and the departing airman handed over a set of keys and pointed to an old BMW parked in the parking lot.

"It's yours," he said, according to legend.

While the story may not be true, the concept is close to factual. "Lemon lots" -- the Air Force's own used car lots found at most bases -- are brimming with cars marked at discount rates by owners eager to get the machines off their hands before leaving for other assignments.

A little elbow grease

Not all cars are bombs on the brink of collapse. In fact, the average cost of a used vehicle at Kadena and Misawa air bases in Japan runs about $2,000. However, the bang for the buck is pretty solid, especially for families or couples who couldn't or didn't ship vehicles or who need a second car to get around.

Most of the cars will eventually require some sort of maintenance, which means base auto hobby shops see a steady business in used cars rolling into the work bays.

"Some of the junkers are so bad, I don't know why they keep working on them," said Joe Baker, a technician at the Kadena hobby shop. "I guess they just want to fix them and keep them running. A lot of people will wait until the very last minute before the car gives up to do anything."

Baker has dabbled in the used car market. He bought a 1982 Nissan Skyline for $500, invested about $7,000 in parts, paint and repairs on the vehicle, and now has a solid, dependable and pretty flashy mode of transportation.

But other people are hesitant to drop big dollars on repairs. Airman 1st Class Adam Hill paid $2,000 for his 1991 Nissan Skyline, becoming the fourth owner of the vehicle. As of May 2002, he had spent $14 in maintenance costs to keep the vehicle running.

"You don't find a lot of deals like this," he said as he tinkered under the hood of the car at the hobby shop. "This car may go back home with me."

A few spots over, Marine Master Sgt. Andre Cooper struggled to clamp the brake calipers on his 1988 Nissan 4X4. Despite the difficulty, Cooper was only too happy to do his own maintenance. The car didn't cost him a dime. It was a gift.

"My buddy was leaving the island and didn't want to take it home with him," Cooper said. "It was free. I'll do my own maintenance until it falls apart if I have to."

Tougher standards

Times have changed for the GI Junkers. Used to be, car inspection requirements were lax, base police didn't pay much attention to disposal of vehicles and no one really cared what Americans did with their cars when they left.