2008 Woodie Awards
Letter to the Editor
Issue date: 7/29/08 Section: Letters to the Editor
I/M program inefficient for car collectors
Here we go again. Yet another I/M Program panel, public hearing and vote. This time it was vote to retain the program with modifications. What modifications? The department is not yet releasing that information. According to a writer at the ADN new vehicles will not need I/Mís for four years rather than the current two and vehicles 1967 and older will not need to pass immersions. For the average car owner this is nothing more than the fee youíve been paying out of your pocket for the last few years, an occasional nuisance, but nothing major. For car clubs and enthusiasts itís once again enough to bring you to tears of frustration. Many individuals donít understand the gripes behind those who have ìolderî vehicles. It is not an issue of allowing ìjunkî on the road as the Benson DMV told me my 1967 Buick Skylark was. As I neared tears of frustration and hurt over calling a classic ìjunkî I realized that some individuals will never see the beauty in a classic, antique, or modified vehicle. We donít have piles of money to buy fully restored classics, but our outlet is working on our cars and seeing the progress we can make into watching them evolve. Individuals attend car shows and see the beauty and history of many of these vehicles, but they donít understand the challenge behind owning them. Currently the seasonal waver program is the saving grace for these classic beauties. My husband placed a few year older block in his Corvette to replace the troubled one. It was what we were able to find, now even though with the new motor it is much more efficient it will never pass I/M. The I/M program stands for Inspection and Maintenance. It was a wonderful idea that has been derailed somewhere in the process. When a beautifully running classic car is not allowed to be operated in our city it is a day I donít want to claim that city as my home.
Heather Heuser
Anchorage
Here we go again. Yet another I/M Program panel, public hearing and vote. This time it was vote to retain the program with modifications. What modifications? The department is not yet releasing that information. According to a writer at the ADN new vehicles will not need I/Mís for four years rather than the current two and vehicles 1967 and older will not need to pass immersions. For the average car owner this is nothing more than the fee youíve been paying out of your pocket for the last few years, an occasional nuisance, but nothing major. For car clubs and enthusiasts itís once again enough to bring you to tears of frustration. Many individuals donít understand the gripes behind those who have ìolderî vehicles. It is not an issue of allowing ìjunkî on the road as the Benson DMV told me my 1967 Buick Skylark was. As I neared tears of frustration and hurt over calling a classic ìjunkî I realized that some individuals will never see the beauty in a classic, antique, or modified vehicle. We donít have piles of money to buy fully restored classics, but our outlet is working on our cars and seeing the progress we can make into watching them evolve. Individuals attend car shows and see the beauty and history of many of these vehicles, but they donít understand the challenge behind owning them. Currently the seasonal waver program is the saving grace for these classic beauties. My husband placed a few year older block in his Corvette to replace the troubled one. It was what we were able to find, now even though with the new motor it is much more efficient it will never pass I/M. The I/M program stands for Inspection and Maintenance. It was a wonderful idea that has been derailed somewhere in the process. When a beautifully running classic car is not allowed to be operated in our city it is a day I donít want to claim that city as my home.
Heather Heuser
Anchorage
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