NASCAR Driver Buys An $800 Chevy Cobalt For A Cheap Car Challenge, Pushes It Home After It Dies, Then A Surplus Military Tank Flattens It And Upsets The HOA

An $800 car, a dead engine and a surplus military tank do not sound like a normal weekend. For NASCAR Cup Series driver Carson Hocevar, they added up to one of the wildest cheap-car challenges around.

A small red car parked on a city street.

Motor1’s Brian Potter told the story in a report on November 8, with photos and video credited to Hocevar.

Two Friends, Two $800 Cars

Hocevar and his friend Vernon Hale each bought an $800 car for a cheap-car challenge. Hocevar picked a Chevy Cobalt, and Hale chose an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.

Hale said his Cutlass needed no work. Hocevar’s ride was the more fragile of the two.

A Day Of Spray Paint And The Wrong Fuel

Hocevar gave the Cobalt a cosmetic fix with spray paint, and the job took most of a day. The car then got the wrong type of fuel, Unleaded 88, which Hale pointed out on camera.

Next came a power-steering warning that led to a blown belt. Then the engine backfired and died.

Hale Pushed The Dead Cobalt Home With The Cutlass

With the Cobalt no longer running, Hale pushed it home behind the Cutlass while Hocevar steered. The hosts decided the car was no longer worth saving.

That decision set up the grand finale.

Then A Surplus Military Tank Rolled Over It

A surplus military tank arrived the same day under a cover that bystanders reportedly mistook for a Chevy Caprice. The tank rolled forward over the Cobalt’s hood and roof, flattening the car in one pass.

A neighbor said truckers had pulled over along the route, and a weigh station once stopped the rig, assuming it needed oversize permits.

An HOA Member Objected To The Tank

A homeowners’ association member objected to the tank’s presence. For anyone who lives in a neighborhood with strict rules, that part of the story is easy to picture.

The tank’s metal road pads can damage pavement if the driver turns on asphalt, so unloading required care.

Why A Cheap Car Challenge Is Harder Than It Sounds

Buying a car for $800 sounds like a bargain, but cars at that price are usually near the end of their lives. A seller who asks so little is often selling a car with worn parts or hidden problems.

That is what makes a cheap-car challenge fun to watch. Every small repair can spiral, and an easy fix like spray paint can hide a bigger problem.

Putting the wrong fuel in a car is also a mistake worth knowing about. Unleaded 88 is a blend with higher ethanol content, and owners should always use the fuel grade listed in the manual.

The Cars Behind The Challenge

The Chevrolet Cobalt was a compact car sold in the United States from the 2005 through 2010 model years. It was a basic, affordable commuter, and plenty of them are still on the road, now at bargain prices.

The Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme comes from an earlier age. Oldsmobile ended production in 2004, and the Cutlass Supreme was a huge seller in its day, so many families have a story about one.

Picking those two cars for a cheap-car challenge makes sense, since both are common, simple and easy to find for little money.

A NASCAR Driver With A Sense Of Humor

Hocevar races in the NASCAR Cup Series, where the cars are built to precise standards and cost a fortune. A contest with a worn-out $800 hatchback is about as far from that world as it gets.

That contrast is part of the fun. Fans enjoy seeing a professional driver stuck with the same problems that every owner of an old car knows, from blown belts to cars that refuse to start.

It is also a reminder that racing is built on a love of cars, whatever shape they are in.

What The HOA Part Reminds Us

Homeowners’ associations set rules for everything from lawn height to paint colors, so a tank on the street was bound to raise eyebrows. Many neighborhoods require approval for large vehicles, and visitors do not always know the rules.

If you plan a big project at home, a quick call to your association can save a lot of trouble. A friendly heads-up to the neighbors helps as well, even if your guest is a bit smaller than a tank.

Tips If You Are Shopping For A Budget Car

Most of us will never meet a tank in the driveway, but a cheap car can still teach some lessons.

Check the fluids and look for leaks before you buy, and note how the engine sounds at startup.
Pay attention to warning lights. A power-steering warning can lead to a broken belt, as it did here.
Use the fuel the manufacturer recommends, and read the pump label before you fill up.
Ask a mechanic to look at any car before you hand over cash, even a cheap one.
Keep a little money in reserve for repairs, because cheap cars tend to need them.

The Cobalt’s story ended in a heap, but it gave plenty of people a laugh. A challenge that starts with $800 and ends with a tank is hard to forget, and Hocevar and Hale made the most of it.

For neighbors and the HOA, it is a day the street will remember for a long time.

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