By now, you should have seen pictures of Rags to Riches in the magazine. I've already taken the ride to a handful of shows and even picked up a handful of trophies. I built this truck as a daily driver and that really is what it's been. The funny thing is I haven't actually had a daily-driven body-dropped minitruck in more than six years. I forgot what a complete nightmare it can be. Sure, it's fun. But, it does have its ups and downs.
Once my truck was finally out of the shop, I began to drive it to work everyday, and around town, seven days a week. Part of my daily routine included torturing Mike by strategically parking the truck so he would be sure to drive by it daily. Around the same time, I wasn't really going out to lunch every day, I would just stay in the office to try and save a couple of bucks.
One day, however, Mike and I decided we needed to roll the Taco to lunch, so he could ride in it for the first time. Usually, I won't drive the truck completely hammered, because I know that driving in Orange County is just begging to be pulled over, but this was a special occasion, so I barely even picked it up. We basically dragged it out of the parking lot on our way to lunch.
We hadn't even gone more than 2 miles before Anaheim's finest had pulled me over on the side of the road. I know, it was my fault for driving so low. So, I wasn't really mad about the situation, and besides, the police were just doing their jobs. Now, granted, I wasn't really doing anything wrong. I wasn't speeding or tailgating, I was just driving down the road, minding my own business, and really low, of course.
The kick to this story is the guy didn't just pull me over for a ticket. He wanted to impound the truck, because as he said, "It is an unsafe vehicle." I wasn't too pleased about this part. But, who am I to argue with a police officer? Instead, I just told him to do what he needed to do, and Mike and I started planning how we would get back to the office. A few minutes later, another officer came to inspect the truck and the two would decide the fate of Rags to Riches.
As I was sitting there watching the two officer's search my truck and measure everything from headlights to tire-weight restrictions, I wondered if it had all been worth it. I figured, you know what? If anything, at least it made for a good story. I could always sell the truck out of state to somebody who lives in a more lenient state. As I was daydreaming, I noticed the officer pull out his ticket book and write away.
Meanwhile, Mike was clicking away and capturing the moment with his cellphone, so we could have the pictures you see here. Suddenly Officer One came over and said he needed my signature, so I pleaded my case with him about us not really doing anything to need such a strict punishment
I don't know what really happened after that, but within minutes, I was back in my truck going to lunch. That's right, he let us go, and didn't really say why. I didn't even get the ticket! Was it because we cooperated fully? Or because he just saw our side of the story? Whichever, it definitely taught me to respect the police, because they're just out there doing their part in society.
The other thing I learned was that driving a mini every day is cool, but it does come with its own added stress. I basically have to drive with my "Copdar" on all the time. But, it's already been a few weeks and I'm still rolling-not as low-but rolling nevertheless.