My wife, sister-in-law and I used to play a fun game on the road. It goes like this: pick two cars, and ask, “which would you rather drive?” Those answering have to pick one.

It started out with crappy-looking cars – a beat-up CRX with a rear bumper made of pressure-treated lumber versus a slightly newer but equally beat-up Altima with the smashed-in trunk tied shut. (Those are real examples we saw. The Escort is an interweb find.) Then, new rules were added. You have to keep it. You can’t say “I’d sell it and get [whatever].”

That allowed the game to progress into new territory, beyond the shitboxes. Now you could choose the pressure-treated CRX or a new (at the time) Aztek. Or you could select between a box Chevy sitting on 24s or a Dodge Omni in great condition. Sure, the Chevy would be fun, especially with all those woofers. But you wouldn’t be able to turn very sharply, lest you rub those shoes. And the Omni would be clean and economical, but generally awful.

So I give you the following choices that I spied on the road last week. What will it be? The Mad Max-style custom Geo Storm with no protection from the elements whatsoever, or the structurally compromised and certainly leaky Fiero convertible? Either way, you’re in one of them for the long haul. Choose wisely.