Woman is ‘one of a million’ owning a discontinued car she bought on Marketplace that she can only drive once a week

This woman is the proud owner of a discontinued car that she purchased on Facebook Marketplace – but she can only drive it once a week.

Meg Grealy knew she had to have the discontinued 1986 Suzuki utility vehicle when she came across it online.

It was called ‘Mighty Boy’ and the silly name was part of the draw for the 27 year old.

Grealy said: “I thought ‘Who the hell named that car such a silly name?’.”

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The discontinued car: 1986 Suzuki

This two-seater discontinued car was created in Japan and was only exported to Australia and Cyprus.

It owes its tiny size to Japan’s strict size regulations and has an engine the size of a lawnmower.

When it was released back in 1986, it received mixed reviews.

Whilst some called it a ‘box on wheels’, it was also labeled a ‘funmobile’.

At least they weren’t wholly negative – unlike the reactions to the Yugo which would go on to be called America’s most unreliable car.

As reported by ABC News, it’s believed that around 3,000 of the discontinued car were sold in the Land Down Under.

Often times they were used by delivery drivers and couriers who needed to zip around quickly.

It’s believed that somewhere between 500 and 1,000 Mighty Boys are still around in Australia today.

One of them belongs to Grealy, who lives in New South Wales.

She gets a lot of positive feedback whilst out and about: “I didn’t realize just how much attention that car was going to get.

“Every time I drive it, people say something to me or stare at me.

“This woman stopped me the other day and she said, ‘I just love him. People have such boring cars…I think everyone should have a Mighty Boy.'”

Why can this car only be driven once a week?

In New South Wales, any vehicle over the age of 30 can be considered for conditional registration under the Historic Vehicle Scheme.

This comes with certain perks like cheaper registration fees and access to group outings.

More than 70,000 historic vehicles benefit from the scheme and have smaller number plates ending in either a H or a J.

But as with most things in life, there’s a catch.

These cars can only be driven for about a quarter of the year.

This is because less time on the roads equals less wear and tear, and less risk of accidents.

So 60 days a year is the limit for personal use – any more than that and the owner has to pay for full registration.

Being limited to driving once a week might be a pain, but it probably all balances out.

The Council of Heritage Motor Clubs NSW organizes 90 clubs full of historic car lovers.

In her local group, Grealy has found community.

She said: “It’s definitely special, it’s one of those things that I might not have for a long time, but for now it’s fun.

“But you never know, in 50 years, I might still be cruising around in Mighty Boy.”

By our count, the Mighty Boy would be nearing 100 years at that point.

Cars getting to that big old age certainly isn’t unheard of – take this 90-year-old Chrysler that was found in a bedroom as an example of that.