Picking out a new car
is a grave decision

Many drivers enjoy the practicality of an SUV, some go for the stylish performance of a high-end sports car, while others cherish the collectibility of a classic ride. Nothing, however, revs Amy Shanafelt's motor like rolling down the boulevard in a creaky, hulking funeral carriage. "Don't let your first ride in a hearse be your last," states Shanafelt on her Web site, Grim Rides.

As founder of the singular Internet outpost at members.aol.com/hearseq, Shanafelt, also known as Amy the Hearse Queen, gives Web crawlers a peek into her most unusual fascination with funeral cars. The proud owner of a 1965 Cadillac M-M Sideloader she calls Lurch ("because that's what he does when you put the brakes on"), she is also a member of the Grim Rides car club in California, and has owned and sold more than 20 hearses over the years.

Should you share an interest in hearses and would like to obtain a corpse-ready clunker yourself, Grim Rides says your best bet is to pick up a classic car hobbyist publication, browse through classified ads in your local newspaper or go online at www.autotrader.com and Grim Rides' classified section at www.geocities.com/grimrides. At the time of this writing, a dozen hearses from around the country were featured on the site, available for purchase.

At Grim Rides you'll also find a helpful FAQ page with tips on sealing the deal and links to nearly 20 online hearse dealers and a dozen assorted hearse car clubs from Illinois to Australia, with wickedly witty names like Grave Intentions, Dead Sleds and the Horizontal Limousine Club.

But beware, says Amy the Hearse Queen. "Driving a three-ton, gas-sucking, hard-to-park, often-ridiculed, often-vandalized, often-towed, often-tormented, often-insulted, big, black deathmobile is not always fun," she warns, before adding, "Oh yeah, have any funeral car you've got your eye on checked by a mechanic before you buy it."

Lest you find yourself riding in the back of the cadaver carriage rather than up front.

Note: Web sites mentioned in this column were active at time of publication. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin neither endorses nor is responsible for their contents.