A Political Economy of Junk Cars on Blocks in Back Yards
an h2g2 entry by yours truly

In the United States, one aspect of the redneck or hillbilly stereotype is that these unfashionable people hoard their old, broke down cars instead of hauling them to a scrapyard as fashionable middle-class Yanks do. Junk cars usually end up on blocks or otherwise tireless and propped up in side yards or backyards, because intact tires are soon switched to the redneck's running vehicle or sold off.

Middle-class Americans generally have enough money to pay for towing cars to a junk yard when the time seems right, and enough money to buy another working vehicle so they won't need parts very soon after. What they do not have, however, is enough sense to recognize that it may be an economic decision for some people to hang on to junked cars. When you can barely afford to sustain a vehicle, when you have to devote weekends and time off to fixing vehicles, and when you can't afford the exorbitant prices for new auto parts, it makes sense to keep an assortment of free used spare parts in your backyard....