Store to Replace ‘a Piece of Trash’ Given in Contest

A woman who refused to accept a 6-year-old car she won in a department store drawing because it was “a piece of trash” has been presented with a newer vehicle in its place.

Sandra Torres, 26, rejected the 1979 Ford station wagon, learning it had 89,000 miles on the odometer and several other faults.

This week, the store presented Torres with a 1982 Ford Fairmont that she says is “very much better.”

The car has a brake problem and a minor oil leak, but Torres said she doesn’t mind.

The station wagon that Torres rejected lacked a back seat and a knob to turn on the headlights, she said. The tailgate had dents, the chrome bumper was bent and the hubcaps were missing.

Officials of Leonard’s department store said the cars are company vehicles that have been replaced by newer cars.