MAC
04-23-2001, 01:48 PM
It was brought to my attention that my '96 Neon is a disposable car.
I thought I should fill in some auto evolutionary gaps in the conotation of that statement.
First, we built cars to prove we could.
But they had such potential it was hard to let go of the idea.
Then, Marketing set in and said
"This is too good not to expand the market"
To justify the "every american need a car" theme they began the vast expansion of the 50's and 60's. More extras, more chrome, more power, more styles to fit every need.
"Look what we can do now" we said.
Next came reality.
Oil crunches?
What that meant was so many Americans depended on petroleum as a way of life that its fluctuation effected the economy.
So they stated the "cheap car" crap of the 80's.
The era of the Escort, Citation (hatchback*shudder*), Omni, K-cars, etc.
What did all these cars have in common?
They were crap. Cheaply built to compete with imports that could not be imported fast enough to satistfy our demand.
They were the era of burn ups to move us from the old to the new.
Now what do we have.
The cars are smaller, lighter, and less solidly built than say, my '75 Plymouth.
But heres the rub.
1) My Grandma moved to St. Louis in 1966
She had three kids still at home and got a job at the school. She bought a used oldsmobile Station wagon. In her busiest year she didn’t put 18K miles on that car.
It lasted for years and she payed it off quickly.
I average 30K per year on my wifes car alone.
I put 10K per year on my truck just driving to work.
2) My grandma owned 1 car at 1 time.
I own 3 as we speak. Most families have 1 car per driver today.
And at least one of those cars is financed.
So usage and number of vehicles of has gone up.
With this increase the ability to buy a car and keep a car has gone down.
You simply wear it out.
Once people accepted that they were going to finance and not own the current domino effect went into play.
First you make the cars much lighter
my Plymouth is 4650#
my Neon is approximately 2600#
This cuts down on wear on everything. This requires less motor and less fuel.
This affects how repairs are handled. The autos of olden times were designed so that when something wore out, you unbolt it and bolt on a new one.
Now the cars are designed to last through out their lifetime.
A car that went 100K miles in 1979 was a milestone.
Now one that won’t go 200K is a piece of junk.
You may never do the brakes on a new car.
Just change the oil, filters, and tires.
Carburators with all their parts are gone replaced by a couple of wires and a piece of brass with a hole drilled in it. How simple is that?
Computer controlled everything. Minimal adjustment. The complexity of new cars is that they are new technology.
Also take into affect with increased population on the road you suffer more accidents.
Now my Plymouth got creamed by a 89 Mustang once. I drove home while they loaded the pieces of his car on the trailer. I took my wife on a trip through the junkyard to show her what happen to her car when she doesn’t pay attention. (I HIGHLY recommend this method of instruction to all married persons especially if they feel they can’t afford life insurance)
Cars today are designed to fold up to absorb the impact of a collision.
This decreased inertia helps keep you in the car where you are more likely to live.
Fact: Every person I have known who were killed in car accidents were thrown from the car (except one little girl).
This trend is safety lend itself to totaled cars.
One wreck, one new car. Back to the bank for more financing. More $ down.
I’m not going into the crappy insurance angle of this.
Yeh my car is disposable.
But the motor will outlast the rest of the car.
I bought it with 60K on it I ‘ll drive it to about 150K.
It’ll be falling apart.
It’ll be worthless.
I’ll sell it for cash.
Then go see my banker and finance something else dependable for my wife.
Maybe I’ll be able to get something nicer.
http://www.thehypertribe.net/ubb/smile.gif
------------------
Don't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding.
<IMG SRC="http://www.tyler.net/roguewarrior/images/macsnake.jpg" border=0>
I thought I should fill in some auto evolutionary gaps in the conotation of that statement.
First, we built cars to prove we could.
But they had such potential it was hard to let go of the idea.
Then, Marketing set in and said
"This is too good not to expand the market"
To justify the "every american need a car" theme they began the vast expansion of the 50's and 60's. More extras, more chrome, more power, more styles to fit every need.
"Look what we can do now" we said.
Next came reality.
Oil crunches?
What that meant was so many Americans depended on petroleum as a way of life that its fluctuation effected the economy.
So they stated the "cheap car" crap of the 80's.
The era of the Escort, Citation (hatchback*shudder*), Omni, K-cars, etc.
What did all these cars have in common?
They were crap. Cheaply built to compete with imports that could not be imported fast enough to satistfy our demand.
They were the era of burn ups to move us from the old to the new.
Now what do we have.
The cars are smaller, lighter, and less solidly built than say, my '75 Plymouth.
But heres the rub.
1) My Grandma moved to St. Louis in 1966
She had three kids still at home and got a job at the school. She bought a used oldsmobile Station wagon. In her busiest year she didn’t put 18K miles on that car.
It lasted for years and she payed it off quickly.
I average 30K per year on my wifes car alone.
I put 10K per year on my truck just driving to work.
2) My grandma owned 1 car at 1 time.
I own 3 as we speak. Most families have 1 car per driver today.
And at least one of those cars is financed.
So usage and number of vehicles of has gone up.
With this increase the ability to buy a car and keep a car has gone down.
You simply wear it out.
Once people accepted that they were going to finance and not own the current domino effect went into play.
First you make the cars much lighter
my Plymouth is 4650#
my Neon is approximately 2600#
This cuts down on wear on everything. This requires less motor and less fuel.
This affects how repairs are handled. The autos of olden times were designed so that when something wore out, you unbolt it and bolt on a new one.
Now the cars are designed to last through out their lifetime.
A car that went 100K miles in 1979 was a milestone.
Now one that won’t go 200K is a piece of junk.
You may never do the brakes on a new car.
Just change the oil, filters, and tires.
Carburators with all their parts are gone replaced by a couple of wires and a piece of brass with a hole drilled in it. How simple is that?
Computer controlled everything. Minimal adjustment. The complexity of new cars is that they are new technology.
Also take into affect with increased population on the road you suffer more accidents.
Now my Plymouth got creamed by a 89 Mustang once. I drove home while they loaded the pieces of his car on the trailer. I took my wife on a trip through the junkyard to show her what happen to her car when she doesn’t pay attention. (I HIGHLY recommend this method of instruction to all married persons especially if they feel they can’t afford life insurance)
Cars today are designed to fold up to absorb the impact of a collision.
This decreased inertia helps keep you in the car where you are more likely to live.
Fact: Every person I have known who were killed in car accidents were thrown from the car (except one little girl).
This trend is safety lend itself to totaled cars.
One wreck, one new car. Back to the bank for more financing. More $ down.
I’m not going into the crappy insurance angle of this.
Yeh my car is disposable.
But the motor will outlast the rest of the car.
I bought it with 60K on it I ‘ll drive it to about 150K.
It’ll be falling apart.
It’ll be worthless.
I’ll sell it for cash.
Then go see my banker and finance something else dependable for my wife.
Maybe I’ll be able to get something nicer.
http://www.thehypertribe.net/ubb/smile.gif
------------------
Don't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding.
<IMG SRC="http://www.tyler.net/roguewarrior/images/macsnake.jpg" border=0>