Venting Frustration/Seeking Opinions

cosmicfish you make it sound as though we need to preserve and drive older cars for even more reasons. We already knew new cars are not made to last forever.
Sadly many people are already being forced to walk or use public transportation. Of course for those of us out of town this is not practical.
Thanks for the warning.

 

I think car manufactures use to make the best car they could at the time.. Now it's more a bout sustainable proffit. there is a port over here that has 57000 cars on its dock with no place to go they are just parked waiting to be sold.
Honda Have a factrory close to were I live they have just leased more ground to store over produced cars on...
This is part of the european problem as cars have got better and lasted better and with economic slow down we have been through people have not been buying cars.
It has got to the point that car companys are now having to act to ensure they have a futuer..

 

Good point Cosmicfish! "If you build they will come" doesn't always work anymore now that ALL of the cars look pretty much the same. It's like the realtors tell you-- the house they have for sale is the right one for you!

 

Just got off the phone with my realtor back home. That's what she said but I had to agree! We've only had three other homes in 57 years and liked each one. She reminded me it snowed and I almost cancelled!
As for cars they've been building them for years with an expiration date.

 

So all of this is so interesting to me to listen to. This past summer I have spent $3000.00 u.s. on my 84 Chevy estate..rebuilt 400 SBC rebuilt and up graded 700r4, wheels and tires. New polished aluminum 4core performance radiator. Also electric fans. And now I'm getting about 22 mpg. And you know what else it was still cheaper than making a car payment. Everything in the car is new except the driver..lol. But I do all of my own work. And the only reason I do that is because I can! I would love to bash on my old primitive ecm but it kept that old 305 alive for 250,000 saint Louis Mo. Miles. And I am still running that system on my 400. How ever I do have everything needed to remove that system should it fail. My car is me...

 

Thanks 84bowtie. I ignore my own comments about fixing up an older vehicle of any kind is cheaper than $500 car payments forever. If the body is in fairly decent shape everything mechanical can be slowly replaced like new.
Yes, the body can also be repaired but it's nice to start with something decent.
See you under the arch.

 

Since I started this thread, thought it only appropriate to bring some closure to the saga.

Long story made shorter, Chevrolet re-purchased my 2014 Impala from me; refunded every payment I made plus my down payment, tax, DMV fees etc. From that credit, they took out a nominal "usage" fee. They then told me to select another car of my choice (after I confirmed I was indeed sticking with Chevrolet). I selected a 2015 Malibu LTZ (and ended up with a smaller monthly payment). I have to say Chevrolet corporate and my local dealer treated me very well through this whole process. I'm a very happy customer. Now, onto continue my search for a wagon.

 

Very nice end to this story.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE.

 

Heck you could've bought a '96 Impala:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ebaymotors/LOW-M...rs_Trucks&hash=item3f42f11f86&forcev4exp=true

 

I wouldn't consider late 70's cars as very reliable compared to those made today, late 60's YES.

One car I remember my grandfather had that my grandmother would not get into again after it stalled on the road twice was a 78 Ford LTD Landau. Was bought new for a road trip, used 2 quarts of oil in 1000 miles, dealer said that was 'normal'. Sunroof poured water on my grandmother after a carwash, dealer said drain tube was plugged by sheetmetal piece from when it was put in. Sunroof glass cracked when less than a year old, dealer said it had to go back to the place where Ford had it installed, at owner expense, across the country! Flywheel got replaced twice in first 5 years, dealer said not their problem, found out later it was a common problem on the 400 engine. That car was ford red, red leather, and every option but quadraphonic stereo, ABS and rear disc brakes, it was given to their pastor who never had a problem with it for a few years.

I was going to buy it back from the pastor and get it fixed up again but when I mentioned it to family you would have thought I was trying to bring a murderer into the house! I passed on it and it went to the salvage yard.

 

If someone cuts enough corners off a square it ends up being another shape. If a person continues to cut corners they eventually have a circle and that circle can roll.

I read of guitar parts made in China with pot metal. What else is, the parts are supposed to have tension on them (more or less, depending on the gauge of strings and what the guitar's tuned to) and so the parts made of pot metal break easily - they're not designed to work. I'm not going to knock China completely here in their output though because I don't know about all their output. Some of it (Bootleg toys included) is suspicious though.