Interesting discussion.
> Back in the 50s, cars with 100,000 miles were limping. You could
> stretch a set of factory tires 20,000 miles, brakes maybe about the same,
> exhaust systems went 2 or 3 years at the most, plugs--clean every 6 months,
> replace at a year, along with points, rotor, condenser, the cap and wires
> didn't last all that long, either. Ball joints at 30,000 miles, tie rod
I don't know about 50's cars, but I do know a bit about 60's cars. I have put
about 70K on my 68 sedan, and this is a very well used car (educated guess is
270Ks). Still has the same ball joints as when I bought it and still tight,
but I replaced most tie rod ends (prior wear). I have changed plugs only once
in this car, and that's just for the heck of it (car was never missing at
load). I have replaced plug wires once too. I have also experience with a 65
volvo that had covered about a million km's after my father finally got rid of
it, and the car has lots of life left in it in spite of very poor maintenance
(in fact, the record in mileage is from a 66 volvo w/ 2 million miles on one
engine rebuild).
However, both the Imps and the volvos were very high quality cars. There may
have been many lesser cars back in the 60's that what you say holds, I do not
know.
> ends about the same distance. You kept an eye on the tires, because a good
> hit on a pot hole would mean the alignment needed attention. Upholstery--on
> the way home from the dealer, you either put on a set of seat coves, or
> about 25,000 miles you installed a set to cover the hole developing in the
> driver's seat.
My 68 LeBaron still has the original leather upolstery in nice condition. Not
perfect, but decent. A 67 Coupe I visited recently has its leather almost
perfect. My allignment usually holds for years and years at a time, and I do
not drive slowly. Again, may be in cheaper cars things were more like you
say.
50 years later, a car with 100,000 miles probably still has
> factory installed consumable parts (plugs, plug wires, battery, alternator,
> starter, etc), the first replacement tires, it may be about time for
> replacement of the factory brake pads. When is the last time you saw a seat
I agree that modern cars require less scheduled maintenance while new compared
to the old ones when new. But they have a very finite life. There is progress
in engineering, let's not deny that. The progress is mainly in terms of
manufacturing techniques, and abilities to study/estimate stresses far more
effectively via computer aided design. Its easier and cheaper to mass produce
better tolerance parts now than then. But the design criteria changed.
Instead of using the better abilities to make a better product, they use the
abilities to make a cheaper product that satisfies certain minimum requirements
and maximize profits. As far as the US manufacturers are concerned, they also
seem to cut down on R&D to further increase profits, and the result is less
refined product.
> cover store? Back in the 50s, 3 out of 4 corners of many major
> intersections had a gas station, and each employeed a mechainc or 2. How
> many repair shops do you see today. Most of those gas stations sell real
Modern cars are so complex and hard to work on, that a gas station would little
chance even diagnosing a problem. I think that's the main reason. There is no
shortage of cars broken down in the side of the road.
> Modern cars are superior transportation modules. Every year, the engineers
In short, I agree with this statement, as long as the modern is relatively new.
A person though that knows and understands the old machinery can operate an old
car approaching the reliability of a new one (reliability here means no road
side failures). The down side is you always have to keep your eye and ear open
to fix a potential problem before it escalates. The positive side is that with
a car like the Imperial, you also have a high performance vehicle with tons of
styling, comfort, and safety, all for not much money. You can also take
advantage of engineering progress by using modern tires (that's very important)
and modern lubricants.
D^2
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