Armchair Tourism, Part 7

Houston,Tx: This Cadillac is in the running for the "most atrocious customization" award.Whats WORSE? The cheesy spare tire on the back? The exaggerated spoke wheels? Or the useless chrome stripes along the back? Don't bother responding to that question, because there is no correct answer.All 3 are horrible. Added together, it's a rolling eyesore.This is the rare occasion in which I've found a customized car that I actually HOPE gets scrapped..... and soon!

Armchair Tourism, Part 6

A few posts back, I included a street view shot of a Ford Cortina, and stated that I would continue looking through England in hopes of finding a Vauxhall Chevette. Well, speak and I shall find.
On the left we have one,in Grantham.This looks like the high-performance version (HS),which explains why someone bothered to hold on to it. The nose has clear Opel origins and the basic shape is similar to that of its North American Chevrolet cousin of the same name.It most closely resembles the Brazilian Chevrolet Chevette,though.
UK Chevettes are more exciting finds than Cortinas because they are even rarer. As of the last quarter of 2012, only 755 were known to remain, and I don't have data for the HS edition.I was skeptical I'd find one on Google at all, but I did.Where to next?

Armchair Tourism,Part 5

Some news from the street view front. The kingdom of Lesotho in Africa can now be seen on Google. Quite honestly, its a bit depressing.Crude, tin shanties line sparsely driven roads in some truly impoverished conditions.Most of the vehicles I've seen so far have been cheaper pickups, 1980s and early 90s Toyota taxicabs, and very old, incomplete compacts, often on cinderblocks. There are only five or six thousand registered vehicles in this small country, but the actual number is probably quite a bit higher when you add up the cars that have sat abandoned for many years, stripped and overgrown.
In the midst of such poverty and despair, I found an actual classic,slowly dying in a virtually car-free neighborhood. A 1970s Cadillac,which no one can afford gas for.How such a car got there is anyones guess, and maybe the mystery is half the excitement of discovering it.
Due to the excessive thirst for fuel these cars were famous for, and total lack of availability for parts in this area,It's probable that this Cadillac will never return to the road, so long as it remains in tiny Lesotho.

Armchair Tourism, Part 4

Searching Google for interesting car sightings can be interesting because you won't know what you'll find, and some places have a lot more unexpected cars than others.Viewing streets in Texas is a littlle bit more promising than someplace in, say, New England or Minnesota.
Texas is second only to California for vehicle registrations. That means there is only 1 state with more cars than Texas. Add to that the fact the Texas does not use road salt and you can expect a better variety. Fewer risks of rust and warmer weather means older, rarer cars are more common and in use.
So I was looking at the neighborhoods in Copperas Cove and, in a typical suburban neighborhood with ordinary cars, this shows up. Its an Isuzu Impulse, a car that was never very common even when it was new. This one has tinted windows and black wheels for a more menacing appearance. We have to wonder what the owners future plans are for this car. Seeing as there's a Honda Civic tuner special in the driveway, I'm sure he has something in store for the Isuzu.
For what its worth, the mountainous terrain on the outskirts of Copperas Cove looks absolutely amazing.

Forgotten Finds, Part 3

1977 FORD PINTO SPORT CRUISER WAGON - $2500 (MERCED)

I have a super clean 1977 Ford Pinto Sport Cruiser Wagon for sale. It has had a lot of work done to it. The motor is a 302ci with a c4 trans. Both have under 10k mi. on them. I has an 8in rear that I belive is limited slip. New tires were put on last week with under 100mi. on them (I had to replace the tires because this thing is a tire burner folks). At this time I only have the one photo. I will send more upon request. Any questions feel free to call.
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Ok, I confess. I like Pintos.Yes, they are one of the most ridiculed cars in history. And most hated. But the opportunities are unlimited. When new, they were available in a wide array of trim packages, options and color patterns. Available body styles were Wagon and 2 door hatchback.
One package was the "Cruising Wagon" with a porthole window on the side. These usually had overdone disco paint jobs.Very few looked alike. Clearly, it was attempt to cash in on the "sport van" craze of the era using a compact wagon instead of a van.Considering that Ford got its start by offering Model T's in "any color as long as its black", the variety of appearances and colors you could get on a Pinto from the factory was a far cry from the company's old days. No company today offers such artistic possibilities. It isn't financially sustainable.As much as the automotive media hates 70s car,and Pintos in particular,these cars offered a sense of free-spirited individuality that were a bright spot of the 70s.
Of course, there was the belief that Pinto's blew up when hit from behind, a theory that was possibly debunked but definitely affected the cars reputation even to this day.
Eventually people realized that Pinto's made great race cars.....and demolition derby contestants. Those that weren't crashed in mass quantities for sport or didn't rust in just a few short years (which Pintos were famous for) were often tubbed for the track, and that has kept a surprising number of them in existence today.Less common are quirky original "special editions" like this one.Nowadays, we look at it and think it's ridiculous, but in the 70's this was trendy.People interested in joining the collector car hobby likely aren't going to consider a Pinto, but for the price's these cars run,you'll get a very unique,attention-getting oldie for much less than more common Corvettes and pony cars.And that's another reason I like Pinto's. Great bang for the buck if your getting into the old car hobby, either as a cruiser or racer.Forget image, a Pinto can get you onto the local cruising strip or amateur raceway at the lowest possible cost.
An "interesting" looking car for the right buyer at a price almost unheard of for a collectible.Someone needs to preserve this reminder of a time when cheap cars were as fun as the owners made them to be, and cheap cars alone created a fun lifestyle despite the challenges of the times.

Autopinion-Ford Fusion

Ford used to know what it felt like being near the top of the sedan heap.From the mid-80s into the 2000's, the Taurus was one of America's best selling cars. Though just mediocre and not as modern or refined as the Japanese competition, the Taurus offered the right size and options for it's price. Despite solid sales, it was dropped in favor of nicer, more modern cars (500 anyone?). The name has returned on a slightly more upscale sedan, and in its old spot is the Fusion. It was enough to return Ford to the top-10 "best-selling" list and a competent American competitor to the perennially top-selling Toyota Camry, if not the great looking Honda Accord.While well-received, styling just wasn't as pretty as that of similar foreign cars and was just as boring.
Not so anymore.
One of my complaints about the Fusion, until now, was the front-end styling. It looked odd and rather unattractive. Ford has cleaned it up with a less imposing grille and long,wide headlights.A much smaller, and vastly better-looking, Ford oval has been properly placed so as not to cheapen the appearance or detract from the more upscale styling.
In back, the tall, odd taillights have been made smaller and wider. As a result, the 2 least attractive elements of the design have been remedied.The low,sleek roofline doesn't actually look bad because the European-styled headlight and taillight designs are very compatible with the cars overall shape.
Inside, there is a sloped dashboard that might take some getting used to for some drivers, but is an effective combination of luxury and sportiness. Gauges have been properly designed to reflect the car's style and position in the lineup. Unlike of the cheap, basic Taurus of old, the new Fusion seems to have more in common with mid-grade sport-sedans like the Chrysler 300 or departed Pontiac Grand Prix.This is the realm in which the new Taurus is supposed to be,so Ford may have oversaturated it's lineup with comparable cars that sort of overlap each other.
Honda may still be the king of this category with the Accord. Toyota sells bundles of Camry's but those are dull.Chevrolet had a great product with the Impala but its also been bland and ugly over the last few years.Ford has taken their bland car and transformed it into a Jaguar clone.As a guy who always thought Fords were boring and Chevy's were cooler, I have to come clean and say that Ford outdid Chevy here and are offering their nicest design ever.They could have badged this as a Lincoln and nobody would have complained.Prices start at around $22,000 but can go well beyond the $30,000 mark. The Fusion looks every bit a $22-30,000 car, but will people be willing to pay the higher prices for a car known as a generic family sedan? And how will it impact Taurus sales (and vice versa)? All good questions to ponder.From a sheer styling perspective, though, Chevy and Toyota need to be afraid. Ford has hit a home run and outdone themselves.

Comments from others

You know you've hit the big time when famous people mention your blog. It is with great pride that this little blog has caught on and gotten some attention. Following is a collection of quotes about these writings:

"If I would have known that such blogs would exist, I would have invested my time into something else. However, I'm sure Colin would have disgraced that industry too with a similar journal".  -Henry Ford

"Colin is as knowledgeable about cars as I am ignorant about baseball".--Cal Ripken,Jr

"Know about cars, I do not. Colin's blog, all I read is."--Yoda

"Actually, I'll say it. Folks, Barack Obama is a better president than Colin is an automotive blogger."--Rush Limbaugh

"After reading this blog, I realized something. Did you know that Colin has been wrong about cars more often than Lindsay Lohan has wrecked them?"-- Jay Leno

"This guy isn't even qualified to write an automotive column for "Amish Life" magazine."--Adam Carolla

"We are afraid to put an ad out out there seeking automotive journalists. We fear Colin will keep sending in more applications than our trash can will hold."--Car And Driver

"Colin hath not learned-Thou shalt not write about that whench thou doth not knoweth."--William Shakespeare

"Colin is an ever bigger blockhead than Charlie Brown."--Lucy, of "Peanuts"

"Gee, and I thought I didn't know anything...this person is worse"-- (The aforementioned) Charlie Brown

"I pity the fool wo wastes time reading this jibber-jabber."--Mr.T

"There's more malarky on Colin's blog than I heard in Paul Ryan's debate speech."--Vice Pres.Joe Biden

I want to thank everyone for their comments and helping to get the word out!

Autopinion-Fiat 500

Most American's were probably unaware that the Fiat 500 even existed until they saw Pixar's "Cars" film. A 500 named "Luigi" was one of the prominent characters in the movie. The original 500 was a typical European microcar intended for cheap city driving.It was in production until the mid-70s.
Fiat had a minor US presence until the 80s, when the final model offered was pulled.To this day, Fiat has a reputation for poor quality and lack of reliability. In it's native Europe, Fiat has done much better. Enough to be able to buy a controlling stake in beleaguered Chrysler, which has allowed them to try to re-enter the US market.
The sole offering currently being sold here is the new 500, a modernized version of the cartoonish 1960s-era design. For sure, it's quite a faithful re-creation of the original. The new 500 looks remarkably similar and fans of the original will feel that the new version is a respectful, worthwhile use of the name.What is interesting is how similar the car looks to it's ancestor while still being modern and fresh.
The 500 fills a bit of niche market.It is not without its stereotypes. Its cute, for sure, and too often cutesy little cars are immediately viewed as "girls cars" or feminine. I do not get that vibe from the 500. It seems asexual. But, it seems almost a bit too "hipster-esque". The car looks more like a personal or fashion statement than a serious commuter.If I had to guess, I'd say it's core demographic is urban, either young and single or a young childless couple,and probably live a very active lifestyle. This is exactly the car you'd expect to see pulling up to a vegan cafe in Oregon for a poetry slam, driven by someone dressed in black thrift-shop clothes.Sorry, but sometimes stereotypes have an effect on sales.Older men in the suburbs will look at it and think its too weird or too cute.To him, it's something his college-aged son would drive....not to mention that the Fiat name still has a bad rap among those of a more advanced age.In other words, it's a bit out of the mainstream and likely appeals mostly to those WANTING to be different,regardless of its past reputation.The car may in fact be a little too outgoing for many buyers.
Inside, it's a mixed bag. There's some nice wood trim that makes the 500 look more expensive than it actually is. Above the steering wheel is a large, circular gauge that looks a bit out of place and mars an otherwise likable dashboard.At first, I didn't think I liked the steering wheel design, but I am changing my mind and it's growing on me.The round headrests are atrocious and ruin the entire thing. Did they intentionally try to make them so ugly?
Ah, but guess what? Prices start around 16 grand. Any complaints about styling go out the window. Choices are very limited in this price range so there really isn't much room to complain about visual flaws. Sixteen-to-twenty thousand dollar cars are not about design excellence,so put that into consideration. Fuel mileage is reported to be in the 30s, which should be a much greater factor for such inexpensive cars. Combine those 2 statistics and there are definitely some compelling reasons to consider buying one.
Again, I must emphasize that the 500 is more of a novelty car for an urban niche market than a basic commuter with wide appeal.Also, there's that pesky image problem regarding reliability. Have Fiat's gotten better during their long absence from the US market? We will probably find out soon enough. Honestly, I do think its an interesting car and potentially a great value. Also, I'm glad to see Fiat trying again to sell their European cars here.Really, I just wish Fiat also introduced a more subdued car for those of us who aren't trying to convey a certain kind of image or credibility.Many people will like this car, but fewer will really truly appreciate it for its real quirkiness. Fiat did a great job of bringing a classic up to date, but they need to expand their lineup just a little bit. A company or division cannot thrive on 1 product alone, never mind a specialty model.Nevertheless, the 500 is a competent and likable way for Fiat to get back in the game. Shame about those ugly headrests, though.

(ordinary) Cars I MIss

Like most machines, cars do not have a very long life-expectancy. It used to be that after 75,000 miles, cars were considered fully used-up and ready for the scrapyard. Now its about 150,000-200,000 miles. Things like rust and failing the emissions tests render cars useless even before the engine goes.Most of the time, we don't really notice outdated cars becoming rare and most people don't really care.Being a highly sentimental person, I tend to go against the grain.Not only have I always liked the nerdy, boring cars, but I also get overcome with feelings of sadness when I see pictures of certain ordinary cars and realize that I will see very few of them ever again.Maybe it's just some form of difficulty in letting go of the past. My reasons for liking certain cars are often undetermined, as are the reasons for the varying degrees of emotion I feel about their increasing scarcity. I probably could make this into a multi-part series but I'd run out of things to say other than "I just like them and wish more were around."
The following are cars from my childhood that are in short supply, that I wish I still saw more often. Keep in mind that the real cool rides, with potential collector status in the future, have been preserved more often and still pop up from time to time on nice days.These are not those cars. Seen here are unloved, unexceptional cars that I readily admit to liking.

-Dodge Colt/Plymouth Champ: Captive imports made by Mitsubishi and sold here,misleadingly, as Dodge/Plymouth cars. They were crude, cheap cars and the most interesting thing about them was their wide array of names. Dodge Colt and Plymouth Champ in N.America, Mitsubishi Mirage or Colt Mirage in most markets, and in the UK, Colt was the actual brand (the model "name" was 1200). I used to see these quite often and something in my wild childhood mind told me that it was one of the cars I should consider buying when I became a teen. Of course, by the mid-90s, that wasn't an option.They had already vanished.Really, they weren't much to look at and not a fun car (excluding the unique "Turbo" Colts), but they had cool graphic patterns and paint jobs that made them seem more appealing than they were.I have a real soft spot in my heart for these since I loved them as a little kid. I was in the Philippines for a few days in 2010 and saw 2 of these in one town. One was a beautiful,restored, red 4-door version with tinted windows and mag wheels.So, I do know where I can still find one (there's a possibility that a few still remain in Australia as well). Unfortunately, that place is about as far from home as I can get. Here, every last one is gone and the days of seeing them on a regular basis have left us sometime when I was still in middle school.I descriptively call these "Gremlin Colts" because they kind of look like modernized AMCs.

-Dodge Challenger/Plymouth Sapporo: Another Mitsubishi-built captive import sold elsewhere under different names. Unlike the Colt, these were not common sights and were more naturally sporty design-wise.I tended to forget they even existed until once every 2 years one would pop out of the woodwork.They weren't even all that old when I noticed how uncommon they seemed to be.The main difference between the Dodge and Plymouth versions was the taillight design, and I saw too few to learn how to tell one from another.I think one reason I miss these so much is that I never saw enough when they were newer and I probably feel like I missed out on an unusual sight that I never got familiar enough with. In 2011 I happened upon one at the Woodward Dream Cruise, an unmodified Challenger in mint condition. The owner said he bought it new and kept it garaged all winter to prevent rust. I said " You have the only one left in Michigan", to which he responded "I have the only one left ANYWHERE". Soon afterwards, Hagerty insurance made a list of "Threatened, endangered and extinct" cars. The Challenger was deemed extinct. That owner may have been pretty close in his assessment of having the only one left. Our opportunities to see them more frequently never came, and we're all worse off for it. RIP Challenger/Sapporo. We hardly knew thee.

-Chevrolet Cavalier Hatchback: During the changing times of the early-80s, GM responded to increased demand for front-wheel-drive compacts. The Cavalier was part of the popular "J" car platform that met those needs.Available in coupe, sedan, wagon, convertible and hatchback form, there was a Cavalier for pretty much everyone.When Chevrolet introduced the Z24 sport package for the coupe, convertible and hatchback, it transformed the Cavalier from cheap grocery-getter to cool wheels, and the package was a great fit for the swoopy hatchback. Unfortunately, they were not of the highest quality and lacked longevity. The Cavalier was redesigned and greatly improved for 1988 and the Z24 became even cooler. Sadly, the hatchback was dropped at that point.Most of the first-gen Cavaliers have long been disposed of, but a few Z24s were probably saved.The unusual-styling and total 80s-ness (I know, thats not a word) of the hatchbacks would make them an interesting oddity today, if there are still any to see.

-Hyundai Pony: My family rarely took trips to Canada when I was a little kid, but when we did, I'd see these everywhere. It was one of the only cars I'd see in Mapleleaf-land that was not sold in the US.That made this undeniably ugly car very intriguing and, actually, one of the only things that revealed I was in a different country. Well, that and signs in 2 languages displaying km/h, and leaves on all the flags. The Pony was Canada's best-selling car at one time. Since the late-90s, I've probably been into Canada 5 times.I have not seen a single Pony. According to Craigslist searches, most remaining Pony's in Canada appear to be in British Columbia.It just doesn't seem like a trip to Canada without seeing a Pony. I'm going to have to change my mindset a bit,since I probably won't see one there again unless I vacation in Vancouver.

-Mazda GLC: We all love an underdog story. By the late-70s, everyone was competing against each other in the compact segment. Obscure Mazda brought in their 323 and renamed it GLC for the American market.Most brands were more established than Mazda so the VW Rabbit, Dodge Omni, Chevy Chevette, Honda Civic,etc all fared better. Eventually, they dropped the GLC name and used the more international "323" moniker.The GLC has escaped most peoples memories, leaving little indication that they ever existed.  Eventually the 323 led to the Mazda 3, which is probably one of the hippest compacts with the younger crowd today....considered cooler than the competition that once outsold it. That's how a good underdog story ends.

Armchair Tourism, Part 3

In the car enthusiast world, the United kingdom is one of the better countries. There is a sizable community and media (including the popular "Top Gear") and overall the variety of cars isn't bad. Obviously, European cars are the most popular, especially Ford's European division. However, Asian cars can also be found, in addition to some US-based Chrysler/Jeep models and GM cars.
Unfortunately, cars in the UK have always rusted pretty quickly. Older cars don't appear too frequently on street views and finding one is something of a jackpot. The website Howmanyleft.co.uk reveals how poor the survival rate has been for most cars.
I was Google-surfing through Addlestone yesterday and found a Ford Cortina. I had been specifically hoping to find one on Google but kept striking out.The Cortina was a British Ford, and the best-selling car in Britain during the entire 1970's. They were a staple of British roads and almost symbolic of England itself. Not many have made it into this decade, though, and that makes me sad. There are several reasons the rarity of these cars is depressing.
The first is that Britains auto industry has diminished badly. It is a ghost of it's former self, offering almost no cars. Through the 80's, there were British cars for all budgets and tastes. The Cortina was one. You could buy a Cortina in Sedan, Wagon or Convertible form. It was so popular that South Africa, Taiwan, and Australia all had a Cortina line available.Even in South Korea, a Hyundai-badged cortina was built and sold (I have not found any indication that even a single Hyundai version still survives).The United States did not get Cortinas after the early-70s, but seemingly everyone else did.It was a British success story, yet nowadays Britain offers very few choices even for it's own market, forcing buyers to choose German or French cars instead.Some sources say that 1982 was the last year of production, but they were also sold in South Africa through the 1984 model-year.
Another reason is that England itself has changed. Demographically and socially, it is no longer the England of the 1950s that evokes adoration from foreigners even today.The country Anglophiles admire is no longer the same place.The Cortina represented the England of the past, and as they rust away and are scrapped, so are the memories of the country so many people dream about visiting. The Britain of tea-drinking, pub-crawling and scone-eating has gone the way of of the Cortina, and the country is more generic now and less distinguised.That seems to be a common thread in many localities today.
Reason 3 is that the Cortina was so popular that it was almost part of the British landscape and when it gets as rare as it is now, it just reveals how much time has slipped by and that familiar things soon become just a memory.As I mentioned a few posts ago, I feel the same way about Chevy Vegas here in the US.
This is a 1979-82 "mk V" Cortina, the final incarnation. Howmanyleft.co.uk is not the most precise or accurate source, as it only lists cars by first year of registration as opposed to actual model year, but for cars registered between 1979 and 1983 (remember, sources often give '82 as the last year), about 1400 are still left in their native land, and less than half are registered. Close to 900 have been issued a SORN (stationary Off-Road Notice), so only about 530 are driven and not in storage.
At least I finally spotted an iconic Cortina on Google like I had been hoping for. I will probably keep surfing street views of Britain because I'm still hoping to spot a Vauxhall Chevette.

Media Bias

It seems that the term "media bias" gets thrown around a lot these days. Some folks say that NPR and most network television news programs are left-wing propaganda tools. Others say Fox News and most AM talk radio shows are propaganda devices for the right-wing.Fewer people are interested in hearing about cars,so some may not notice it, but bias seems rampant in the automotive media as well.
This is nothing new. For years, I've heard people in the American auto industry, as well as fans of American cars, complain that the major magazines (including Consumer Reports, which is not a car magazine but regularly features cars) have a bias against American cars and always find ways to give them the lowest ratings.I'm not fully convinced of this.Corvettes, Mustangs, and increasingly, new Cadillacs get very positive attention from auto writers.To me, it seems like magazines such as Motor Trend, Road and Track and Car and Driver have a pro-German bias more than anything.Every time I pick up one of these magazines, there is some kind of article on BMWs or Mercedes-Benzes. And BMW always wins awards and comparison tests.
Don't get me wrong, both are great cars. The 80's-era Mercedes-Benzes may be the best cars ever built. I am convinced that when the world explodes, 2 or 3 boxy diesel-powered Benzes will be floating around in space. Keith Richards will be behind the wheel. And BMW has always made exciting, cutting-edge cars. But   both automakers just get way too much coverage.It seems like everytime a new performance-oriented car hits the market, the magazines run a caption on the cover saying something like "BMW-killer?" or "Can It Beat The M3?". Everytime they have a multi-car "shoot-out", testing several similar cars against each other, we already expect the BMW to win. Thats just how the media is.
Whenever Mercedes comes out with a new car or even makes a slight update to an existing model, the magazines will write about it with a glowing review.Then, a long-term update.
Mercedes-Benz has become the car of celebrities these days.Movie and tv stars, pop starlets,heavy metal musicians, socialites, you name it. They all seem to drive Mercedes-Benzes.Very few are actually interested in cars. They are becoming mainstream vehicles for the non-enthusiasts, and that increased number of them on the road, especially among non-car folks, turns away the core audiences of these magazines.Even high-performance MBs these days are more likely to be driven by people uninterested in cars.Today's car nut is likely to avoid Benzes because they are the status symbol of the uninitiated.This has not stopped enthusiast magazines from devoting a few pages of every issue to both Mercedes and BMW products.I don't mind seeing Ferrari or Lamborghini articles. These belong in there,since those are enthusiast-oriented marques. But the cars getting the most write-ups are those driven by ER doctors to and from the hospital and country club.
The car magazines may lose relevance soon if they don't add more variety and less predictability and bias.And show us more "Car-Guy" cars instead of "soap-opera star" cars.

Why Classics?

Old cars are really popular in America. Many of us hold them in high regard.There are those who cannot understand the fascination people have with old, outdated machinery.They cannot fathom why people waste their time admiring old things when today's technology is so much better.Allow me to shed some light on this subject.
To American's, cars are part of everyday life, yet at the same time, deeply personal. We grow up in communities where all households have cars. Most of us expect to have one before we graduate from high school.With cars playing such a common role in American life,we want our cars to reflect ourselves.Cars often are an expensive afterthought in many parts of the world. People buy them for a specific purpose and have no emotional connection to them. Not us. For a lot of us, our cars are part of our identity.Compare this with many other countries.Cars are like expensive computers. They serve a purpose, cost a lot, and are just inanimate objects that make life easier.The car is so central to our lives here that we have built a culture around it.
America is a country who's citizens often respect the past. People born in the 1990's go to thrift shops to buy hippie clothes, then crank up Beatles songs while smoking a doobie. They try to recreate a decade that went away long before they were born.In a country where radio stations and dance clubs play "retro" music, is it any wonder some people still like old cars? This is not a bad thing. I'm a proponent of remembering the past and honoring it when appropriate.In a lot of countries, people are very forward-thinking and always focusing on innovation and setting new trends. In Japan, televisions, phones, computers, etc are discarded after 2 or 3 years because they are "obsolete" and ultimately that amounts to poverty. Also, emissions and safety regulations are so draconian it is extraordinarily expensive to keep a car long enough for it to become a classic.In Taiwan, most people would be embarrassed to drive outdated cars.South Korea is another forward-thinking country with few or no classic cars, and general disinterest.People from these countries also use more public transit and disposable motor scooters than Americans.They don't expect to own a car immediately upon getting their license and many have learned to adapt without one.There is no emotion attached to the cars and an understable lack of interest in the oldies.
The reasons people love old cars likely has to do with sentimentality more than anything. For example, in the 1970's, a lot of people wanted to have a Corvette or muscle car but ended up driving a Ford sedan handed down to them from their father. Now, they can finally realize their dream.After working hard and saving for years, they finally buy the old car they have lusted over for so long.
Old cars also remind us of something.Unlike the old disco songs of the 70's, cars have a much shorter life span.I still hear songs from my childhood all the time. But I don't see the cars from my childhood.One of my favorite cars is the Chevy Vega, a terrible car if there ever was one.In my youngest years, we lived in a house backing up to a main road. It ended at a subdivision, which you had to zig-zag through to get to the next main thoroughfare.If I looked out through the doorwall, to the neighborhood at the end of that road, I would see a house that had 2 Vegas.An additional Vega belonged to one of the neighbors who lived right near the entrance to our subdivision.we moved in 1985, and a guy living nearby had 2 Cosworth Vegas decaying in his driveway.I have always associated those cars with my childhood.Music is timeless. Cars aren't. My favorite cars are still the 70's cars because those are the cars I remember. I'm now learning to love mediocre cars from the 80's for the same reason.We had a few Pontiac 6000's in my high school parking lot. Those are in short supply now.It's almost like someone going back to their old neighborhood and finding that half of the houses are gone, replaced either by vacant lots or new houses.Then, they see an old house and it looks largely the same as it did 40 or so years ago. About a year and a half ago, I saw a man driving a rusting white Vega on a snowy day and it made me very happy.It was sort of the missing link to vanishing childhood sights.Nowadays, I start to feel the same when a battered, rusted Pontiac 6000 passes by. Many of us like cars that represent a certain time in our life. Others, like the young hippies today, want to live in a time they missed out on.As long as people still like old southern rock music, muscle cars will remain the dream car of many adolescents.And as long as we have something to associate the old cars with, we will love them.Yes, new cars are better. But we already have an attachment to the old cars that we are still building with the newer ones.