On Tue, 25 Feb 2003, Jonathan Farrugia wrote:

> jeff
>
> you have to understand that he is here in the detroit area where if it is
> more than four years old the dealer only wants to see it if its a trade
> in.

Hayup.  Auto industry and salty winters virtually guarantee that those who
can afford it get a new car every five years ... the rest of the population
just drives their X-ray cars until some part breaks that's NLA.

I remember laughing at my old VW dealer in Wyoming, at his straightfaced
"You know why there aren't many old American cars on the road?  You can't
get parts after year 11."  At the time (1998?), I was buying one obscure bit
or another for my '77 Rabbit.  It took moving out here to see graphically
*why* people here didn't complain so much about the lousy build quality of
American cars as they did out west -- Michigan folk expect their cars to
last five years, then fall apart so they can get a new one.  And that's
exactly what American cars do.

I guess on the plus side, they're getting more recyclable.  The last Grand
Am I rode in, a 2003, the rear door panels and B-pillar molding consisted of
one piece of hard, flat snap-in pop bottle plastic.  I only noticed it
because it had come unsnapped and was swaying back and forth -- and the car
was less than a month old!  Also, "driving excitement" my foot.  Even a V6
can't turn a big midsized sedan, even a chintzy plastic one, into a sports
car.

ian "I told that kid to buy a GTI" Butler / ian@bluemoon.hplx.net
'88 Scirocco 16v, '87 Syncro GL