On Thu, 9 Nov 1995 11:04:34 -0600 John Foster said:
>getting off the list) there is no doubt in my mind that cars, in general,
>run better and longer now than they used to.  Consumer Reports has powerful

us old farts can attest to that! :)  fan blades don't fly off and hit you in
the shoulder nowadays ... axles don't break ... and even tires can usually go
more than a year without going bald. :)  cars in general are MUCH better built
and safer and last much longer with LESS effort from the owner/driver than,
say, the 1940's or 1950's cars.

this is NOT to say that a 1950's car won't last ... just that a 1990's car
goes a lot longer before the owner HAS to do something to it. the 50's car
pretty much requires some owner maintenance on a weekly basis. even the early
beetles were DESIGNED this way, i think. you were SUPPOSED to take car of your
car. today, it seems, you are not supposed to do anything.  and they are
designed so that you CAN'T do anything!

>the movement towards plastics to save weight that all manufacturers have

it's also a lot easier to cast plastics than metal, in a mass production sort
of way. or so i'm told.

joel