“Mine’s a ‘78 Chevy, almost fully restored.”
I tried to explain to someone the other day that the mechanics of cars haven’t changed that much in the last 45 years. Other than fuel injectors replacing carburators (sp?) there really hasn’t been a MAJOR advancement in car design.
Take a 1965 Mustand and drop it into the middle of a modern parking lot, and it would fit right in. Fewer bells and whistles (creature comforts like the sound system, seats), but as far as the engine and drive train, very little difference.
That’s because the current Mustang might as well BE a 65 Mustang, because the styling is the same and it still has the same primitive stick axle under the back, etc., etc.
And you’ve missed an awful lot about automotive technology. Major advances include variable valve timing, stratified charge heads, Miller-cycle engines, turbocharging as a mass market technology, supercharging as a mass market technology, overdrive transmissions, locking torque converters, drive-by-wire, throttle-less engines, camless engines, flex-fuel engines...the list goes on and on.
The fact remains that today you can get two to four more times the horsepower per unit of displacement than people even dreamed of back in the 60s and 70s. You can get a 2L fourbanger and get over 650 horsepower out of it - and still have it be docile enough to drive to work or the store every day.
I agree completely. What is absurd is all the standard features that are wholly irrelevant to the actual delivered product which drive up the cost to incredible heights.
A standard mid-sixties sedan was a very simple thing, both mechanically, and in the way of creature comforts. It was also ultimately very affordable, very durable, and very repairable.
There are still cars from that era in service today, fifty years later. I dare to say you will not find a model from 2010 on the road in 2060. Mid 90's cars are fully depreciated, worth literally *nothing*. The parts are hard to find, and it is generally not worthwhile to rebuild the darn things because the cost is so high to do so, and the return in value (longevity for dollar) is not there.
But people still do ground-up rebuilds on '85 and older stuff, especially pickups and vans, because they will enjoy a long lasting machine with a very low maintenance cost- A high return for the dollars invested. The big 3 auto companies should look at why that is.
I think they need to go back to what made them big. Simple cars, great performance, bang for the buck, long lasting, and always re-buildable. Parts repurposing across decades to guarantee parts supplies. Quit trying to build in every luxury and go for low priced durability. Let the after market guys handle all the bolt-on crap like it used to be. Then they won't be killing themselves in warranties, because they won't have to back them as long- People don't expect as much if they don't have to shell out as much as it costs for a piece of real estate.
Yes, labor and regulation are killing them. But so is their general outlook. They are much more concerned about selling hot air and warranty than they are selling the basic product that they intended to build in the first place. Too much crap and not enough car.