Posted on 07/29/2015 4:32:38 AM PDT by Olog-hai
In the age of Apple’s CarPlay, a lot of cars on the road still have tape decks.
The average vehicle in the U.S. is now a record 11.5 years old, according to consulting firm IHS Automotive, a sign of the increased reliability of today’s vehicles and the lingering impact of the sharp drop in new car sales during the recession.
Drivers behind the wheel of older cars aren’t enjoying some of the latest advanced safety features or infotainment systems that effectively turn cars into cellphones on wheels. Then again, they don’t have to worry about hackers finding their way in to the car’s computer network through the cassette or CD player.
IHS said U.S. registrations grew to a record 257.9 million cars and trucks, up 2 percent from a year earlier. …
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
that’s me!
2 door 5 speed manual...38 mpg highway.
Combined with funneling gas taxes to choochoos and bike paths and you have potholes that’ll destroy what’s left of the suspension and chassis.
My 2 wheel drive is amazing in snow, new tires and 200 lbs over the rear axel. I haven’t had a car payment in 20 years.
>>> Great heater, warm? Roll the window down. <<<
Yeah, great heater. It’s putting out warm air in less than 1/4 mile.
If I still lived up north I wouldn’t need the AC, but down here in Texas it’s just a tad warmer. A couple years ago we had two months of continuous 100+ degree weather, so the AC is a necessity for old farts like me.
Nobody has twisted this as “racist” yet, as new car prices approach $20,000+++?
Michigan salts the roads, mine is 300 lbs lighter than the day it left the factory. Heater means a lot here.
My 01 Camry is bullet proof and reliable and is in some ways better than many new cars I have owned. It is an amazing vehicle. I call it my “anvil”.
Right on schedule - mine is a 2004 Jetta. The thing has got all kinds of stuff wrong with it. Time to get a new one.
I don’t know about anyone here.But the economy just doesn’t support buying a new car.They cost too much up front.Then the taxes and insurance cost are even more.
I’m on the way toward retirement and I can’t see throwing money away on a car when my pay can’t support it.
This economy has been wrecked.
I have a 2004 Camry w/4 cyl engine and 223,500 miles. Purrs like a kitten....why would I discard such faithful service? For a “lemon?” I don’t think so!
~~1956 vintage according to pictures I have seen!
1999 Ford Taurus 293.000 miles and strong
I don't know how to upgrade the brakes or the wipers, but you can add seat heaters. The heating elements slip between the seat covers and foam structure and are easy to wire up. The same kits are used in pretty much any vehicle that has seats and 12v power, they even sell them at Aircraft Spruce.
That is one of the best vehicles ever built. They all run like new at 200,000 miles.
I have a 1886 MR2,a 1991 Toyota truck with 285,352 miles and a2001SVT Cobra for special occasions and road trips.
No rolling computer networks for me.
During the Carter Administration, ethanol-blend was introduced to extend gasoline, by volume; increasing the availability of fuel at the pump by 10%.
Over the ensuing decades and beginning in the Clinton era, ethanol-blend was institutionalized as an “oxygenater” and a solution to Greenhouse Gas emissions. No science was used to define the change....it was just programmed into the national “understanding” (Thank you to the ArcherDanielsMidland lobby).
Chemically, EtOH is an “oxygenater” simply because of the added presence of oxygen in the EtOH that is mixed with...not appended to...the gasoline grouping. We have fallen for the pogrom that says our fuel ^needs^ EtOH to reduce GHG. This was NEVER scientifically supported at any blend/mixture; it just “is”.
Yes, EtOH contributes Oxygen to the combustion cycle but, before it gets into the RICE cylinder, it also “oxidizes” the entire fuel system causing brittleness and premature failure of multiple portions of that feed system. Needless to say, a large portion of the “oxidizer” provided by EtOH gets consumed prior to reaching the combustion chamber.
Note that EtOH is an “organic chemical” as opposed to a covalent/polar chemical (Rio Linda Explanation: Water Based) and will naturally first interact with other organic contacts in the system such as plastic and rubber.
(For reviewing chemists, I do know that EtOH is a bridge reagent between polar/covalent and organic chemistry.)
Do you tell your friends that you have a...
Classic Woody
[snicker]
The Camry is a wealth-builder. My ‘97 4 cylinder has never left me on the side of the road. Simple and solid with no car payment and personal property tax about 60 dollars a year. My dogs have been rough on the interior over the years but it has the best AC and heater I’ve ever had. Have 194000 miles on it and will drive it 250000 if it allows me to.
Careful there. Let your insurance company know that you added those heaters (and, yes, your rates will increase) because if the add-ons torch your car, Allstate might not want to pay. Comprende?
I was given my ‘01 Camry as payment for electrical services I rendered for a friend of mine. ( I like to barter ). That Camry is the first Toyota I’ve every owned, it could quite possibly better than a Honda. It is amazing.
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