Poetically correct, factually suspect.
Todays cars last longer than cars made in the 1950s. Better metalurgy, engines and lubrication.
However the exceptions, the poetic imagery touched my soul.
I lived through those former times.
I know! The problems my father had, trying to keep his old cars on the road.
I used to have to get out of my first car on the side of the road and fiddle with the carburetor when it would just decide to conk out at highway speed. Back in the late '70s.
And I used to have to get a new muffler ever two or three years, due to winter salt damage in the northeast.
I still live in the same place, and I haven't had to get a new carburetor in like 20 years. A small thing, but I appreciate it.
And the richest man in the world couldn't have an iPhone, or get a CAT scan or MRI, or use the internet, back in the 1950s. Couldn't get genetically-tailored cancer therapy. Couldn't get cataract surgery. That's just scratching the surface, of course.
In the 1950s you bought your car with cash. Today you finance it for six years. It damn well better last longer!
I agree except for today’s paint. There’s a DeSoto on blocks near me that has better paint than my 2013 Tacoma.
Not sure that what you say about cars is true. Many of today’s cars will likely never be restored...and there are good reasons for that. Many are just not built for possible longevity.
MY VEHICLES:
1976 1 ton 4 SPEED 454 CHEVY SINGLE CAB TRUCK WITH OVER 348,000 MILES-—OVER 250,000 OF WHICH WAS TOWING HORSE TRAILERS...BOTH 2 HORSE & 4 HORSE. HAVE HAD IT SINCE APRIL 1986. COST $4000.
CAR= 1979 BUICK WAGON WITH 403 OLDS ENGINE WITH OVER 225,000 MILES WHICH WAS USED TO TOW 2 HORSE TRAILER FOR MONTHS BEFORE I BOUGHT THE TRUCK. HAVE HAD IT SINCE AUGUST 1981. COST $3500.
BOTH IN DRIVEWAY AS I TYPE THIS.
CAN CHANGE OIL MYSELF & ABLE TO CHECK ALL OTHER FLUIDS.
TODAY’S CARS DO NOT EVEN HAVE A TRANSMISSION DIP STICK-— AND NEW KIAS: TO CHANGE HEADLIGHT BULB—THE SIZE OF YOUR THUMB: THE CAR HAS TO GO TO THE DEALER & FENDER GETS REMOVED, BULB CHANGED, AND FENDER REPLACED—AT AROUND $150 AN HOUR SHOP RATE.
I CAN CHANGE HEADLIGHT IN EITHER VEHICLE IN UNDER 30 MINUTES BY MYSELF
AM 86 & STILL FEMALE
YOU CANNOT GIVE ME A NEW VEHICLE OF ANY KIND.
“Todays cars last longer than cars made in the 1950s. Better metalurgy, engines and lubrication.”
OTOH, they are more expensive in real terms and hopelessly complex. We long since reached the point where you are tied to a dealership for the life of the car. You might be able to change brake pads & rotors, but engine maintenance is pretty much off the table. Even after the car is paid off you really don’t “own it” in that sense.