Good Cars and Bad Cars --- According to Kindergarteners

[Totoro]

Lucky you, you had a job!

 

[Car-Guy]

To each their own of course, but I would have the opposite view. I enjoy driving and new cars are just so much better at driving than the old 60's muscle cars were. Way faster, better brakes, handle much better, much faster throttle response, etc. Not to even mention the better reliability and longevity of modern cars.

Even my new Jeep is quicker, faster and handles better than most any older muscle car I have ever had, including several Vette's. I'll probably drive at least 50k miles this year and 98% of that will be in 2015 model years or later BUT, there is still nothing like the shake, rattle and rumble of a 45+ year old naturally aspirated 426 hemi or 427 big block chevy to make me smile.

 

[unclemick]

Cars are old hat. Upscale swellness - be a loftee, have a cloth shopping bag with your 'green' logo(pick your cause), maybe a bike and loudly and proudly only rent a car when you absolutely have to.

As a 73 year old remembering my carburetor sucking, gear shifting, rubber burning rides of yore - with the Beach Boys on the 8 track blasting I've been put out to pasture.

Like a horse stable owner at the dawn of the auto age.

heh heh heh - so when they grow up driving auto's will be but a memory.

 

[Danmar]

My thoughts were similar as I read the posts...I know these were young kids. But I remember in HS, nobody worried about what vehicles the parents had but what we wanted...and in the early 80s when I was in school, "you were the man" if you one of those late 60s vehicles. And they didnt even have to be restored except with a paint job.

Yes, we learn that cars are status symbols pretty early. In high school the rewards of a "status" car were probably a little more tangible than in middle age.

 

[MichaelB]

Uphill both ways through the snow?

5 miles, each way, and without shoes! And that was only when we got time off from work.

 

[MasterBlaster]

These kids are just getting started being socialized with the effects of wealth, class envy, and materialism.

Conspicuous consumption is the spending of money on and the acquiring of luxurygoods and services to publicly display economic power—of the income or of the accumulated wealth of the buyer. To the conspicuous consumer, such a public display of discretionary economic power is a means either of attaining or of maintaining a given social status

To those that post here about your adequate but crappy car. You may be suffering from a severe case of status anxiety as defined by de' Botton and others. Keep trying to convince yourself that you are still relevant and not deeply inferior to those with a modern European marquis.


Now go ramble back to your hovel !

 

[Sunset]

Yes, we learn that cars are status symbols pretty early. In high school the rewards of a "status" car were probably a little more tangible than in middle age.

I was so proud to get my first car, a $200 AMC Hornet, I patched the holes with metal and rivets and then painted it brown with a roller

Had a steady girlfriend, so didn't need any extra rewards

I still walked to/from school since it was only a mile and we rarely got more than 10 feet of snow in the winter, plus I had to pay for my own gas (mean parents )

 

[karen1972]

I drive a Honda because it keeps its value and it extremely dependable and low cost...this after driving an Audi that after the 5 year warranty cost $2-3k/yr in repairs and when I went to trade it in, they said no one wants this, we'll give you $500 because it costs too much to maintain there is no resale market for them.

Though this reminds me I saw some study posted the other day about american debt and the average household had $27K in auto loans.. never could find the source of that study because it just seemed crazy high, but then again I look at the parking lots and think. hmm.. sadly maybe thats true.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I saw some study posted the other day about american debt and the average household had $27K in auto loans.. never could find the source of that study because it just seemed crazy high.

- Google is your Friend...

<2015 American Household Credit Card Debt Study: >

https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/credit-card-data/average-credit-card-debt-household/

In the 4th quarter 2015 the average household automobile debt is $27141.

As an aside I notice that student loans average $48172 per household. That is a bigger surprise to me.

 

[Walt34]

I still walked to/from school since it was only a mile and we rarely got more than 10 feet of snow in the winter, plus I had to pay for my own gas (mean parents )

Your (and my) parents could be arrested for that now. Seriously! 'Free Range' Parents Found Responsible for Child Neglect After Allowing Kids to Walk Home Alone - ABC News

I had to walk to school (sometimes I rode a bicycle if the snow wasn't too deep) but my teachers hated me and locked me in a closet. In the basement. In solitary. In the dark. I received regular beatings until my morale improved.

 

[LARS]

Pfffft, kids these days! When I was that age, my father finally replaced the VW Beetle he drove us around in (I was third kid, mind you) with that ultimate status symbol, a brand new Chevrolet Vega! The wagon, no less. WORST CAR EVER!
We also had a Vista Cruiser wagon for a short time, which was awesome, especially with those rear seats at the back so you could suck up some exhaust on the way.

Vista Cruisers ruled. My parents had a gold wagon and the "moon roof glass" for lack of a better description was the coolest thing. Very space age looking for the time. Thanks for reminding me. Good memories.


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[jjquantz]

I was so proud to get my first car, a $200 AMC Hornet, I patched the holes with metal and rivets and then painted it brown with a roller

Had a steady girlfriend, so didn't need any extra rewards

I still walked to/from school since it was only a mile and we rarely got more than 10 feet of snow in the winter, plus I had to pay for my own gas (mean parents )

My first "car" also cost $200. Dad bought me a sway-backed 1964 Ford pickup truck to drive around. Three on the tree with a 250 cubic inch engine. The old man knew what he was doing- It couldn't go very fast or carry very many people. The thing constantly needed work - fortunately, Dad's cousin ran a pick-it-yourself junkyard. Ah, fond memories.

 

[Dawg52]

I guess the most 'snobbish' car I've had was a Volvo. Easily the worst one I have owned. I currently drive a Hyundai Santa Fe and it's probably the nicest riding and most reliable one I have owned.

 

[ScottS]

5 miles, each way, and without shoes! And that was only when we got time off from work.

You got time off from work! I am sooo jealous!
Keeping to the original topic we did the status car once, a C class back in '97. Next car was an '08 Accord. Benz given to child who drove it till it became too costly to repair. Replaced by a 2015 accord.

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[38Chevy454]

I would much rather have some restored late model 60's Chevy's, Dodge's (or even Ford's) than a brand new BMW, Lexus or Mercedes.

I have to relate a funny story. At my old job I used to drive a 1960 Chevy El Camino as my daily driver. This was around 2003. It was not the most aesthetic with about 5 shades of primer grey for paint. But it was a cool car and ran and drove nice. One of the female engineers I worked with said one day "Why do you drive that old car? You can drive a new car if you want". Her car was by no means a new luxury car, it was a typical 5 year old Japanese sedan of some type. I did not have the heart to tell her my El Camino was worth far more than her econobox. So I just said I like old cars and that is my choice. BTW sold that El Camino and it went to a buyer in New Zealand. I don't think any 5-10 year old econobox has ever had that kind of desire.

Some of my other daily drivers besides the 1960 El Camino over the years have been: 1964 Buick Riviera, 1960 Ford F-100, 1937 Chevy Pickup, 1959 El Camino, 1949 Ford COE (avatar pic is this). I always have comments and get attention whenever I stop somewhere. It is my choice, and in fact I make money on my old cars as opposed to losing money on some newer car, even the 5 year old sedan as comparison.

On the Vega comment, they were not actually as bad as the reputation. Yes the engine would burn oil after 50K miles or so. Yes they did have a rust issue, it was related to the shipping technique, they were loaded on rail cars and flipped vertical. This caused some entrapped moisture and subsequent rusting issues. The cars actually for the time were OK as a cheap car. I built one as a senior in high school with a 350 V8 and drove it all through 5 years of college and 1 year after, 6 years total as my main transportation. Being in CA helped as there was not the bad rust issues. All cars of the 70's had rust issues, even moreso the Japanese cars than American cars.

 

[scrinch]

...a brand new Chevrolet Vega! The wagon, no less. WORST CAR EVER! ...

I don't know about that. We had a Pinto station wagon!

 

[Sarah in SC]

Ok, though there is apparently no photographic evidence to support my claim, our Vega wagon also was special ordered in a color that came to be called "baby poop yellow".
It was certainly the ugliest car we'd ever owned.

But at least I can say we didn't ever own a Pinto, lol!

 

[Legally_dead]

As Dave Ramsey would say, "when broke people are making fun of you, you know you are doing something right."



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[MasterBlaster]

On the Vega comment, they were not actually as bad as the reputation. Yes the engine would burn oil after 50K miles or so. Yes they did have a rust issue, it was related to the shipping technique, they were loaded on rail cars and flipped vertical. This caused some entrapped moisture and subsequent rusting issues.

The problem with the Vega was that it had an aluminum engine block. If the car ever overheated the block would warp. People would then have a major engine repair on their hands.

 

[Andre1969]

Back when I was in middle school, I started going to a private school because the public schools here got really bad. The school had a bus service, but you had to pay for it, and it didn't come out our way, so some of the neighborhood families got together and formed a car pool. Since my Mom and stepdad were working, Granddad did the driving. He had a '76 GMC crew cab pickup, a two-tone burnt-orange and white. This was around 1983-84, and a good deal of the families at that school came from money...or acted it, at least. Lots of Cadillacs, Lincolns, Benzes, high-end Buicks, Oldsmobiles, Chryslers etc.

Well, on nice days, Granddad would let us kids ride to school in the bed of the truck, almost like we were the Walton kids or something! It was a blast...I can still remember the other kids getting jealous because we got to ride in the back of a pickup truck, but do remember some of the parents rolling their eyes.

 

[Andre1969]

I wasn't really talking about cars that were modified...I am talking plain Jane off the showroom floor.

I would imagine that stock, s '67 Chevelle SS-396 would do the quarter mile in around 15 seconds. Much of it would depend on the transmission and gearing. In those days cars were hampered by automatics that only had 3 forward gears at best (although the first GM hydramatic actually had 4), and stick shifts that only had 3 or 4 gears. So, they'd play around with axle ratios, and as a result you could have a car that was fast in the quarter mile, or a car with a really high top speed (until wind resistance factored in), but it was hard to get both.

Without looking it up, I'd guess a stock 396 had around 325-350 hp in 1967. And that's gross hp. In modern net-hp terms, probably around 250-280 I'd guess?

 

[Texas Proud]

Even my new Jeep is quicker, faster and handles better than most any older muscle car I have ever had, including several Vette's. I'll probably drive at least 50k miles this year and 98% of that will be in 2015 model years or later BUT, there is still nothing like the shake, rattle and rumble of a 45+ year old naturally aspirated 426 hemi or 427 big block chevy to make me smile.

LOL... yes, they did not handle that well unless modified...

I had a friend who had a Chevelle SS 396 with modified engine... was below 12 seconds in the 1/4 mile... when doing 70 he could hit the gas and the hood would lift and it just climbed in speed... BUT, when you let off the gas that thing bounced around like a rubber ball... very stable when accelerating though... but could not handle at all...


Another friend had a Firebird with a 400 something... the suspension was modified and the car lowered... had to weld a steel plate on the bottom as it would bottom out at times... the thing handled like it was on rails... I can remember taking some corners at 125 mph that you would be scared to do at 70... was not nearly as fast at the Chevelle but boy could it handle..

But both sucked gas at an alarming rate....

 

[FUEGO]

I've never heard anything like that from my kids. Then again our kids attend one of the poorest schools in the district. The cars range from barely running old beaters to late model BMW/Lexus/Mercedes SUVs with a pretty uniform distribution (ie you'd never know 70-80% of the kids at the school receive free/reduced price lunch). I drive our 16 year old Honda Accord with peeling paint and get no funny looks. It's nice.

The main status symbol that I've heard from the kids is shoes. Some of the boys in class have $200 sneakers and make sure everyone knows how much they cost. They also bring toothbrushes to clean their sneakers if they get scuffed up (I think their parents beat them if they come home with dirty sneakers). Some kids routinely bring 2-4 pair of shoes to school so they can change before doing anything that might scuff the shoes (I think owning 2-4 pairs of shoes and bringing them to school is another status symbol in itself).

I've even heard a parent say "don't play on the playground. Just sit there. If you play you're going to get your shoes dirty." Sad. I'm glad our kids' shoes only cost between $3 and $50 and it's okay to play and get them a little dirty. That's where the real luxury is it seems.

 

[GravitySucks]

Uphill both ways through the snow?

Up here we had to walk through the snow even to go to summer school!

My rides to school were in a Plymouth Sports Suburban wagon, then driving an International Pick up if Dads newer work van was running.

 

[eytonxav]

I would imagine that stock, s '67 Chevelle SS-396 would do the quarter mile in around 15 seconds. Much of it would depend on the transmission and gearing. In those days cars were hampered by automatics that only had 3 forward gears at best (although the first GM hydramatic actually had 4), and stick shifts that only had 3 or 4 gears. So, they'd play around with axle ratios, and as a result you could have a car that was fast in the quarter mile, or a car with a really high top speed (until wind resistance factored in), but it was hard to get both.

Without looking it up, I'd guess a stock 396 had around 325-350 hp in 1967. And that's gross hp. In modern net-hp terms, probably around 250-280 I'd guess?

Stock trim, probably in the 14s depending on engine (available were 325, 350 and 375 HP depending on build date) and a decent driver. The problem with the 1/4 mile times on those cars was lack of traction with stock tires. I had a 4.10 rear with a Muncie 4 speed and would just shred stock tires. Todays tires are much better, as are the automatic transmissions. I used to ride around the streets on M&H wrinkle walls screwed to the rims, and I could even light those up pretty good. Did not have access to a dyno back then, so hard to say what the actual rear wheel horse power was in stock configuration. Big torque made those cars feel very fast compared to many modern cars, but as the saying goes, torque makes the car feel fast, but HP wins races. In my cars modified state it felt like an absolute rocket compared to modern day high performance cars, and I've owned several of those, including one that was a sub 12 sec car with street tires. I do miss those days, and am addicted to watching street outlaws as a result. There was nothing like the sound of a big cams lopey idle with open headers and feeling the ground shake.