A few years back I borrowed a buddies late-80’s Dakota pick-up truck. No power brakes on that baby. (No power nuthin’, really) Rolling around with a full load was a breath taking experince for a power-brakes nancy boy like myself.
[Fuzzy memory engaging…]
The wife and I were recently looking at new cars. I could care less if I have nothing more than power steering, rear defrost, and power brakes. She wanted an automatic transmission, cruise control and A/C. Neither of us wanted things like power windows, power locks or power mirrors. And we absolutely, positively, did not want a car alarm. However, you couldn’t really select many things that you want, we were only given the option of ‘packages’. Package ‘A’ had A/C, but also lots of useless gunk like power mirrors and a cassette player. Package ‘B’ would have CC, but also a car-alarm and other whatzits. Package ‘C’ would have rear-defrost, but also complete junk like a CD player with ‘Bose’ speakers and “On-Star”.
We opted to fix her current car (a zero-frills '91 Escort) and have put on another 25k with no problems and no car payments either. Yeehaw!
And I have to reluctantly admit that I am good friends with a man who just dropped $$$ on a Ford pickup with leather seats, 6-CD players, some sort of tarp covering the bed, extended cab and 4x4 to name a few. (He lives in Suburbia, USA and commutes on an interstate to work in St. Paul, MN.) When I asked him if he had taken it out ‘mudding’ or offroading yet, he shot me a look of complete shock and said “Oh, no, I would never do that…” sigh
Power steering is highly overrated. My car has: Manual steering, manual 4-wheel drum brakes, no a/c, manual windows and locks, a single gauge (fuel), vinyl bench seats, manual-adjust seatbelts…and a V8
But just think, Gunslinger, you could have my car: Power steering, power brakes, climate control, power windows and locks, lots of gauges, leather seats…and a V8.
Yeah, I’d like more gauges (not knowing what’s going on scares me)…the late Wagoneer had everything…leather…power windows, locks, seats, steering, brakes…big V8…a/c…am/fm/cassette radio (currently being duct-taped into the Nova)…I miss that Jeep
Is this the Nova you mentioned? I miss my Nova; best cars ever made, IMO. Lots of guts, built like a tank, really fun on the highway, and you can move into it if you lose your house. [/hijack]
Yep, that’s his Nova.
I would like to reiterate my hatred of digital dashboards. Grrrr. I have:
fuel gauge
tach
something with a picture of a battery next to it
oil temp
oil pressure
speedometer
outside temp
odometer
Of these, the following work the way they are supposed to:
odometer
oil temp
possibly the thing with the battery next to it
Fuel gauge is a total loss, oil pressure is BLANK (the sensor MELTED), tach is off by 2000, outside temp is sometimes within 10 degrees, and the spedometer is off by 3 mph.
[sort of a hijack, sort of related] I have a burning hatred for whoever decided that the parts of cars that bump each other should be made out of a material that looks really pretty and can’t take a hit. Remember the good old days when cars had metal bumpers that could hit things and get nothing more than a dent? When “fender benders” usually meant nobody exchanging insurance information because it wasn’t worth it for a little ding in a metal bumper? When cars had railings on the doors to take a hit from another car’s door? When replaced a dented-up fender meant either a trip to the auto junkyard or a cheap repair at the autobody shop (not the $$$ fix that it is now)? I suspect the autobody shops and insurance companies were in bed together with the auto manufacturers on this moronic decision. [/sort of hijack]
Yeehaw!
