Storm Coming

That is an interesting point!

and driving into tornados and countless situations that common sense just tells you to avoid. How about mechanical malfunctions etc.etc. However, the worst one in my book is hacking the vehicle itself. I can't even control my TV or cell phone. All wrapped up in a package that only the stealerships can service, any 15 year old can stop and carjack and any govt agency can follow at a whim. Law enforcement can collect your monthly driving habits and fine you every time you went 32mph in a 30 mph zone.

A late 60s F100 is much more compelling.

Sunny Boy wrote:Found my station wagon yesterday. Luckily it was still attached to that tiny piece of side mirror that was all that was sticking out of the windward side of a 7 foot high snow mound/drift. Took an hour to shovel it out and clear it off.

Paul

Station wagon!? I thought those practical pieces of automotive history were as extinct as the Brontosaurus. In this world of cheap, throw away electronic front wheel drive SUVs, and mini-vans, the perimeter framed heavy duty, long lasting, powerful big V8 rear wheel drive utilitarian vehicle, has been condemned to the scrap heaps along with the type writers, phone booths, base burning coal stoves, and so many more efficiently designed and effective apparatuses. I surely do miss the station wagons I grew up with as a kid, and owned as a family man, and was very disappointed when my kids were growing older, the mini-vans got popular, and the Mrs. wouldn't allow the tradition to continue. I still haven't degraded my driveway to polluting it with any such vehicle as a mini- or suv, but the daily drivers that have been forced upon us, aren't much better.
Years ago, my last wagon was an 84 Olds 9 passenger full size that served us well, until it got up in age, and I needed to repair the alternator. I wanted to rebuild the original unit that the diodes went bad in, but NAPA didn't have the parts in stock for it, seeing it was 15-20 yrs old at the time. I needed the vehicle for a road trip in a couple days, so I opted out for the "re-manufactured" alternator, that they had in their inventory. It was labeled in BIG letters, "made in USA". After I purchased it, and got it home, when out of the box I saw a sticker on the housing stating, "Made in USA, China!" They now must have a city in China called USA, so they can promote it in such a way. Anyway, because I needed it that weekend, I installed it, and it worked fine for about 6 weeks, till one day, after some home repairs, and cleaning some brushes in the back yard, I heard a noise coming from my drive-way. This is what I was greeted with. Long story short, after the fire dept put it out, the fire chief and I were looking under the hood, and I figured it caught fire from the electronic Q-jet carburetor I had been playing with for months, and finally had straightened out. But after investigating, the fire marshal pointed at the alternator, and said, "that's where your problem began". The rear of the aluminum housing was melted and blown rearward, which caused the plastic wheel well to burn, moved on to the underhood insulation, and the rest was history.
So what does this have to do with "snow storms"? Nothing, I was just impressed with Pauls comment on owning a station wagon. I would love to find a late 60s, or early 70s Vista cruiser, and restore it, but now that the kids are older, the practicality of it isn't as needed as the days of mega shopping, soccer games, and tossing a dog in the back for a quick run over to the airport, to chase the ground hogs. "Those were the days".

The old Oldsmobiles and fords were great for their time, but nothing can top the utility and convenience of a Chrysler made minivan. Can hold a lawn tractor with ease and a 4x 8 plywood sheet without moving the seat tight against the steering wheel.

Just picked up 20 insulation rolls and could have held a few more. Try that with the old wagons. Overall length is shorter too.

I was wondering how long it would be for someone to "rain on my parade".
I work with a gentleman who worked at Chrysler product dealerships for over 20 yrs, BC, (B4 computers), up till about 10 yrs ago. He too is a believer in the "spaciousness" of these mini-vans. But I still contend, with all the plastics on them, cheesy automatic transmissions and diffs, and low torque engines, I don't see them being as rugged as the oldies. If all you haul is marshmellos and pillows, I guess because of the ODs, you'll get some longevity out of the driveline, but the electronics, suspensions, and interior mechanisms will be history in time. And if you continue hauling things heavier than "the average family" usually does, the garages will be waiting willingly for your business. I remember station wagons of the 60s pulling car trailers with race cars on them, reliably, for years. Haven't seen any mini-vans doing that. That task has now been replaced with 1 ton dually diesel pick-up trucks. Something comparable in ruggedness to the older big wagons.
(Oh yeah, to keep this thread on track, the storm has by-passed us.)

joeq wrote:one day, after ... cleaning some brushes in the back yard

We may be backwards here in rural Maine, but when we want to burn brush we start the fire with a little kerosene instead of with a car.

LOL. Very funny RB. I like how you put a "spin" on that. Very clever.

Joe,

Yes Joe, there were full-sized station wagons made later than your four-wheeled Zippo lighter. Glad no one was hurt !!!!!!

I had a Ford minivan that I could load up with 1200 lbs. of family and belongings, or old car parts, or tool boxes to follow car club tours, ... and even pickup coal stoves bought in far off places.

But Ford stopped making minivans when it came time for me to go looking for newer wheels that can carry lots of valuable stuff out of the weather. And I didn't want to go back to the days of horrible gas mileage and crazy-expensive truck tires like my 8 passenger, one ton van days.

However, Ford was the only manufacturer still making a full size station wagon then. And I didn't want a foreign made station wagon that could NOT hold near as much, plus I'd need a big shoe horn just to get into the thing every time I went somewhere !!!!

My Taurus-X is big enough to get in/out of easily,..... gets 27-28 MPG highway,..... and can carry 1200 lbs. of old car parts, tools, or stoves. And best of all, it's all-wheel drive. It's especially good in rain and snow. But it met it's match with this storm - it can't back out of a seven foot high snow drift.

Paul