SRP said:
Tom Wells said:
Another triumph for analog-tuned radios with dialscale pointers.
Uh-huh. A "triumph" severely tempered thanks to the carburated engines that came in those cars with "dialscale pointers".
I'll gladly put up with a computer-controlled radio with poor AM to own a vehicle that's 1000% more dependable and reliable thanks to those very computers.
You don't like carburetors?
What's not to like? I brought the '66 Plymouth convertible out of storage for the summer yesterday, and drove it to work.
Thursday morning, when I started it, I could tell that for some reason, it was running really rich, and almost dying out.
I took the top of the 4-barrel carb off ( 8 screws, 3 clips and the fuel line ), turned the top plate over and blew into the
fuel inlet. I could hear hissing at one of the two needle valves. Took the float and needle valve out, could see a piece of crud
on the seat where the needle valve seals. Blew it out, tested again by blowing into the fuel inlet. No hiss.
Put the top back on, and drove home. Total time elapsed, 15 minutes. No phone call. No AAA tow truck, no waiting.
Total cost for repairs- $0. Last time this happened was maybe 15 years ago. It's the original 1966 carb, hasn't been rebuilt in
perhaps 15 years.
When your fuel injection system has an issue like a clogged injector, there ain't nothin' you can fix for zero dollars,
or anything you can diagnose and correct in 15 minutes.
Besides that, all modern vehicles are shaped like Tele-tubbies, or Oprah's be-hind. ( Where is that "ugh" emoticon ?)
I'll gladly keep my little managable trifling occasional hiccups over somethng that cannot be diagnosed without a "scanner",
tow truck, service shop visit, and random access to hundreds of dollars of my money.
Regarding reliablity, get back to me when your car is 44 years old, and we'll compare notes.
If you don't like your car enough to keep it that long, you've chosen the wrong car anyway.
I don't like throwing things away, I like things that APPreciate in value, not DEpreciate.
