Any tools still made in the USA?

[Doug Miller]

My first car was a '68 Dodge Dart, so I know whereof you speak. Just the same, my '84 Buick LeSabre was a *much* more reliable car than the Dart. The Dart went to the junkyard, dead, in 1984 at 163K miles. I sold the LeSabre, still running fine, in 2001 at about 210K miles. My primary transportation now is an '86 Suburban with 177K miles. It's in *far* better shape than the Dart was at that age. And it has 4WD, air conditioning, stereo, and full power accessories, too, all of which the Dart lacked. It's a much more complex piece of machinery, and has given me much less trouble. SWMBO drives a '96 Buick Roadmaster (112K so far), and we've had remarkably little trouble.

My experiences with foreign cars drove me back to buying American. The Fiat X-1/9 is a beautiful car, and it's a blast to drive, but it's just a pretty piece of junk: constant breakdowns, stupid engineering, flimsy construction, expensive parts. The next one was a Mazda RX7. Very reliable, hardly ever gave a problem -- but when it *did* need repair, that car was a cast iron bitch to maintain, even using a factory service manual. *Nothing* was easy to reach, and *everything* was expensive. I'll give them one thing, though: I've *never* seen a better-written repair manual, for any product, anywhere.

I like my Buicks. Not a lot of trouble. Yeah, they break occasionally, more often than the Mazda, less than the Dart, *way* less than the Fiat. But they cost a lot less to fix than the Mazda or the Fiat. I'm content. YMMV.

-- Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

How come we choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America?

[CW]

ued to wear those in high scholl. Hrd to get where I was (Japan). My mother made them.

No doubt. You've got to consider though, Silvan's just a kid :)

[Charlie Self]

Mark Jerde recalls:

Soom of my favorite memories of the '60s and '70s involve micro mini skirts.

Charlie Self

"Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things." Sir Winston Churchill

[Andy Dingley]

Yes.

[CW]

Lawsuit.

[Mark Jerde]

Yeah, I still remember those Jello commercials....

-- Mark

[J&KCopeland]

And yet the largest selling single model vehicle, (at least in the US) is the Ford F-150 pickup. I have a '97 Ford, with a Triton V-8 and 125,000 miles. There isn't a rust spot on the vehicle. The interior, after a clean up, shows NO visible signs of wear. Everything still works, including the air conditioner.

It still has the ORIGINAL spark plugs installed. (I was going to have them changed about 15K miles ago, but the mechanic, after pulling a couple of them, said there was simply no legitimate reason to change them.)

It has NOT been maintnenace free. I had to have a cracked head gasket replaced at 110K, so I had them both replaced. It has had a new battery, and is now on it's (new) third set of tires. The air conditioner has to be recharged every other year, now, so there is some leakage.

If and when I do have to replace the truck, which will probably (hopefully) not be in the near future, I'll be right back to that Ford dealership.

James.....

[Doug Winterburn]

...and so will I. My '83 F150 had 175,000 on it when it was stolen out of my driveway. I did all the maintenance on it and never had to add oil between changes every 5000 miles. It was a 4.9L straight six with an overdrive manual transmission. Got about 23MPG. The worst expense was a new clutch at 150,000 miles.

Picked up an '87 F150 with the insurance money plus a few hundred. It wasn't in the pristine shape of my '83, but it's just getting broken in with 125,000 miles on it. This one is a 5.0L V8 with an automatic and only gets about 16MPG

Neither had/has a speck of rust and both were/are tight and rattle free.

-Doug

[J&KCopeland]

The Red Chinese are LOSING manufacturing jobs. They LOST 15,000 last year. In fact, almost EVERYONE worldwide is losing manufacturing jobs. As Robert Reich has pointed out, computerization, and robotization are the culprits.

Consider something.

If a highly robotized factory can produce a widget for a total cost of $100, then it doesn't matter what, a low-tech factory making widgets, too, maybe employing a hundred people CANNOT charge more than a $100. So the total labor costs are effectively capped. The ONLY way to increase an individual's wage, is at the expense of some other worker. Thus, a worker may be making two dollars a day, but they'll probably be making $2 a day twenty years from now.

IF the robotized factory, through some type of innovation, reduces the cost of widgets to $75 each, the low-tech factory again, either reduces cost or closes it doors. It's MUCH harder, using Taylorization techniques, to institute innovations. (Taylor was an "effiency expert", that advanced the idea of lots of people doing one small part, each, of a given manufacturing process. Thus, on the early mass produced cars, there was one guy to screw on the left side of a bumper and one guy to screw on the right side of the bumper. They didn't have to do much, but they didn't have long to do it either.

Dr. Walter Shewhart developed a set of statisical formulas that measured efficiency of entire systems. Thus, incremental increases in efficiency could be demostrated mathematically. Dr. Edward Deming "marketed" those ideas. And in 1953, he began marketing those ideas in post-war Japan. In the 50's and 60's, "made in Japan" mean "cheap" and shoddy. But by the mid-1980's the Japanese car manufacturer's could challenge the Big Three US manufacturers on their own turf. With vehicles that were demonstrably superior in design and manufacture. The SPC (statistical process control) movement was re-introduced into America...and it was a painful process.

I would argue, by the early 90's the US manufacturers were making significant strides, and I seriously doubt there is significant differences in the overall quality of almost any vehicles manufactured worldwide, today. This of course, does include specific innovations introduced by different car makers, from time to time. (BTW, I just got an eMail from someone. They said the Ford Escort was the largest selling vehicle worldwide, for several years. I have no idea if that is true.) It, also, does not preclude a particular manufacturer producing a stinker, from time to time.

James...

[Charlie Self]

Yabbut, don't I recall you being in Aridzona? You have to park IN your swimming pool to form rust on things there, or so I'm told.

Charlie Self

"Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things." Sir Winston Churchill

[Doug Winterburn]

True, but the the '83 spent it's first 10 years in Seattle, and the '87 is a relatively recent import from Ohio.

-Doug

[Larry Jaques]

On 12 Nov 2003 02:28:43 GMT, [e-mail] (Charlie Self) brought forth from the murky depths:

My '90 just rolled over (000486.3) and gets 18mpg with a rebuilt

4OD trailing a lovely little 302. This thing sure runs better than my '68 Ranch Wagon with the same motor and a 2bbl carb, I tell ya. About 100 horses better and never a studder no matter what temp. I ADORE fuel injection! Good going, Dougie.

Nope. Rusting is not allowed under Arizona waters. It's in the Zonie Bylaws, Charlie. I saw it spelled out clear as day when I lived there back in '72.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

• Scattered Showers My Ass! * Insightful Advertising Copy

• --Noah *

[Mark]

The thread that refuses to die.

[B a r r y B u r k e J r .]

Nice bike!

Barry

[Scott Brownell]

That was when pumping gas was a GREAT job!

Scott

[George]

Note that the mini was the skirt of choice well into the eighties in Cuba, because of the shortage of cloth. Women who didn't wear 'em, and there were some who should have worn full length and better, were considered unpatriotic.

Pumping _gas_ never was great, but I did enjoy pumping Ethyl....

[Michael Daly]

Not exactly prime examples of what most of us would point to when talking about reliable imports. Italian cars make the old Lucas-equipped Brit cars look good. The RX7 was a novelty after the fiasco Mazda had with the rotary engines in the 70's.

Mike

[Earthlink News]

Yea, it sucks that some of love America still, doesn't it.

[B a r r y B u r k e J r .]

This is what caused some manufacturers to lower, widen, and install independent suspension on SUV's ("New" Explorer, Trail Blazer, etc...), ruining the semi-able off-road performance they actually had.

The funny thing is, AWD minivans have been around for a long time, which combines great load space with go in bad weather traction. Unfortunately, they just aren't stylish enough at the soccer field.

This past summer I was picking up an over-sand permit on Cape Cod. I witnessed the world's stupidest argument between a US Parks Service Ranger and a woman with an SUV. The woman was SCREAMING, the ranger was remarkably calm.

Woman: _WHY_ can't I buy a permit?

Ranger: Your vehicle is 2WD.

Woman: But I can see other Grand Cherokee's moving toward the beach

Ranger: They have 4WD

Woman: But _I_ have a Grand Cherokee!

Ranger: Your's is 2WD

Woman: You sold permits to THOSE GC's!

Ranger: They have 4WD

Repeat for almost 30 minutes, with lawsuit threats, etc. Conversation ends when Ranger's supervisor threatens to arrest woman for disturbing the peace.

Barry

[Mark]

LMAO.

Reminds me of something last summer.

During the county fair I park cars at my mothers house. She lives on a one acre lot a couple hundred feet from the fairgrounds main entrance. When it rains the fairgrounds parking lots turn into a mud bath and our business picks up quite a bit. Our yard gets soppy but since we don't have that much traffic it's manageable.

Wife flags in a Blazer, something I told her I didn't want. The lady stops half way back the back yard. Then she tries to go, spins the tires, breaks through he sod and loads the treads. Dumbass. Then she tries going backwards. I'm looking at the beginning of a mud pit. I try coaching her out. Forget it, she's got car tires.

These guys I just parked are walking by and offer to help push this lady out. Seems people going to the fair are looking for adventure. I say sure, they lean on it, lady puts it in gear and spins tires. Shit.

Then I notice there's a 4x4 on the rear quarter. ? not a big 4x4 but a tiny 4x4.

I start yelling for people to stop everything.

I ask this lady if she's got it in four wheel drive.

She says 'yes, it's a 4wd.

I ask again if it's engaged. (I know it isn't)

She takes her hands from the wheel and starts looking around the cabin.

(Jesus)

I look at the hubs, no locks. I look at the hump, don't remember seeing the short lever.

She has no idea how to 'turn it on'. She can't find the button.

(Jesus)

I find the button for her. She presses it. I tell her to lean on the gas, she smacks the throttle, but at least she's out of the rut..

We got a good laugh out of it, except for her because she was still clueless about her cluelessness. You would think if someone's stuck in a

4x4 they would turn it on. Never crossed her mind.