Driving the same car for 53 years
An evening pause: An American car before Robert McNamara introduced built-in obsolescence.
Hat tip Cotour.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
An evening pause: An American car before Robert McNamara introduced built-in obsolescence.
Hat tip Cotour.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Awesome !
I did not do quite as well as her. My only car was a 1981 honda civic hatchback, which was bought new and my only car for 37 years. I finally had to break down and buy a new 2017 Hyundai Accent hatchback , and let the old girl go.
Hopefully this vehicle will be as dependable.
Post less four doors are hard to find.
Whoa! She has more mileage on her car than me! 116K to 114K
’02 Ford Explorer XT
Sweet. But I hope she’s got seat belts.
Robert, she’s had it since ‘57 – 63 years.
Not even 2k miles a year? Not certain that qualifies as dependable. I have a car nearing 300,000 miles.
This is pretty cool, but I as well, hope she added seat-belts somewhere along the line.
That steering column alone will kill her with blunt force trauma in an accident.
Q:
I thought William Knudsen (from GM) was the genius behind yearly model changes? (Which granted, is slightly different than planned-obsolescence.)
pivoting…..
“Signal 30”
– Highway Safety Films 1959-
https://youtu.be/dn5h-ksO63M
27:09
(Lots of authentic gore— I’m surprised YouTube doesn’t age-restrict it.)
wayne: Knudsen very well could have come up with yearly model changes. I have read several histories that all cite McNamara with coming up with the terrible idea of planned obsolescence, which is nothing more than lowering the standards of construction so that the vehicles go bad sooner.
McNamara went on to give us the Vietnam war, badly fought with no end game.
Mr. Z.–
Thanks for that. Apparently, Knudsen introduced the ability to do yearly model changes with a relatively brief change-over period.
Totally agree our auto-industry got very sloppy in the 1960’s/70’s.
tangentially—
How to win WW-2 by unleashing private enterprise:
Mason Lecture Series –
“Freedom’s Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II”
Dr. Arthur Herman
National WW-2 Museum April 2013
https://youtu.be/QlKOdT0SEOY
1:17:59
–wherein, William Knudsen & Henry J. Kaiser get a lot of credit for mobilizing private enterprise to produce for WW-2.
And McNamara also gave us the light force into Iraq that gave us the mess we have now.
Some people are just gifts that keep on giving.
“Signal 30”
Ah, memories. I was required to watch “Signal 30” in driver’s ed, which would have made me about 15.
“The Perfect Crime”
Calvin Company Kansas City, Missouri 1954
(Directed by Robert Altman)
https://youtu.be/opLrT9FaknU
20:25
(a plea for better roads, sponsored by Caterpillar Tractor Co.)
Bob…. Sorry I’m so rubbish at this stuff… But I changed my email again to a Google account… ( Don’t judge me…) I have a couple of decent evening pauses for you, but don’t know where to send them… You hide your address well! ( As so you should!)
And I hope you are well… Your posting had been brief the last few days…
Best wishes from your left winger fan in Sweden ;-)
I can understand her loyalty. First car I bought was a ’57 Chevy (210 model, 283ci engine, 3 on the tree with overdrive) that I got in 1967 from the original, fastidious owner. The only real regret I have in life is selling that car!