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My first car, a 66 Galaxie, was involved in a lower speed (~25 mph) frontal impact with a minivan moving a similar speed, but sliding into me at an angle, impacting on the drivers side harder. I walked away unharmed, and the car didn't crumple much, but it pushed the fender back so I couldn't open the door, and the hood buckled weirdly, sliding into the windshield at a corner and breaking it. It bent the frame, too - but this was already an old car in the 90s. I don't know when the domestics embraced actual engineered crumple zones.
Just as seeing that old MB crashed doesn't upset me, it was an old heap, and was claimed to provide some insight about the cars of the era. Not the worst way to go down.
Had the 59 destroyed the Malibu, that would probably have the nannies all excited and upset about dangerous old cars.
What *IS* a shame, however, or would have been, if there were nice trim pieces or chrome on that thing---I'd have removed all that, if in fact they didn't, and would have saved them for a ragtop or higher line 2D hardtop.
They made over 1/2 million '59 Chevy 4-dr sedans, so I don't think you'd have much trouble finding one to restore if you really wanted to.
here's one, a V-8 even, ready to restore, only $3500 asking price (and it runs)!
http://www.desertclassics.com/Chev59BA4.html
And I think to think that nobody drives/wants a six-cylinder sedan, hasn't been to many local cruise-ins or even parking lots of auto parts stores. Do I want a '59 Chevy sedan? No. Do I think nobody else would? No, I don't think that.
It survived fifty years before some non-car-buff nimrod decided it would be sacrificed for a publicity video.
A far better 'sacrifice' than putting a set of 'dubs' on it...
The 6 cylinder Chevy sedans you see at show and shines are generally survivors, not cars that were restored.
And besides, we didn't see the car. What the observer "saw" may not even be true. It could have very well been an old rust bucket. I hardly think that someone would have smashed up a car worth $10,000.
Well, the car they ran that '59 into was probably worth about $18-25,000! :P
I just think the whole exercise was dopey. Again, we'll agree to disagree.
Aside from the fact that I felt that Cash For Clunkers was faulty economics, I was sorry to see a lot of old cars destroyed.
I also understand Shifty's point of view.
Next thing I want to do is videotape the repair bills for all the "These cars can go 500,000 miles with no problem" advertisements I see.
I think the bigger problem is, there are more cars today than there used to be (where I grew up, most everyone just had one car; we now have three daily drivers), and today's A.D.D. drivers always worried me when I was out in my Studebakers--that one wouldn't be able to see brake lights that didn't include a CHMSL; that they'd be on the phone or texting, etc. In other words, I worry far more about other drivers not paying attention than I did 35 or even 25 years ago. In fact, I went years without so much as being bumped. Both my wife and I have been bumped from behind by women in the last six months.
I guess as long as your monthly average repairs bills don't approach monthly new car payments, then you are technically "ahead" with a high mileage used car, but of course your loyal steed may not look, or smell, very good anymore.
Also people have different tolerance levels. Someone driving a car with 350,000 on it might be perfectly happy, as well as oblivious to 25 things wrong with it---"yeah, you just gotta pump the brakes a little" or "gas smell? What gas smell?" or "That clunk in the front end? Hell, I don't know--it's been that way for a year".
Mechanically, it is in great condition - original brake pads and battery, for example. Cosmetically - that's another story. Scrapes on the front bumper and front passenger door, a couple of missing trim pieces, a small tear in the drivers seat.
Since I really only use it for errand running and pizza delivery, it fills the bill for me nicely.
It's due for an oil change and the fuel filter needs replacing, which I'll get to in the next month or so. I'll have the brakes looked at as well.
http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?68117-1962-Hawk-Road-Trip-- Click-amp-Clack
I don't even change my own oil, but I've taken two different Studebakers as far as 250 miles away at one time, and I never broke down. So I'd say it's not an absolute 'given' as Tom and Ray say! Of course, the thing is to be prepared, as they say.
What he should do is the Shiftright 5-50-500 test. What you do with the old car is take it on a 5 mile round trip and drive it HARD. If it makes that, look everything over that evening and then do a 50 miler. Then, back home, same thorough exam, then take your 500 mile trip.
This past summer I mostly (not always) stayed off the interstate going to South Bend...I enjoyed the drive much better, although it did take me longer of course.
It sounds like the kid's Dad is mechanically handy...unlike me. I have AAA's best towing plan available, although luckily haven't had to use it....yet.
I've been going to that show since 2002, but at first, only as a spectator. The first time I put a car in the show was 2008. That year, I registered my 1976 LeMans. At the time, my '67 Catalina wasn't fit to make the trip, neither was my '57 DeSoto, and, well, the LeMans is a much nicer car than either of my two '79 New Yorkers.
But, about 3-4 days before the show, I couldn't get the LeMans to start. And, it was blocking my '79 5th Ave, which I would trust to drive almost anywhere. On the morning of the show, I gave the LeMans one last try, but no luck. So, I started up my '79 New Yorker base model, a car that has a bad habit of staring up just fine first thing in the morning, but would then tend to leave me stranded at work.
Well, it started just fine, and I drove it to the grocery store to get some ice for the beer cooler. And, wouldn't you know it, damn thing refused to re-start in the grocery store parking lot! I finally got it to fire up, then went to the gas station to fill up. I didn't trust it enough to turn it off again, so I just let it run while I filled up.
Then, I drove up to Macungie...met Lemko at a Burger King parking lot, and then went to the show. Made sure to NOT turn off the car again until I was on the show field.
I was sweating bullets when it was time to turn the car on when the show was over, but thankfully it started up. We went back to the Burger King for dinner, and I remember the car starting back up on maybe the 3rd or 4th try after that. On the way back home, I fillled up at a gas station about 95-100 miles from home, but again, left it running, just in case. And got the rest of the way home without incident.
In 2009-2010, I took the Catalina to that show. In 2009 it was fine, but in 2010 it had developed some kind of issue with the transmission linkage, where it would hold second gear for way too long. But it still made the trip okay, and when I finally had it looked at, thankfully just needed a minor adjustment.
In 2011, I drove the LeMans to that show, and it didn't do too bad, except that it rained at the show, and the moisture seemed to make it a bit cranky.
In 2012, I drove the Catalina again, and it did fine.
Also in 2011, I drove my '79 5th Ave to the Mopar show in Carlisle, and while I saw up there, the power steering pump started to leak, and fast. It wasn't too ornery in most driving, but parallel parking would have been a chore. And in 2012, it started leaking fuel...again, naturally while I was up there. Got that fixed, so for 2013 it should be fine.
With luck though, my mechanic will have my DeSoto ready, so I might run that to the Mopar show. Not gonna hold my breath on it really being road ready, though...