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Thread: Why do cars all look alike?

  1. #46
    Quote Originally Posted by Stan Calow View Post
    You know how everyone marvels at how they have managed to keep all those old cars from the '50s running in Cuba? I saw one program where it was casually mentioned that often, they have replaced the powertrains with modern Toyota equipment, as the engines gave out a long time ago. They just keep the bodies up.
    I went to Cuba and while there asked about the drive train on those old vehicles. They're mostly diesel - I don't know where they got them, probably Russian. There's essentially nothing original on those cars except the body.

    One guy told me he still had the original engine and transmission at home. He said one day the Americans will come and want a classic car and he had the parts. One guy had a 46 Ford sedan just like one I owned (at least he had the body).

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  2. #47
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    Fords were nicknamed Fix-Or-Repair-Daily.
    Don't forget Found-On-Road-Diversified. There are a few more, but profanity is likely not allowed here.

    I like unique cars. Trying to talk the wife into letting me buy this '50 Ford gasser --
    Attachment 461479
    I always get those confused with a 1950 Studebaker:

    1950 Studebakeer Comander.jpg

    So here I was, out for a ride in my '56 Ford Victoria
    Except for the tail fins the 1957 Chevy looks like a copy of Vickie.

    Imitation has been going on since before the days of Roman chariots.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  3. #48
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Elfert View Post
    This ugly design may be part of the reason Toyota discontinued the Scion brand back in 2016. I actually considered buying the second generation of this model a number of years ago. The second generation at least looks better than this one.
    I heard that the actual issue was that they were trying to appeal to the youth market, but a lot of older folks were buying them to get Toyota reliability in a less expensive package. Dropped the street cred with the youth market.

  4. #49
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Elfert View Post
    Some of the federal safety regulations also affect vehicle design. To me, today’s car designs are a lot better than many of the 1980s designs.

    People complain that today’s vehicles are harder to work on, but they also require a lot less repairs than older vehicles. I worked at a place in the late 80s into the late 90s that was still running old vehicles for 12 days per year. The vehicles probably spent an hour or more in the shop for every hour on the road. A mechanic spent overnights servicing the dozen vehicles. Each vehicle spent at least a week in the shop during the off-season getting worked on. A mechanic checked the vehicles half way through each 16 hour day and had to add oil to all of them.
    Brian,
    there are always exceptions. Our first car when we got married was a 1966 Chevy Belaire with a straight six and aftermarket ac. We drove that thing for ten years without having to do very much to it (alternator). My FIL told us to keep good oil in it, buy the best battery it would hold and lube it regularly. When we gave the car to a nephew, it still ran like a top and the ac could still turn it into a meat locker. Yeah, I know, it was a death trap in all sorts of ways. It certainly spewed more than it’s share of pollutants. I wouldn’t drive it today but I can still appreciate the reliability.

    Today, we have a 2014 Chrysler minivan. When the extended warranty runs out, we will get another. These thing are just too complicated not to have under warranty.

  5. #50
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    We have similar sized cars from 3 makers and I am not in love with any of them. But I cannot say anything bad about them either.

  6. #51
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    When I started this thread I was only addressing the looks of todays cars. There is no question that the cars made today are far better than anything made back in the 50's, 60's and 70's.
    Dennis

  7. #52
    Yeah but they all look the same.

    I like Toms answer. I run into people like him every time I go out, all im doing is going from point A to B.

  8. #53
    It’s an expensive purchase for people but mass produced. That means it has to have broad appeal.

  9. #54
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    They all use the same wind tunnel.

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