Frazz by Jef Mallett for August 19, 2022

1974 AMC Gremlin. Aptly named.

’66 Falcon Futura Sport Coupe

Rapid obsolescence is a modern value!

63 Galaxie 500.

1970 Chevette.

1964 Volkswagen Beetle (current price anywhere from $9,500 – $35,000)

You are too young to own a car. Ever.

That fad’s going to die before you can have a drivers licence. Get a horse or an electric bike. Or hail an autonomous vehicle.

Cars don’t seem to hold center stage anymore in the rush for tomorrow’s newest digital device.

1961 Vomit, I mean Comet.

1964 Buick Special $110.00 ran like the wind guzzled gas beyond imagining, burned oil like you cant believe but was a helluva ride!

‘68 Cutlass S. 2 speed automatic transmission (too low and too high)

1970 Fiat 124 spyder.

In Canada a reasonably equipped new sedan goes for around $35k (never mind SUVs or pickups). If that trend continues, sure a car could be obsolete in two years, but affordable forget it.

1976 VW Rabbit. I loved to drive it, appreciated the interior space, wasn’t so happy about it being in the shop for just about every month I owned it.

1950 Studebaker Champion, two-door with the bullet nose and wrap-around rear windows. What a chick magnet.

You do you gentlemen.

1962 Chevrolet Impala. 327 ci engine.

In the 80’s it was the Yugo, I remember when I lived in L.A. it was promoted as the first disposable car.

1963 Buick Skylark convertible.

Now my BMW is electric.

1963 Rambler American, purchased in 1970 for $250.

Back in the day you traded in you car when it hit 60k miles, because American cars were not built to last much beyond 100k. A four year old car was on it’s last legs, or rusted through. Then Toyota came along and car manufacturers were forced to improve. Now you look on used car lots and 20 year old cars are still in decent shape. A twenty year old car when I was in high school would have already been something from before WWII and rebuilt as a hot rod.

1980 Cougar XR7…took four years to pay for it…one month after the last payment some idiot t-boned me and destroyed the car…

1952 Chevy Fleetline coupe tan over brown. Dad bought from Mom’s brother for ~$150.

1959 Volvo 544 with the B-16 engine. Bought nearly new from a fellow Hallmark employee.Had many Volvo 544 s a ne 1965 Volvo 122s. Still have a 1993 last model year of a Volvo 240 station wagon. Did this video 4 years ago:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1c2vs2nXnXznZCJk2pRPiLwtWpDlTKlUO/view?usp=sharing

People want to dis new cars but I remember a time when if a car made 100,000 miles, it was remarkable. Now we’re disappointed if they don’t make it to 200,000.

1978 Ford baby blue Pinto wagon. I think three of the four cylinders worked. Nonetheless, I put a decent stereo system/speakers in it and it got me and my friends where we needed to go (most of the time). One benefit to starting out with a crap car is that you truly appreciate the ones that come after it.

They clearly haven’t looked for a used car lately. I have been checking periodically for a few years now. Very few drive able cars are available for less than $6K, and most of them are 20 or more years old. I found a site online claiming the average price of a used car in the US is 20K-25K.

1952 Ford, model unknown. It had a flathead V8 and needed transmission fluid added every time I bought gas.

1967 Datsun 411 SST (twin carb) Then went to UK- 1958 Morris Minor (948cc engine, real road burner, eh). Didn’t own a new car until 1979 (RX-7) but I had a new MC in 1976 (RD400)

1978 Subaru Brat, that thing was a little tank that I could take places the bigger 4×4s could only dream of going. But at the same time several of my “friends” slid it around the School’s gravel parking lot and wedge it between a light pole and a wall!

1967 Chevy Impala. 283. Great car!

Toyota Tercel Squareback. It was a teeny-tiny truck. More cargo space than the SUV that succeeded it, and it was better on rough roads.

Cars may be outlawed before that kid gets his license.