16th Aug 2012, 17:13
Well certain domestic cars that we owned from the 70's were also kept until they were "worn out"; that would be about 150,000 plus miles, and they still ran great when they were sold.
Vehicles from the 50's - the 70's were indeed good and reliable. Most people back then did not commute as much or as far as they do today, therefore the car was traded in after 5 years with lower miles, just because they wanted something with a new styling change, which was much more noticeable back then, as opposed to today's crap that all looks the same, even after a major restyle.
16th Aug 2012, 08:26
Well said (and I own 2 domestics that I like very much).
The only point that I have a bit of an issue with, is your statement regarding 50,000 miles. In my opinion, the cars of that era could last 100,000 miles with proper maintenance, provided the bodies or frames didn't rust away.
I owned a 1974 Camaro (purchased new) for 29 years. It was a "good weather only" car. But rust started popping up within the first 2 or 3 years. Thankfully back in the 70's the cost to repair surface rust was relatively low. I made the difficult decision to sell it in 2003 (with only 22,000 miles on the odometer) when I no longer had a garage to store it in.
I've also owned a number of imports, and would not hesitate to purchase another, however as far as SUV's go, I'm very partial to Jeeps.