Keep on Trucking
Every Thursday night our local Wendy’s donates their lot space to a classic car show. The guys (and it’s always the guys) arrive in the early afternoon, bring out their dust rags and start polishing ol’ Betsy for the show. Most of these vehicles get driven oh, fifty miles a month, back and forth to car shows.
My father-in-law, though, was a Master Mechanic during his lifetime. He had one vehicle, an old ’47 Chevy pickup, that he drove back and forth to work, on late night call-outs, and down to the parts store. He used to brag he’d never have a Ford in his driveway (Fix-Or-Repair-Daily he called them), but that he’d installed three engines in this Chevy and it was still running like a well-tuned watch.
He said that if you took care of things, they took care of you.
Recently, a family member took her computer in for repair, again. The tech told her that any more there is a “planned obsolescence” in computers–that if they last two years without turning into a boat anchor, you should consider yourself lucky.
I wonder what my father-in-law and his old truck would say to that.
I’d like to be a truck driver. I think you could run your life that way. It wouldn’t be such a bad way of doing it. It would offer a chance to be alone.
~Princess Anne of England
I hate how things today aren’t built to last! I don’t think it’s just computers, either… Great post!!
The first Singer sewing machine I ever owned had a LIFETIME guarantee!
What a coincidence, my running buddy and I were talking about planned obsolescence today. The kitchen appliance repair technician came to her home this morning and pointed out the appliances that would last no more than 4 more years and those that would last longer. The difference? When they were designed/manufactured. The newer ones would die sooner.
Oh, no! That sounds awful!–But true.