Your post mostly discusses non-engine parts. The level of engine serviceability in many cases has changed dramatically, as have parts prices. Ditto for interior and electronic components.
It's all "user serviceable" if you have the tools (I do) but let's not pretend it's as easy or as inexpensive. I'm quite comfortable with working on late-model vehicles, but when I do I'm either getting paid or (when they are mine) saving stupid money doing something I'm trained and equipped to handle.
"(for instance, Ford wants 600$ for a light controller. 4 relays, a few transistors and caps... WHY!!!) "
Because they can get it. Unless demand makes producing aftermarket parts worth doing, it's either grab your ankles at the dealership or go to salvage. Because mechanic-friendliness is ONLY (sometimes) a criteria for buying COMMERCIAL vehicles in fleet service, Ford knows there are no consequences for pricing that part at six hundred bucks and the captive audience will pay it. Salvage prices can go half of retail, so unless you have friends with a salvage yard you still get boned.
BTW, that $600 the light controller costs would pay for half the rebuild on one of my big blocks, or refill my gas tank many times.:P
We no longer need computing class, and we should avoid attempting to mass produce "geeks" because the more of them there are the lower wages they will command. We don't need more Cool Geeks to impress the public.
Fuck the public. Let them pay for what they want from us.
"Painting the residents of Africa as victims is foolish. It shows the people of Africa disrespect - as if they are unable to shape their own destiny."
Painting them as victims is delectable because it feeds the Cult of Universal White Guilt, and is also handy when shilling for "non-profit" charities (who still pay the staff...and leadership).
The people of Africa showed what they think of modern day colonials during the incident in Mogadishu made famous by the movie "Blackhawk Down". Leave Africa alone, buy what they have to sell when useful, arm the good guys when there are any, and they can solve their problems or not.
Meddling doesn't help. (For example, if we actually wanted to save the victims of the Janjaweed, we'd hand them Kalashnikovs so they could fight for their freedom. Instead, we sponsor ghettoization in refugee camps and maintain their victim status...)
"A risk of Pacific island nations ending up underwater? Not a serious problem."
Not to be harsh, but the nations that would be underwater are small and not worth sacrifice by the large and important. I understand that there is sentiment in behalf of preserving every culture, but outside that there is no reason to do so. There are vast quantities of humans and as with other animals, some will thrive at the expense of others.
As for coastal cities, they can be replaced in a generation with improved infrastructure. That which man builds he can build again, and reconstruction is a great economic stimulus.
"fm6 does not like to work on his own car; therefore, powerful, easily-serviceable engines should not exist. You can't argue with logic like that."
He will make a fine customer...
I'm a mechanic, so I'm fine with difficult-to-service engines that I don't own. Customers who fap to techno-complexity they don't understand are the same from computers to cars and trucks.
Even if you never touch a wrench you pay for complexity when you buy the vehicle, and when you buy insurance you pay for the other fellow.
Note that many modern engines are not worth rebuilding or even repairing after a few years. What dealers do to rebuild used cars is harvest drivetrains from wrecks and install them in vehicles whose engines have problems. It's not even worth doing head gaskets on most engines when you have access to wrecks, but the poor fellow who needs a top end job on his own vehicle pays out the arse because of the labor complex systems require.
Big block Chevrolets have always been in such demand that they rarely go to the shredder and don't stay in salvage long. Not everyone needs a large V-8, but the tens of thousands who do will keep the aftermarket and salvage business going. It is possible to make smaller engines that don't suck to service, but that isn't much of a priority because that's the customers problem.
Real diesels, in trucks that go "kssh" and bend in the middle, do rock.:)
The Navistar abortions that triggered the lawsuitfest with Ford aren't their finest hour, and light truck diesels generally are brutally expensive to repair. For the cost of replacing a set of diesel injectors, I can rebuild a complete big block Chevy, and for what diesels trucks cost to purchase I could stuff 460s and 454s into my Fords and Chevys and feed them premium for years. Inline Cummins engines are nice but one has to buy a Dodge to get them...
Diesels are getting ever more complex, and with low sulfur diesel fuel combined with tightening emissions regs that ain't gonna change.
Aluminum is nice for racing, but there is no penalty for using iron (which is also more stable) in truck applications. For hauling, the front end weight is a plus (and part of why I just installed a 366 in my wrecker).
"Now they can finally join the 80's and work on getting rid of leaf springs next."
Leaves are versatile, easily stacked to suit intended use, and tough.
If you want an F1 car by all means buy one, but leaf springs work very well on trucks and other applications where coil spring towers would be awkward (and coils risk coil bind when overloaded).
"It sounds like this is the result of innovation?"
More like the rise in fuel costs coupled with the recession.
The big block Chevrolet is a simple, tough engine that produces excellent torque, is durable, very easy to work on and inexpensive to repair. Aftermarket support is excellent and one can build complete engines without using a single GM part.
The powerplant of choice that replaced big block gas engines is the diesel, which is vastly more complex, brutally expensive to repair, difficult to work on even for well-equipped shops, and burdened with complex emission systems. Diesel fuel quality is always a concern, especially with low-sulfur diesel. They make great power, but you pay dearly for it.
I'll be hunting more of them for spares (I just rebuilt a 366 for my C30 wrecker). Like the small block Chevrolet, these adaptable engines will be working for many decades to come.
That PC is plenty handy when you can produce what you need for use in the immediate area.
For example, USAF exercises routinely shut down local networks to see how workcenters cope.
Those with local copies of important files can continue with mobility processing (scheduling the movement of people and gear), keep printing manifests, HAZMAT paperwork, and so forth. There are plenty of local printers, and if needed we could grab a cable, move the network printer, and run it locally. Unclassified data can be moved by sneakernet if necessary. (So of course can classified, but with more safeguards.)
A system should be designed for limited use without LAN connectivity unless there is a compelling reason (security) and that reason is more tolerable than the consequences of shutdown. A Scud destroying the network operations center isn't common in civil life, but backhoes lurk waiting to strike...
Re:Eh, you give the answer. Food
on
A Requiem For Saab
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
"Oh sure, it is hell on the short daily trips, but one day you might drive away from it all and you will be glad for it then. "
Hell in the city perhaps, but not in the suburbs or rural areas.
I prefer pickup trucks (I haul lots of tools and equipment) and cannot fault them for commuting in the many areas they fit. They are comfortable, torquey, have excellent visibility, and other drivers treat them with much more respect than they do small cars or motorcycles.
I won't commute on my Harley any more due to the route being packed with crash-prone idiots, but those same idiots give my trucks a wide berth (++for front bumpers made from 8" I-beam and railroad rail!).
There is a place for sporty cars, those who prefer them should buy lots of them, but they don't do shit for me.
Re:numb driving experience
on
A Requiem For Saab
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
Harleys (like Indians) are for those who are not in a hurry, and who want to keep the same machine for decades. Been there, done that, wore out the T-shirt and still have the bike.
Having taught many Motorcycle Safety Foundation classes using my FXR, I note that because of their low CG a Harley can be forced to corner quite smartly. Great for reinforcing how well countersteering works, and that apehanger handlebars work just fine.:)
Re:Speaking for myself as a Swedish brick driver,
on
A Requiem For Saab
·
· Score: 1
I would never consider Saab with Honda and Toyota available. I'm a mechanic, and their systems are generally tough and reliable.
There is good reason Saab never sold very many vehicles. Let those who love them restore an old one. There niche clubs for many vehicles that the rest of the world doesn't need.
We have too many miles of roads to maintain them in autobahn style, there is no need for rapid cornering, and auto trannies make for convenient stop-and-go driving.
If GM wants to retain the IP, it makes sense to let the physical company die.
Re:Let's just be clear on what they mean here
on
A Requiem For Saab
·
· Score: 1
"That kind of mileage is not uncommon, in fact almost expected in a Saab. What companies can suggest that kind of longevity today?"
Many of them. Toyota, Volkswagen and Honda often last that long (and are gobbled up when they do make it to salvage to keep the rest running). Those brands were just as tough even in the late 1980s. Turning well over 200K is even routine for domestic pickup trucks and (barf) Jeep Cherokees.
I feast on the dead in salvage yards and know their secrets.:)
Re:Your argument is over 20 years out of date
on
A Requiem For Saab
·
· Score: 1
"Why should they survive?"
Evidently not enough people wanted them to maintain the company, therefore it should be dumped and let whoever buys it play with the wreckage.
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Your post mostly discusses non-engine parts. The level of engine serviceability in many cases has changed dramatically, as have parts prices. Ditto for interior and electronic components.
It's all "user serviceable" if you have the tools (I do) but let's not pretend it's as easy or as inexpensive. I'm quite comfortable with working on late-model vehicles, but when I do I'm either getting paid or (when they are mine) saving stupid money doing something I'm trained and equipped to handle.
"(for instance, Ford wants 600$ for a light controller. 4 relays, a few transistors and caps... WHY!!!) "
Because they can get it. Unless demand makes producing aftermarket parts worth doing, it's either grab your ankles at the dealership or go to salvage.
Because mechanic-friendliness is ONLY (sometimes) a criteria for buying COMMERCIAL vehicles in fleet service, Ford knows there are no consequences for pricing that part at six hundred bucks and the captive audience will pay it. Salvage prices can go half of retail, so unless you have friends with a salvage yard you still get boned.
BTW, that $600 the light controller costs would pay for half the rebuild on one of my big blocks, or refill my gas tank many times. :P
"Never attribute to malice that which is better explained by incompetence."
But punish both to deter others.
"Target deserves to be slammed for that."
Never forget that geeks are asked where to buy computers, that Targets sells computers, and that there is no need to buy from them ever again.
"Learning still isn't seen as cool, though. We need to work on that."
The general public are morons who will always despise you, so work on wealth and power instead.
We no longer need computing class, and we should avoid attempting to mass produce "geeks" because the more of them there are the lower wages they will command. We don't need more Cool Geeks to impress the public.
Fuck the public. Let them pay for what they want from us.
"Painting the residents of Africa as victims is foolish. It shows the people of Africa disrespect - as if they are unable to shape their own destiny."
Painting them as victims is delectable because it feeds the Cult of Universal White Guilt, and is also handy when shilling for "non-profit" charities (who still pay the staff...and leadership).
The people of Africa showed what they think of modern day colonials during the incident in Mogadishu made famous by the movie "Blackhawk Down". Leave Africa alone, buy what they have to sell when useful, arm the good guys when there are any, and they can solve their problems or not.
Meddling doesn't help. (For example, if we actually wanted to save the victims of the Janjaweed, we'd hand them Kalashnikovs so they could fight for their freedom. Instead, we sponsor ghettoization in refugee camps and maintain their victim status...)
"A risk of Pacific island nations ending up underwater? Not a serious problem."
Not to be harsh, but the nations that would be underwater are small and not worth sacrifice by the large and important. I understand that there is sentiment in behalf of preserving every culture, but outside that there is no reason to do so. There are vast quantities of humans and as with other animals, some will thrive at the expense of others.
As for coastal cities, they can be replaced in a generation with improved infrastructure. That which man builds he can build again, and reconstruction is a great economic stimulus.
"because the US will have all that soya crop and probably more cocaine"
We can grow moobs due to soy-induced endocrine disruption while being as annoying as Billy Mays!
"fm6 does not like to work on his own car; therefore, powerful, easily-serviceable engines should not exist. You can't argue with logic like that."
He will make a fine customer...
I'm a mechanic, so I'm fine with difficult-to-service engines that I don't own. Customers who fap to techno-complexity they don't understand are the same from computers to cars and trucks.
Even if you never touch a wrench you pay for complexity when you buy the vehicle, and when you buy insurance you pay for the other fellow.
Note that many modern engines are not worth rebuilding or even repairing after a few years. What dealers do to rebuild used cars is harvest drivetrains from wrecks and install them in vehicles whose engines have problems. It's not even worth doing head gaskets on most engines when you have access to wrecks, but the poor fellow who needs a top end job on his own vehicle pays out the arse because of the labor complex systems require.
Big block Chevrolets have always been in such demand that they rarely go to the shredder and don't stay in salvage long. Not everyone needs a large V-8, but the tens of thousands who do will keep the aftermarket and salvage business going. It is possible to make smaller engines that don't suck to service, but that isn't much of a priority because that's the customers problem.
"BTW, regardless diesel engines rock! :-)"
Real diesels, in trucks that go "kssh" and bend in the middle, do rock. :)
The Navistar abortions that triggered the lawsuitfest with Ford aren't their finest hour, and light truck diesels generally are brutally expensive to repair. For the cost of replacing a set of diesel injectors, I can rebuild a complete big block Chevy, and for what diesels trucks cost to purchase I could stuff 460s and 454s into my Fords and Chevys and feed them premium for years. Inline Cummins engines are nice but one has to buy a Dodge to get them...
Diesels are getting ever more complex, and with low sulfur diesel fuel combined with tightening emissions regs that ain't gonna change.
Aluminum is nice for racing, but there is no penalty for using iron (which is also more stable) in truck applications. For hauling, the front end weight is a plus (and part of why I just installed a 366 in my wrecker).
"Now they can finally join the 80's and work on getting rid of leaf springs next."
Leaves are versatile, easily stacked to suit intended use, and tough.
If you want an F1 car by all means buy one, but leaf springs work very well on trucks and other applications where coil spring towers would be awkward (and coils risk coil bind when overloaded).
"It sounds like this is the result of innovation?"
More like the rise in fuel costs coupled with the recession.
The big block Chevrolet is a simple, tough engine that produces excellent torque, is durable, very easy to work on and inexpensive to repair. Aftermarket support is excellent and one can build complete engines without using a single GM part.
The powerplant of choice that replaced big block gas engines is the diesel, which is vastly more complex, brutally expensive to repair, difficult to work on even for well-equipped shops, and burdened with complex emission systems. Diesel fuel quality is always a concern, especially with low-sulfur diesel. They make great power, but you pay dearly for it.
I'll be hunting more of them for spares (I just rebuilt a 366 for my C30 wrecker). Like the small block Chevrolet, these adaptable engines will be working for many decades to come.
"So you may not be getting innovations and improvements the way you'd prefer,"
I like the sort that innovate and improve. What we'll get is anyone's guess.
"Yes, I'd like to inquire about your special for the self-vasectomy."
I think you'd want the BMWzine folks for that advice. :P
"Seriously, WTF is wrong with people's grammar these days? "
Mine passed away, and I miss her, you insensitive clod!
That PC is plenty handy when you can produce what you need for use in the immediate area.
For example, USAF exercises routinely shut down local networks to see how workcenters cope.
Those with local copies of important files can continue with mobility processing (scheduling the movement of people and gear), keep printing manifests, HAZMAT paperwork, and so forth. There are plenty of local printers, and if needed we could grab a cable, move the network printer, and run it locally. Unclassified data can be moved by sneakernet if necessary. (So of course can classified, but with more safeguards.)
A system should be designed for limited use without LAN connectivity unless there is a compelling reason (security) and that reason is more tolerable than the consequences of shutdown. A Scud destroying the network operations center isn't common in civil life, but backhoes lurk waiting to strike...
"Oh sure, it is hell on the short daily trips, but one day you might drive away from it all and you will be glad for it then. "
Hell in the city perhaps, but not in the suburbs or rural areas.
I prefer pickup trucks (I haul lots of tools and equipment) and cannot fault them for commuting in the many areas they fit.
They are comfortable, torquey, have excellent visibility, and other drivers treat them with much more respect than they do small cars or motorcycles.
I won't commute on my Harley any more due to the route being packed with crash-prone idiots, but those same idiots give my trucks a wide berth (++for front bumpers made from 8" I-beam and railroad rail!).
There is a place for sporty cars, those who prefer them should buy lots of them, but they don't do shit for me.
Harleys (like Indians) are for those who are not in a hurry, and who want to keep the same machine for decades. Been there, done that, wore out the T-shirt and still have the bike.
Having taught many Motorcycle Safety Foundation classes using my FXR, I note that because of their low CG a Harley can be forced to corner quite smartly. Great for reinforcing how well countersteering works, and that apehanger handlebars work just fine. :)
I would never consider Saab with Honda and Toyota available. I'm a mechanic, and their systems are generally tough and reliable.
There is good reason Saab never sold very many vehicles. Let those who love them restore an old one. There niche clubs for many vehicles that the rest of the world doesn't need.
"We New Englanders still need a nice winter car,"
Subaru.
We have too many miles of roads to maintain them in autobahn style, there is no need for rapid cornering, and auto trannies make for convenient stop-and-go driving.
If GM wants to retain the IP, it makes sense to let the physical company die.
"That kind of mileage is not uncommon, in fact almost expected in a Saab. What companies can suggest that kind of longevity today?"
Many of them.
Toyota, Volkswagen and Honda often last that long (and are gobbled up when they do make it to salvage to keep the rest running).
Those brands were just as tough even in the late 1980s. Turning well over 200K is even routine for domestic pickup trucks and (barf) Jeep Cherokees.
I feast on the dead in salvage yards and know their secrets. :)
"Why should they survive?"
Evidently not enough people wanted them to maintain the company, therefore it should be dumped and let whoever buys it play with the wreckage.