Date:         Sun, 3 May 2015 23:35:14 -0400
Reply-To:     David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: We made the list of the 15 most reliable cars in history
Comments: To: Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <CAFnDXk013yQ_850DLu15EDbWt=_PGu3O=6b7yFmf19rr=4i3dA@mail.g
              mail.com>
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At 12:27 PM 5/3/2015, Jim Felder wrote:
>https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/photos/15-most-reliable-cars-in-history-slideshow/volkswagen-van-photo-1416358141523.html
>
>1950-1992 mentioned.

Their version of reliable is either
  a) it's quite possibly the most reliable car in history, like a
Toyota Corolla;

b) it was a hideously unreliable car but right at the end of
production it got a lot better for some value of "a lot", like the Jaguar XJ6;

c) It's not reliable but some diehards will do anything to not buy a
Mustang because that would be a Ford, like the Firebird;

d) they had way too many head gasket problems but the owners like
them for other reasons, like the Subaru;

e) sheer devotion from fans and a deep reserve of used parts from
Beetles, plus bumper stickers to hold them together, plus some spotty
kid in a cartoon drives a terribly-drawn version of one, like T1/2,
and maybe you can get a junk one on the road for a few hundred bucks
-- for the first few hundred miles.  Oh, and T3s because they're the
same as T2s really;

f) somebody owns one with three million miles on some fragment of the
body, like the Volvo P1800, and oh by the way all Volvos are the same;

g) old farts buy them and take care of them, like Buicks;

h) they built enormous fleets and policemen cry over them, like Crown Vickys;

i) they're "reasonably" reliable and cost less than Toyotas, like
Ford Escorts;

j) they have a cult following of loonies, like Saab 900s;

k) some other reason, like Mercedes diesels.

Searching for the words here.  "Utterly meaningless" springs to
mind.  Although if they called it Fifteen Marques That Have Shown
Remarkable Staying Power it would be perfectly sensible.

Yrs,
d


>Jim