Date: Thu, 29 Jun 95 10:04:21 EDT
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Richard <rapalmer@unity.ncsu.edu>
Subject: Re: Dealers and the American Way
> Speaking as a mechanic, the preditations of dealers (and mechanics) on car
> owners has kept pace with the systemic dumbing of America. Here in
> California automotive interests bribed our elected officials to gut the
> automotive division of the Office of Consumer Affairs; we now have two (!)
> investigators to handle complaints. The population of California is about
> 30,000,000.
>
> The bribes were all legal, of course -- campaign contributions and the like.
> And the official word is that the staff reductions are part of a State-wide
> economy move. Besides (the legislators argue), the State office duplicated
> the functions of various city and county offices. Sure they did.
>
> When we have a headache we don't think of cancer, we pop a couple of asperins
> and the pain goes away. Until the next time. But the problem of dishonest
> dealers and mechanics is only a symptom, the disease is more subtle and far
> more pervasive. Unless the root problem is dealt with, complaints, civil
> suits and letters to the editor are about as effective as treating cancer
> with asperin.
>
> One reason I own older Volkswagens is because I can maintain them forever, no
> dealers required. I would rather have the work done by an honest, courteous
> dealer but I haven't run into one of those in more than twenty years. If my
> family is to enjoy the benefits of personal transportation I feel I've no
> choice but to become my own mechanic. (Lucky for me I are one.)
>
> I would also like to own a newer car but it doesn't take a rocket scientist
> to figure out that the fair market value of the typical new car is from 67%
> to 73% of its price, according to Kelly's Blue Book. And insurance companies
> use the same kind of creative accounting, having one evaluation to calculate
> your insurance rates, another when settling a claim. This is 'good
> business.' It is taught in our business schools and its sharpest
> practitioners receive million dollar salaries and are celebrated in numerous
> Man of the Year awards. But it is neither fair nor ethical. With the bulk
> of Americans mechanically challanged with changing a flat tire, their options
> in personal transportation are limited to a choice between cancer and polio.
>
>
> Up to this point a lot of people -- possibly a majority -- will agree with
> me, offering a verbal pat on the back for being the last of the red-blooded
> Americans with greasy fingernails. But that misses the basic message, which
> is simply that the system doesn't work. And what lies ahead is definitely
> dangerous territory.
>
> I'm also prepared to shoot mad dogs and kill my own burglars. This is not a
> Rambo-esque choice, it is a requirement for the security of my family since
> our hi-tech mega-buck public safety system has an average response time of
> about thirty minutes, if they show up at all. Our courts have ruled that
> public safety organizations are not obligated to respond to any specific
> call, only that they provide a uniform level of response to the public as a
> whole. So everyone please note: Wandering around my property at night may
> be hazardous to your health.
>
> Far fewer Americans will agree with this latter position, but for the area in
> which I live it is as valid as the need to do my own auto repairs and for the
> same reason: The system doesn't work. The only question is, how long before
> this situation becomes the accepted norm for a majority of Americans?
>
To which I must add my sincere agreement. I believe society is headed
completely in the wrong direction, worshipping money, power, and speed
among other excesses. Most of us are, by driving VW's, to a degree
rejecting at least part of this societal trend. I do not believe that
faster is better, and so much research and development of technology is
geared toward making things faster. There seem to be so many other
problems that need our attention before we worry about most of this
technology stuff. As an Engineering graduate, I spent 4 years studying
stuff that is not necessary for life at all. I hope and plan to use my
life to do something for humanity, NOT society. Anyway, by driving
slower, older cars, that do not require help from "the man" to fix, we
are in a sense breaking away from that downward trend. Anyway, I suppose
the lighter message in all this is that VW buses will help save the
world...
Sorry to get all philosophical
Richard the idealistic optimist
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