New Carmakers Edition

Rebelling Against 2012

The newest cars, like the latest films, 
are a disappointment. I want to 
go back to my roots........

Pictured above is the 1967 Volvo Amazon. I want another one....badly.

A recent Hollywood trend in action films of the past few years is the tendency to up the movie that came before it. 

Is this absolutely necessary? 

2008's Iron Man was a fantastic flick, yet the second installment - while 
having more action and bigger explosions - really didn't do the first film justice.

The same, I think, can be said for the Transformers trilogy. The first movie was fine, but the second two were just explosion porn, with no character development or plot to speak of. The same thing just happened with MIB III recently, and the list goes on and on.

The trend of bigger and more sophisticated - but not necessarily better - can be seen in new cars on the market today. Actually, I have never wanted SatNav or TV screens in my car, but things have grown much more dire than that.

My favorite automobile is the Volvo Amazon.

Not your cup of tea? That's fine.

But I'm not interested in today's Volvo, even though it's a fine product. I don't want Electric-Dynamic Steering, twin turbos, superchargers, ceramic disk brakes, Dynamic Wire Controls, WI-FI connectivity, Bluetooth connectors, SMS audio text, iPhone interface, Pandora Radio, or Multi-Information Displays. 

And I have never, ever woken up in the morning with a desire for a family car with mega-horsepower. 

When was the last time you ever really needed 450 horsepower? That's what the new Audi A4 wagon has.....450 horsepower. Like Hollywood, bigger and better.

I personally have never needed hundreds of horsepower, or the expensive traction-control or braking system it takes to reign those horses in. 

The new Cadillac wagon has 600 horsepower, with 0-to-60 times of around 4 seconds. That's impressive, I guess. Again, like Hollywood.

Who actually uses 600 hundred horsepower, though?

Make no mistake, that kind of power is great for a sporty Mercedes 600, or another car with racing pedigree. It's expected. But a wagon? Seriously? And with prices starting at 50K, I find it hard to believe people are willing to pay that kind of money for a family car - but they are.

Pictured above is my old truck...the M715

I am actively seeking to buy another M715 right now. I miss the durability and simplicity. I miss having a truck that can be fixed with a hammer. 

I miss driving underwater. 

I miss the look on my daughter's face when jumping a two-foot high curb and landing with no damage.

As for the Amazon wagon, I miss having a car that got 20 MPG and was easy to work on. It had about 80 horsepower, and that was more than enough. 

It does everything a modern car does. The Amazon can seat four in comfort, along with groceries and the dog. How is that different from the new Audi wagon? 

Except for the price and speed, of course.

I don't want bigger and better, and I certainly don't need it.

What is your favorite old car?