Auto Evolution

My thoughts turn back to the time I attained the ripe old age of fourteen. Graduation from grade school and thoughts of the upcoming trials and tribulations that accompany the start of high school. But like so many of my peers at the time, contemplation that a driver’s license would soon be close at hand was a most exhilarating thought .

The boys crammed on the hot rod magazines and for sale classifieds forsaking all nominal forms of education. Dual quads and positraction equated to a sophisticated form of physics. A great fixer upper could be had for $50-60 bucks. If the vehicle looked cool, could be made to run fast, made a loud sound when revved up and had a back seat worthy of paradise by the dashboard lights, it was the dream car. Of course the girls of that ancient past looked to the privilege of borrowing the family car only when and if deemed necessary.

As time passed and social mobility became the norm, so did then the need for reliable modes of transportation. The boys and girls of days gone by sought out sleek, modern and sexy autos. Bright new colors took hold. Personalized license plates adorned the new chariots exemplifying the owner’s personality. A ton of steel was molded into a work of art.

But boys and girls one day tire of their trivial toys. Boys turn to the more sophisticated full bodied style of vehicle, until they reach the mid life crisis stage, while the newly christened soccer moms exchange their little yellow convertibles for minivans and SUV’s . And all the while, a conspiracy amongst evildoers reaches out and strangles us all. Technological advances and the soaring cost of oil have put us at a terrible disadvantage. One might be able to perform the simplest of maintenance, an oil change, without the aid of the “dealer”, but why bother. Diagnosis of a problem is a problem unless you happen to have one of “their” computers in your garage. In the old days even the semi mechanically inclined could work on their ride. Autos are now designed to prevent any attempt at maintenance by the owner. Let’s face it. Cars are a necessary evil. You can’t get along without one and the manufacturers and Congress know this.

And if you voice your opinion, your battery dies out in the middle of nowhere.