In reply to a message from beanmf sent Mon 9 Feb 2009:
Mark:
Careful about what you wish for!!! Yikes, give the fed’s that much
more money to piddle away??? Egads!!
Importing cars by anyone is not easy. Extra preparation at the
European factory. Overland shipment from factory to port. Port
costs and shipping costs. The car will ever be accepterd ion
europen mode, thusly requiring extra facilities and training to
produce an ‘‘export’’ version.
Then, parts have to be shipped and stocked. Tech’s must be trained
to service them. Sales people have to be trained to sell that car.
Lots of start up costs & maintenance that is grester than a car
msde in the USA.
There just isn’t enough mark up to cover those costs and render a
modicum of profit.
I didn’t even mention DOT & EPA testing and qualification.
In the md fifties Studebaker tried to market a low costr car using
the same metl but a really striped version. The Scotsman, Ugly. No
offense gentlemen, please. It flopped.
George Romney caught the right moment and did Nash did very well
with their little Rambler series. Clever engineering allowed the
little flat head six to grow an OHV head.
The Pinto, notwithstanding it’s unfortyunate fuel tank issue was
avery economical and serviceable ittle car. The little four weighed
a lot, but got good mileage and was virtually indistructible. The
engoine served in Ranger trucks and even with a turbo chsrger in
the TBird turbopoupe. It was raced against the Mazda rotary
powered cars and won and lasted much longer.
The Chevrolet Vega was a nice enough little car. A bit on the
cheap, but the engne was all right except for the engineering goof
of trying to use trearte bores in lieu of sleeves in the aluminum
block. When tehy became smokers, and got steel sleeves,they became
nice little engines.Bore failure, isn’t that a bit famiiar?
Singer writer Neil Young drives a 59 Lincoln Continental Coupe. The
biggest of the big. But, it’s big honking 430 CI V8 has been
r4placed with a bio powered hybrid. He and his mnechanic cliam 500
ft/lbs torque, instantly. One picture shoed the mechanic sitting in
the engine bsy working on the power plant.
The mid nineties Olds Achieva with quad four power came close to a
compact sedan with performance and mileage and amenities. Head
gasket issues, where did I hear about that?
Had one for a while.
Carl–
The original message included these comments:
What if the Federal Govt simply popped a 100% sales tax on
gasoline? At 390 million gallons a day, that would be about 0.8
billion dollars a day or 292 billion a year. In 40 years or more
we might be able to pay off our National Debt. As 33% of our
taxes go to servicing that debt, we would all end up with tax
savings of 33% which would stimulate the economy hugely. In
addition, cars would become more efficient, our towns would begin
to reorganize to become more fuel efficient, greenhouse gases would
begin to drop (but not enough). If it were possible to exclude
farm equipment, bulldozers, etc., that might make sense.
Sure, the price of everything would go up, just like it did six
–
Carl Hutchins 1983 Jaguar XJ6 with LT1 and 1994 Jeep Grand
Walnut Creek, California, United States
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