Especially when it was done right the first time!

This ride has been around the block once or twice ;)

Emma Ely’s 1970 Camaro SS 350 has driven the equivalent of the circumference of the Earth 40 times over.  Is it just me, or does that equate to a lot of trips to the corner store?  Either Ms. Emma is a drug-runner like the founders of NASCAR, or she has gone on quite a few road-trips, because this old lady’s ride has broken the 1 Million (that’s right, Million) mile mark.

Actually, it’s currently at 1,104,000 miles and still chugging along.

Now what is the significance of this, might you ask?  Well this actually brings up an issue that I have debated in the past, and gives me legitimate grounding to stomp some common automotive misconceptions into the asphalt.  These misconceptions are based upon auto quality, and I will admit, I have made the very same type of judgements that I am about to denounce - so don’t get your panties in a bundle.

• Myth #1: American cars are built to break.

As Emma shows us, this isn’t the case.  She actually maintained her car through simple oil changes every 3,000 miles (or 10 times a year).  There is a thin line between “built to break” and high maintenance.  Sure, you can drive an 88′ Dodge Ram in the middle of Texas on the same oil for years, or a Toyota pickup under the same conditions for 20 years, but nobody calls a fabergé egg “built to break.”  Some things simply require more care than others.

As perfect as the day she got it.

Okay, so the quality may not be as high, but so what?  Low build quality does not automatically denote a mass corporate conspiracy to have us trading in our cars every 10 years.  Simply put, treat your car as it was meant to be treated, and it will reward you with a long and relatively cheap life.  After all, they are only machines.  If you don’t change anything and maintain the parts, they should theoretically work into infinitude.  Look at the Cubans - they make those cars work, and they don’t even have modern equipment.  Some of them don’t even have rubber tires!

• Myth numero dos: Japanese cars have superior build quality to all others.

I got into this argument with (coincidentally) a man of Asian descent the other day.  He was actually talking in reference to European (German specifically) built cars.  I will admit, certain manufacturers in Europe have a bad history with electronics *COUGH* Jaguar *COUGH*, and others have problems with staying in one piece (I won’t name anyone in particular, but the manufacturer starts with a “P” and ends with an “eugeot”).  Nevertheless, Jags have been showing superior build quality (although they are technically Asian, now), and in case of a nuclear holocaust, only Skodas and 3 cockroaches will survive.

Joking aside, German cars typically rank near the top when it comes to build quality, and the only reason they don’t take the cake when it comes to cost/benefit is because Audi takes pride in their hand-built aluminum bodies and magnesium engines, whereas your average Honda was assembled using glue and toothpicks in a sweatshop in Ohio.

Now for all my readers out there, you should be aware by now that I try to throw in some good morals at the end of my blog.  A sort of summation of everything I had to say.  Well, this one won’t be about judging a book by its cover, nor about how nationalism is anachronistic when it comes to cars.  No, this week’s moral is about auto buying:

Remember, always buy used cars from old women.  Emma drove this thing for 38 years and counting.  Kelly’s Blue Book can’t even come up with a proper value for this thing!

EBAY SAYS!!!