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> Old Japanese cars are still on the road, running well. My son is driving my original purchase 1990 Honda. I recently moved out to the Bay Area from south Flo
by Niten 10y ago
> Old Japanese cars are still on the road, running well. My son is driving my original purchase 1990 Honda.
I recently moved out to the Bay Area from south Florida, and one thing that really struck me was how many y2k-ish cars were on the road looking practically new. I think it's mostly a matter of climate.
I would have loved to keep my 2000 Integra on the road, but the unholy combination of Florida's sun and humidity brought an early death to its paint, body, grommets and bushings. In contrast, I regularly see Integras in the Bay Area that look as though they could have rolled out of the factory five years ago.
- DaiPlusPlus 10y agoMy theory for that is different construction materials: cars built in the 1970s and 1980s become rust-buckets quite easily - but cars built after the mid-1990s use considerably better bodywork materials that don't need specialist care to maintain, especially a lot more plastic. I drive a 2013 Ford Focus and the entire front assembly is plastic - no way that's going to rust or corrode. I'm almost looking forward to selling it for a good price after the warranty expires.
- JoeAltmaier 10y agoPlastic has its own issues. Gets brittle exposed to sunlight. Cracks easy. Scratches very easily. Changes color over time. Can't easily be repaired. My old cars, the plastic parts are worse off than metal ones.