From: smith@ctron.com (Lawrence C Smith)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: Ethanol blended gasoline
Date: 5 Nov 92 16:15:59 GMT
Reply-To: smith@ctron.com
Distribution: usa
Organization: Cabletron Systems, Inc.

In article <1da8pfINN5d1@bigboote.WPI.EDU>, walkerr@bigwpi.WPI.EDU (Robert A Walker) writes:

>	Taking cars off the road just because they are old, why.

Because they are responsible for 90% of the autombile pollution, and are
the main justification for ever-rising requirements of new cars, which makes
them more and more expensive, thereby making it harder for people to buy new
cars.  It's a positive feedback loop that is good for _nobody_!

>                                                             Do you
>want to take away the cars that people need,

No one has suggested a mechanism, only the result desired.  I expect that
when an old car fails the emission test and is condemned, the owner would be
paid some salvage fee - and perhaps be rebated some "deposit" amount collected
from purchasers of new or used cars - resulting in enough to buy a newer car
of similar value but less proclivity for polluting.

>                                             some people can't just go out
>and buy a newer car.

That can no longer be used to justify letting them drive bigtime polluters.
If we don't clean up the overall average, the econazi's will have us _all_
walking or talking the bus.  If we can't work out some sort of way to slip
a few bucks to the owners of condemned cars to soften the blow, well, better
them than all of us.

>                     Besides, what about people who like to restore old
>cars and drive them, were to they go, to hell.

Well, if George had been re-elected, they could have purchased pollution
rights.  By paying a bit extra in their registration they'd get a "classic"
sticker which would exempt them from the most rigorous standards.  That
money might _also_ be used to help subsidize the really needy who drive
old smokers because that's all they can afford.  With Gore in the copilot
seat, well, we'll _all_ wind up walking in the slush.

>                                                I personally wouldn't
>drive any newer cars by choice, maybe in the future i might be driven
>by practicality but new cars suck.

Interesting value judgement.  You're full of grape juice, though.

>                                    Give me a big old boat with a big over
>bored over stroked engine pushing 600 horse power, and I'm happy.

Me too.  Even if I pay a bit more to get that "Classic" plate so I can run
it without guilt.

>                                                                   Besides
>any old car that is kept in decent condition has almost no emissions anyway.

Not true.  At least, not entirely.  A properly tuned old car will probably
pass most current inspections, though they will be tougher in the future.
Especially with Al "Down with Cars!" Gore in the sidecar.  In any event,
_all_ cars should be kept tuned, it should be part of the regular inspection,
but now we'll all have to pay for "oxygenated" gasolines because too many
people didn't bother to keep their damned cars tuned up.  An _improperly_
tuned old car will pollute like nobody's business.  So long as we _keep_ old
cars tuned, I agree with you.  But then, if they _kept_ them tuned, they would
not be condemned and we still would not have the current pollution problem.

>At least on an old car if the emissions is screwed up, all you have to do
>is turn a screw and your problems are all set.  On these new engines that
>are so complicated you need all the computers at MIT to figure out what is
>wrong with it.

That is the price of progress.  But at least newer cars don't _get_ screwed
up that often.  I haven't had an engine problem since around 1979, except for
two EGR valves.  That's _four_ cars.

>                Well that is my blab about why i like older cars and if you
>don't like it, then tough.

Nice to see you have an open mind about it, though.

Larry Smith (smith@ctron.com)  No, I don't speak for Cabletron.  Need you ask?
-
Liberty is not the freedom to do whatever we want,
it is the freedom to do whatever we are able.
Newsgroups: rec.autos