Whatever Happened to Simplicity?

Those of us who are in the classic car clubs, regardless of model or make, decide to become members of any number of reasons. We might have owned the car in our youth that brings back memories of the cruise the streets Friday night. Maybe we can remember going to a drive-in movie date with our heads resting on our shoulder. Perhaps it is simply the sound of our individual motor car, which could range from nothing to the soft purr or HP-laden monsterous growl as we rolled down the highway. Maybe some of us are too young to have experienced the era in which these cars roamed the earth, but we were under the influence of our elders and to appreciate what it once was. Regardless of the reasons May be, there is nothing quite like finding others who share these feelings and enjoy cameraderie and rewarding experiences that are all part of being in such a group.

My love is especially an old Volkswagen Beetle. I am a member of the Chippewa Valley Volkswagen Club, based in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, for more than three years. We go on many cruises, trips to the other, and hold our own annual show. During the lifetime of the original Beetle, which ran from 1938 to his childhood in Nazi Germany until 2003, when the last "bug", as it is lovingly called, rolled off the assembly line in Puebla, Mexico, more than 21.5 million have been produced . As a result, there are still thousands of them still on the roads, and clubs like mine are dedicated to the preservation of this unique automobile. We also support other clubs across the state of Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Volkswagen Beetle defined by simplicity, something that is quite lacking in today's cars, regardless of the model. There is no doubt that some items, such as airbags and crumple zones, side impact achieved much in the way of saving lives,
But back forty years for a few moments. Air-conditioning is considered a luxury in those days, and only select cars were equipped with it. Almost every car manufactured today has air-conditioning as standard equipment. In Wisconsin, I use it in my 1996 Volkswagen Golf maybe ten days a year. While someone in, say, Phoenix or Miami would beg to differ, ask the following question: Does anyone in Fairbanks, Alaska really need

?

Power windows and locks also have become industry standards. We as a society have evolved in such kind of lazy that we are incapable of rolling a window down or push the lock? If the power window fails, you're looking at a repair that costs about $ 400. Maunal seats gave way to 8-way power seat adjustment. Is this really necessary? Handmade leverage in line for a fraction of the cost. While we're on the subject of seats, the heated seats? My solution? Wear a coat.

Cruise control is a nice feature to have if you travel frequently on deserted stretches of Interstate somewhere as the Dakotas or Montana, but it is impractical in heavy traffic, which increases as each day passes. I can not count the number of times I had to hit "Cancel" I get so quickly to someone in a Buick Lesabre who was in the Kennedy administration bifocals going fifty miles per hour. I can live without it.

Perhaps the most pretentious feature ever to come together in today's cars is satellite navigation system. If you want to save thousands of dollars, I have some suggestions. ) If you feel the need to know what direction you go, you go to Wal-Mart and buy a compass for six dollars. B) Look out your window and note the location of the sun. Unless you live on the planet Venus, she rises in the east and sets in the west. Now look at the clock. C) on cloudy days, try to read highway signs. They will tell you whether you go east, west, north or south.

Come to think of it, it works on sunny days as well. D) Go to the nearest gas station or, more likely in this day and age, food mart, and buy tickets. It will cost about five dollars. If you're lost, ask the attendant how to get back on the road wherever you go. Chances are they will steer you in the right direction. If he or she can not, find someone who can. Trust me. You do not have to rely on a satellite in orbit hundreds of miles above.

no-frills car should still be available as an option for those who share my opinion. There are undoubtedly many drivers who have grown accustomed to the features listed above. In fact, there are people who could not imagine riding without them, but would they ever question why today's road cars will cost Ten How those decades ago, I put in my two percent true. Or better yet, twenty cents ...

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