[citydesk175]

I vaguely recall that some designer at Ford had the opinion that 1972 was going to be the final year that any American car was going to be any good. ( Pause for agreement from the audience) He bought 3 like model 1972 Tempos and was going to drive them with appropriate parts switches for the rest of the century.

I remember reading an article about it in 72 and nothing since. Does anybody know someone who has tried this with 3 cars at once or is it better to buy replacement parts new or the scrap yard?

How many years and how many miles can you expect out of any everyday car that you try to run for over 30 years? (replacing the parts as you go)

BTW when does the car cease to be authentic? Reminds me of the story of the 200 year old genuine Indian tomahawk that had been in the posession of one family for the entire time. (One owner?) While the tomahawk was genuine, it had required 3 new heads and 6 new handles to maintain full utility.

One last question..... would it have been better for the Ford designer to have kept his 2 parts cars in mint condition till 2000 or follow his original plan and cannibalize the cars? Parts prices vs mint car prices