Did you know that they don't sell new cars with carburetors anywhere in the United States? Not in several years. It's all fuel injection now. I remember when car problems were always carburetors or the ignition system. But now they use electronic ignition and fuel injection and cars don't give much trouble any more. Our car has about 70,000 miles on it and still has the same spark plugs. Not only are the plugs better, the new ignition systems are really easy on plugs.

And then there is our truck which is older than the car. It has 110,000 miles on it and has the same battery, spark plugs, brake pads, clutch, water pump and alternator that it came with in the spring of '95. All of these parts, which were once trouble spots, are better these days. They don't use a generator any more. They use the alternator which keeps the battery fully charged and gives a more constant supply of current. This makes life easier for all kinds of electrical parts. So they all last longer.

Tires are better too. If you start with a good quality tire, you can expect it to last 50,000 to 70,000 miles or more. They used to wear out at 20,000 if they didn't blow out first.

Somehow, I get a kick out of starting that truck with a 7.5 year-old battery. The truth is that the only replacement parts it has had are windshield wiper blades, filters, and tires.

Cars with 200,000 miles on them are not uncommon anymore. I remember our family car 50 years ago. It was a '41 Lincoln that had been rebuilt at 40,000 miles. At 60,000 the engine was completely shot. Our 54 Ford, which was bought new, was completely worn out from end to end at 65,000 miles. My 65 Volkswagen van blew up at 56,000 and again at 72,000. Then we started buying Subarus and Toyotas and 200,000 trouble- free miles became the norm.

I'm a big fan of reliabilty.
Howard