<VV> Not expected to last

[Kent Sullivan]

Ken--while an arbitrary life may not have been built into vehicles,
certainly the perception of adequate has changed. I can't imagine a car
coming off the line in Detroit these days with the amount of unpainted
surfaces (undercarriage, cowl area, inside rocker panels, etc.) that the LM
Corvair had.

--Kent
-----Original Message-----
From: virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org
[mailto:virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org] On Behalf Of kenpepke at juno.com
Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2008 10:01 AM
To: virtualvairs at corvair.org
Subject: Re: <VV> Not expected to last


It was written:
>car thought to have a life span of 5 to 7 years tops ... After all, long
before
>there were serious gas leakage problems, the car would have been melted
down
>and been recycled.    And if leaks did happen, well there was the dealer
>network and warranties and all that support stuff available to the owner.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I must take umbrage here.  I have worked 42 years for GM engineering and I
can
safely say we do not build in an arbitrary 'life' into any vehicles.  In
fact, extensive
tests are conducted on every model we make; test for durability, corrosion
resistance,
and usability.  results of these tests are turned directly back to improve
every vehicle.

The only ones that take anything away from the build are the bookkeepers
when they
can find a cheaper part that will do the same job.

Back in the day the Corvair did not last as long a Buick ... or a Lincoln
... but here in 
Michigan all car titles must be turned in to the state when the car is
scrapped.  That
title must be accompanied by a statement of mileage slip.  That information
indicates that
a Corvair would easily outlast two Hondas or two Toyotas when compared model
year to model year.  

Metallurgy and Petrochemestry have come a long way since the 60s.  A car
built to the design of the Corvair but using modern materials could be
expected to last almost forever ... certainly longer than any two far east
vehicles regardless of price.

Ken Pepke