<VV> Ironic observation re: parts availability; Was: 13" tires, etc.

[Wrsssatty at aol.com]

Those who know me may recall that my Corvair obsession began when my older  
sister bought her first new car, a '63 Monza coupe.  After 5 years of  
enjoying the Corvair, she traded it in on her dream car in the fall of '68, a  
brand-new Corvette convertible.  The Corvette, perhaps predictably, was  
stolen from our driveway two months to the day after she bought it.  I  recall 
as she pondered her next purchase that a Corvair was considered and  quickly 
dismissed.  The problem was not that she was unhappy in anyway with  her 
Corvair.  In fact, she loved the car.  The problem was the  hand-writing was on 
the wall and everyone knew it was just a matter of time  before the Corvair 
would be discontinued.  The concern was that you  wouldn't be able to get 
parts.  I would imagine that had I pressed my  father for an explanation 
during that family discussion that his concern would  have been for obtaining 
parts other than routine replacement items like tires,  batteries and spark 
plugs.  I think it's ironic that now, 40 plus years  later, it's precisely 
those replacement parts that are becoming harder and  harder to come by.  The 
parts that one would consider more specific to the  Corvair are still, for 
the most part, easy to come by as used, rebuilt or  reproduced!
 
~Bill Stanley