i just bought a used 1996 chevy c1500. 5.7L vortec engine, extended cab (but no 3rd door). its unmolested in it not being lifted, lowered, or generally messed with. strong grandpa vibes. it looks like this, but its darker blue.
i am quite excited to have a truck to do truck things like haul dirt, pay too much in gas, and generally be invisible from the police. my wife named it Huckleberry Finn. i will call him Huck.
as i was limping around Huck, getting off my crutches to crawl underneath him, looking under the hood, i was amazed at how straight forwards all the maintenance looks like it will be to perform on him. im so used to tightly packaged vehicles, cut hands, tons of electronic sensors, and computers reporting my music tastes to the NSA.
it reminded me of why i refuse to buy any vehicle newer than a 2010. it reminded me of why consumer electronics are such a nightmare to troubleshoot now. how products are designed for ease of manufacture over the longevity of the product. being a manufacturing engineer myself, its a really dirty feeling knowing im often on the wrong side of that equation.
the older i get the more i just want to farm.