And that `83 Ford was a lot better than even a `78. I know, I was cutting up new Ford vans every week for years back then. In `78 the CA emission controls were so bad you can hardly get them started on a chilly morning in Los Angeles.

In `74 I bought an old 1950 Ford when I was 15 and got the owner's manual with it. It said the car had a 6 month, 5,000 mile warranty, and that was considered pretty good.

Since I consider vehicles an important piece of gear, I have to ask, what did you end up getting this time?