Keeping it Forever

"I'm keeping it forever!" It was back in 1976, I was driving around North America for the first time, and I was in LA. Next to me a young woman parked her Toyota mini-camper pickup. I never saw one before so I was looking a bit closer (at the camper, not the woman), and she started telling me how much she liked her new Toyota mini camper. I guess it was a bit of over exuberance, but the idea was surprising to this guy from Canada. Was it even possible to keep a vehicle forever? After all, in the snow belt cars simply fell apart from the salt, sometimes after only 5 years.

Today, I can more realistically evaluate the idea. You will find in Google web pages full of help in making a vehicle last forever, a whole bunch of commentary to the effect of "Make sure you do all the maintenance" etc. etc. I'm sure that's all fine, but in the long run not important.

Here are the problems in keeping a car forever, as I see them.
1. You get bored, you don't care any more. It is always more mental than mechanical.
2. You lifestyle, family, health, interests, location/climate, transportation needs change, the vehicle is no longer suitable. Also, things like gas prices, your financial health etc. The problem is, when you are talking about forever, these things can really change.
3. Insurance can be difficult to get on an old vehicle.
4. The manufacturer stops stocking parts after a while, now you're busy looking for mechanics willing to work on old stuff, or do it yourself. You need to buy parts on eBay or in a wreckers yard.
5. Accidents happen too, vehicle can get wrecked, stolen, burned. The longer you keep it, the higher the probability.
6. New features appear that eventually prove irresistible (safety, convenience, efficiency, comfort) Not too bad if you end up getting more than one vehicle of course.
7. You are vulnerable to legal hurdles, if not next year, maybe later. You exist at the whim of the legislators.
8. Still with the salt. Vehicles last longer now, but still have problems with it. One day maybe they'll be made entirely of plastic.

I have a 1970 Honda CD175. It's not the actual bike I bought in 1969, but it's identical and just as old, has the same problems the original would have had. Would I consider having it as my only vehicle any more? Of course not.

First, I live in Canada now, I need a car for the winter. The total weight of me + passenger has almost doubled, now well over the bike's designed limit. We have freeways here, with higher speeds and winter, since I no longer live in Africa. Now I only use it for fun runs alone in the summer.

Yes, the bike still runs. I have enough spare parts to take this bike well past the end of my own lifespan. Heck, I have a whole spare running bike, and another half once just in case. So the bike itself is obviously not the problem. Especially since I don't actually drive it as my sole form of transportation any more.

The reality of "Keeping it forever" can happen, but be careful what you wish for.


Not my pics, I found them at this web page, so here's the link, I liked reading it. And who knows? It could actually be the very same camper I saw in 1976.