Dodge
Drips Oil & Drops Grease Everywhere
Damn Old Dirty Gas Eater
Dead Old Dog Going East
Dead On Day Guarantee Expires
Dead On Delivery, Go Easy
Dead On Delivery, Guarantee Expired
Dead Or Dying Garbage Emitter
Dear Old Dads Garage Experiment
Daily Overhauls Do Get Expensive
I have never owned a Chrysler product from any time in their glorious
history. Starting with the 1950 Dodge a neighbor owned, it looked like a taxi
with no redeeming qualities, to Joey’s dad who had a 1960 Polara, too
futuristic, maybe Nippy’s 71 Dart with a V-8, but 3 on the tree, to any K car or
FIAT Chrysler. Maybe it was the old Chrysler crank, the sound their starters
made, you know one if you hear it. Sloppy production mated to great engineering
couldn’t pull it off for me. Buying AMC left me still uninterested, and now
that they are owned by FIAT, I’ll push my Ford first before I own anything they
make.
But remember they were part of Daimler Chrysler for awhile, and as a
service advisor and service manager for Mercedes Benz in that era I know better
than to buy one. We use to joke “engineered like no other car in the world,”
they were the guinea pigs for the electronic revolution of today. Only MB could
make a car stereo so powerful it would overheat and shut itself off, the fix to
download better software to depower the unit. And we knew we would cringe when
we started to see Chrysler parts in MB boxes. So there is something about
Chrysler I just don’t care for. Yes, Hemi’s are great, but too expensive and
other motors were just as fast. The futuristic styling of the 1957’s, “suddenly
in 1960!” looks good to me today while watching Highway Patrol, but square
steering wheels, dash top rear view mirrors, and styling that left me with
questions no one can answer. Among them, what is a fratzog?* Only a true Dodge
enthusiast would know the answer. So I stay away, interested, but only like the
poster for the two headed cow, I won’t pay the price of admission.
The Range Rover explosion, no pun intended still amazes me. Why can a
vehicle that is so great off road in some of the most remote areas of the world
fail in the wilds of La Jolla? The factory recommended replacing all hoses and
belts at 60,000 miles, $1300 job, and those who refused were soon towed in and
had them replaced. Front differentials blowing up, and my favorite, on the 2008
they had oil pans that leaked, just replace the pan gasket. But you had to
remove the engine to do it, which meant taking apart the entire front end of the
vehicle. A job that took over 40 hours on your new car! Also the seats were a
hot theft item, thieves would just cut the wires to them, which was part of the
main loom, so you had to replace the entire one piece loom in the car. 75 hours
later your car had been entirely disassembled, including windshields front and
rear, and somehow put back together. Still a new car then? Things I saw first
hand as a service advisor during the period. So I stay away from them too. Too
expensive to buy, even more expensive to fix. I can tell more horror
stories.....but I won’t. Pray for those who own one. And in all cases, if
someone who never owned one tells you what a great car they are, don’t take the
word of a man who never owned one. Works with Chryslers too. MOPAR-Move Over
Parts Are Rusting. How many Fords and Chevies did Lee Iococca sell from his
Chrysler ad “if you can buy a better car buy it.” referring to the K cars. So
bad even a Sinatra edition never sold. Yet they saved the company. I don’t get
it.
Yet we seek advice on anything from cars to bikes to where to eat. When
Gary says the food is great, he means cheap. Same with motels. If Mickey says
“easy to fix” it is because he is a genius. If you ask me about cross country
rides, I can tell you, 12 trips and 48 states later. I never owned a Harley,
but know friends who do, stick with 2015 and newer and you’ll be better off. My
first intro to them when I started to ride, and a friend’s father worked for
them. “Buy a Honda,” was his advice circa 1969. When an interested buyer
called Packard to get information, he was told to “ask the man who owns one.”
Great advice then, still now, and in more than cars. Yet so many are experts
from one ride, one article, or one trip to the service department. I used to
tell people all I see is broken cars, no one comes to me and says “what a great
car, check it over and see. I’ll even pay.” I may not be an authority, but I
know what I experienced. Many arguments and bad times can be avoided if you
qualify the authority first. There are no stupid questions, but you can get
stupid answers from stupid people.
When I went to work at Land Rover, they found out I was a Christian, and
one man, an atheist approached me at lunch, an authority on that God is not
real. He was proud of being an atheist until I told him by definition he didn’t
exist. That made him think. And I offered to answer questions he had, I told
him he was a man of faith, as it takes more faith to deny Jesus than to
recognize him as God. He questioned the Bible, but could find no place where
God could be contradicted. He admitted there was sin, Jesus was historical,
just not God, and why do those who don’t believe the Bible believe anything
else? I was told of all the bad times Christians had, and how it was better to
not be one, than be a hypocrite. “The church is full of them,” he raved one
day, I admitted we had a lot, but still had room for a few more. He tried making
fun of me, but had no answer for those who did believe, other than we are
misled. But he did ask questions, the best ones with no audience, as the spirit
was calling him, and he was refusing. You see it wasn’t my answers, good or
bad, not my faith or testimony that was changing him, it was the holy spirit.
We don’t save anyone, Jesus does. Only Jesus.
One day I asked God why in our witness that he didn’t want people to be
like us. Me. I can hear him giggle, “because you never saved anyone, and I
want them to be like me.” Good advice, also never ask an atheist about being a
Christian. Be happy with your lack of faith that is enough for Jesus. Why fall
prey to opinions that only leave you disappointed, when you can have truth in
Christ? Aren’t opinions like Hondas, doesn’t everyone have one? And so from
cars to motorcycles, from trips to service to trips across the US of A, pray
first. God will direct you, which is maybe why I never owned a Chrysler. I
don’t think he has anything against them, but he knows me, and how I like to
travel. Maybe kept from Harleys for the same reason. Go figure. But I do know
I have a wonderful counselor who guides me in his love, and when I take his
advice, found in the word, when I live by his spirit, when I am in the spirit I
can make better decisions, and know God will work all things out for my good.
You cannot teach experience, so why not go with the creator who knows all, and
offers it all to you via his spirit. Why turn to opinions when you can have the
truth and be set free?
So don’t ask the man who doesn’t own one for advice. Or ask the man who
doesn’t know Jesus about him. Makes sense to me. And going to heaven makes
real sense. In this world of deception only one thing can be counted on, Jesus,
so why settle for second best. Or a used up God. Get to know him personally,
and never doubt. Get to know God personally, where you can call him by his
first name Jesus. He is the Christ, he is the way. Or get to know your service
department on a first name basis. Or your shrink. Your mechanic. Your guru.
And always be searching for better. Doctors practice medicine, we learned at
Mercedes Benz often times we could fix the car but not the customer. So don’t
be like my friend Vince, who sets out to reinvent the wheel and ends up with a
flat tire. Seek truth, justice, and the American way. It was no coincidence
that Superman landed in America. Jesus is truth and justice, long before the
American way. He came to earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of
mortal men. So why do you have trouble believing him, but not Superman? I can
do all things through Christ who strengthens me. It starts with a little faith,
we all have it. Ask a man who knows him. Become one too. No appointment
necessary.
*A Fratzog is the logo for Dodge from 1962-1976. and no one knows what
Fratzog means.
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com