17 Oct
2025
17 Oct
'25
3:25 p.m.
> Some makes and models of cars don't last ten
years
> and auto makers don't WANT them to last;
On Fri, 17 Oct 2025, Van Snyder via cctalk wrote:
Subaru: Built cheap and designed to stay that way.
Subaru was actually not the worst.
Think of Yugo! Imported into USA from 1985 - 1992
https://www.librarypoint.org/blogs/post/the-yugo/
It was brought in by Malcolm Bricklin. He had also been the one to bring
in Subaru 360, and founded subaru Of America.
The Subaru 360 (360cc, a quarter of VW's engine size), and the 600 (600cc)
MicroVan were absolutely not what the American public wanted.
They still considered VW to be the tiniest car, and certainly wouldn't consider
something half that size.
Subarus were first taken seriously when they went to a four cylinder water
cooled boxer engine in a car the size of most other "small" cars.
Honda brought the Honda 360 up to 600cc (AN600) for import to USA.
(cf "The First Honda Automobiles 1958-1970" by Don B. Laughton
(a mastrpiece labor of love)
And, then, three years later introduced the Civic.
--
Grumpy Ol' Fred cisin(a)xenosoft.com