[geeks] electric cars

[Sheldon T. Hall]

Writes Michael Parson ...
> 
> GM almost killed the diesel market for cars back in the late 70s/early
> 80s by putting out a crap engine which was basically a gas engine
> converted to run on diesel.

My father had one of those.  Actually, the engine lasted longer than the
transmissions.  Note the use of the plural.

Another FPOS diesel engine was perpetrated by Volvo in the 1980s.  It was a
six-cylinder, 2.4 liter version of the VW Rabbit Diesel.  Those engines were
semi-OK in four-rattler form, but the six was just junk.  Even with
fanatical maintenance, you were very lucky to get 200,000 miles out of one.

Owning one of those showed me a very interesting side of the car business.
When I had to replace the glow plugs, Volvo wanted about $30 each.  VW
wanted $17 each.  The Bosch stockist next door to the NAPA store wanted $9.
All exectly the same part.

-Shel