My parents own two antique cars: a black '51 buick and a red '66 T-Bird with tan hardtop. My mother's t-bird has a 390 V-8 motor under the hood; the buick has a straight-8. My point? I just bought myself a brand new 2006 GMC 4-door with a 4.8 V-8 motor. I get 16 mpg in town, and about 21 mpg on the highway. Curiously, I find my mother's T-Bird gets close to the same gas mileage, yet her car is made of solid steel and iron with a huge motor. If today's cars are supposed to be more advanced and fuel efficient, why didn't they put a motor in my truck that can get 50 mpg, or 100? Also, my mother's T-Bird can pull a boat, camper, trailer - anything you can think of because of it's huge transmission and engine plus the steel frame. If I tried that with a 2006 T-Bird, I'd rip out the transmission because of the strain. Today, I'd have to spend $40,000+ on a diesel truck to do the same job. Does it seem like the American people are being ripped off?
2006-11-01 10:14:33 · 2 answers · asked by Danny H 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture