I agree with Joe Savard's perspective about the future being the present
when working with pre-production vehicle designs. I worked for Chrysler
in the 1990s - the "Cab Forward" era as opposed to the "Forward Look"
era. When I started working there the new T300 Dodge Ram truck was just
beginning to hit the streets. I recall feeling "privileged" to drive
around the streets of west Detroit in a well-used prototype with the V10
engine - with a lot of weight bars in the cargo bed, bolted down. Same
with the updated '97 Dakota, '97 Wrangler, '98 Durango, '99 Grand
Cherokee, the 4.7L V8...the privilege of testing and driving them before
the public was aware of them. For the Dakota, I liked the "old" design,
but there were nice aspects about the "new" design. But my
considerations were moot because I could never justify buying a pickup
truck to use as a daily commuter - and a new one at that. Nevertheless
it was fun to day dream.
On the flip-side, I know some employees - looking at what was coming
ahead - would purposely buy the last model year of a certain model or
technology because they knew the "new" stuff wasn't going to be any good
- at least in the first couple years of production. My personal example
is when I bought, from its original owner, an '88 Grand Voyager with the
3-speed auto transaxle. In 1989 the troublesome 4-speed "Ultradrive"
was the only transmission available with the 3.0L V6 engine. The
original owner of that Voyager knew what was coming down the pipe with
the Ultradrive, so he purchased the '88 Voyager to guarantee himself a
few more years of "reliable" transportation. I purchased that minivan
in '97 and enjoyed 5 years of service before our family outgrew it, then
it was replaced with our current '99 Ram maxi wagon. We still have the
'99 because the "B-van" isn't made anymore, but I digress....
So yes, I too looked at new production cars as "old" stuff, but the
"waiting for the new" became a perpetual cycle...there was always
something "new" to look forward to, but the reality of "now" (needing to
replace a car for whatever reason) often trumps the desire to wait for
the new. Since the rest of my family weren't "car people," they
couldn't fully appreciate my knowledge of, or experience with,
pre-production vehicles. Of course I had to watch my tongue when I
visited with buddies who worked at Ford or GM!
Jason.
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