Law and Rights
What was the #1 accessory that people wanted in their car in 1954? A heater.
It's quite surprising what was new in 1954 on automobiles. And what people wanted most and least. But first the new...
Mercury (a make long gone) and Ford had a hardtop with a transparent plastic roof section. Sort of a sun roof that didn't open.
Chrysler had a new instrument panel with red indicator lights for oil pressure and battery warnings. Before long people called them "idiot" lights in derogation of people who couldn't understand how to read the gauges and just wanted something simple. Then again, it is possible that Ford and GM owners called them that more as a descriptive term for the people who bought the brand.
Nash Rambler came out with front seats that would swing down to make a comfortable bed. They were apparently so far ahead of the reclining seat idea that the company went out of business later.
The February 1954 issue of Popular Mechanics also reported the results of their survey on what the average driver wanted.
First the averages. In 1954 the average car was driven 15,480 miles a year (just about the same as now, over 50 years later). The average family kept their car 3 years, mostly trading it off due to declining mechanical condition. Less than 10% said they traded in their old car because of new styles. Nowadays people trade a little more often, on average, but the style issue is a much bigger percentage of the cited reasons for getting a new car. But what did the average buyer want in a new car?
53% wanted economy. 47% wanted power.
76% thought comfort was more important than style while 24% went the other way.
58% wanted a big 8 cylinder engine under the hood. 42% wanted a small engine.
61% wanted a car that would seat 6 or more people. There was a hunger for SUVs even then, I guess.
45% of drivers said they would never use a seat belt. Little did they know that seat belts would become mandatory for all drivers 20 some years later.
You can bet those numbers have changed over the years, but one thing hasn't. They still make lemon cars.
And as long as they do, we'll be here to help you get rid of them.
If you've got a lemon, contact us or call us 1-888-331-6422 Toll Free. Squashing lemons and returning them to the factory is what we do. It's what we've done for 30 years, long before there was a Lemon Law. And we'll keep right on doing it too.
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Never one to shy away from blunt and sometimes controversial thoughts, the guys (figures) at Car Gurus have come up with a list of the cars that are most loved and wanted by men, and a separate list of the cars most loved and wanted by women. The list...
- Human Mpg Vs Car Mpg
According to an email recently received, the average American walks about 900 miles a year. Another study found that Americans drink, on average, 22 gallons of alcohol a year. That means that, on average, Americans get about 41 miles to the gallon....
- Rumor Has It
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- The Car I Wanted. The Car I Got
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- Top 10 Vehicles
Consumer Reports has released its "Top 10" Best Cars for 2008 in its annual auto issue that is about to hit the newstands. Here's the scoop... The "Top 10" list is their ranking of the top vehicles in ten categories and for the last two years Japan...
Law and Rights
What's New in 1954 Cars
What was the #1 accessory that people wanted in their car in 1954? A heater.It's quite surprising what was new in 1954 on automobiles. And what people wanted most and least. But first the new...
Mercury (a make long gone) and Ford had a hardtop with a transparent plastic roof section. Sort of a sun roof that didn't open.
Chrysler had a new instrument panel with red indicator lights for oil pressure and battery warnings. Before long people called them "idiot" lights in derogation of people who couldn't understand how to read the gauges and just wanted something simple. Then again, it is possible that Ford and GM owners called them that more as a descriptive term for the people who bought the brand.
Nash Rambler came out with front seats that would swing down to make a comfortable bed. They were apparently so far ahead of the reclining seat idea that the company went out of business later.
The February 1954 issue of Popular Mechanics also reported the results of their survey on what the average driver wanted.
First the averages. In 1954 the average car was driven 15,480 miles a year (just about the same as now, over 50 years later). The average family kept their car 3 years, mostly trading it off due to declining mechanical condition. Less than 10% said they traded in their old car because of new styles. Nowadays people trade a little more often, on average, but the style issue is a much bigger percentage of the cited reasons for getting a new car. But what did the average buyer want in a new car?
53% wanted economy. 47% wanted power.
76% thought comfort was more important than style while 24% went the other way.
58% wanted a big 8 cylinder engine under the hood. 42% wanted a small engine.
61% wanted a car that would seat 6 or more people. There was a hunger for SUVs even then, I guess.
45% of drivers said they would never use a seat belt. Little did they know that seat belts would become mandatory for all drivers 20 some years later.
You can bet those numbers have changed over the years, but one thing hasn't. They still make lemon cars.
And as long as they do, we'll be here to help you get rid of them.
If you've got a lemon, contact us or call us 1-888-331-6422 Toll Free. Squashing lemons and returning them to the factory is what we do. It's what we've done for 30 years, long before there was a Lemon Law. And we'll keep right on doing it too.
Burdge Law Office
www. Burdge Law .com
Helping Consumers Get Rid of Lemons Since 1978.
Click here to find out what your state's Lemon Law says.
www. Burdge Law .com
Helping Consumers Get Rid of Lemons Since 1978.
Click here to find out what your state's Lemon Law says.
Subscribe in a reader- Top Cars Loved By Men Vs Women
Never one to shy away from blunt and sometimes controversial thoughts, the guys (figures) at Car Gurus have come up with a list of the cars that are most loved and wanted by men, and a separate list of the cars most loved and wanted by women. The list...
- Human Mpg Vs Car Mpg
According to an email recently received, the average American walks about 900 miles a year. Another study found that Americans drink, on average, 22 gallons of alcohol a year. That means that, on average, Americans get about 41 miles to the gallon....
- Rumor Has It
The engineers from GM (who thought they could convert a gasoline engine into a diesel engine back in the 1980's) got together with the engineers from Navistar (who designed the engines for Ford?s pickup trucks that resulted in hundreds of lawsuits...
- The Car I Wanted. The Car I Got
A friend of mine sent me this hilarious message that's worth taking a break to pass on... "This is the car I wanted." It's a Novitec modified Ferrari Enzo in screaming yellow. Zero to 100 mph in 3.5 seconds (no G-force ratings disclosed). Top...
- Top 10 Vehicles
Consumer Reports has released its "Top 10" Best Cars for 2008 in its annual auto issue that is about to hit the newstands. Here's the scoop... The "Top 10" list is their ranking of the top vehicles in ten categories and for the last two years Japan...