[njsteve]

I was thinking the other day how long newer cars actually last. When I was 14 and got my first car, a 1969 Z11 Pace Car Camaro, it was only 8 years old in 1977. It was a rusty mess with a 1964 327 in it. Cars back then just fell apart without any assistance from their owners.

My son's 2011 R/T was 12 years old with 24,000 miles on it when we found it a few months back. The advances in metallurgy and chemical coatings alone are amazing in terms of preserving the exposed parts. The underside of his car is pristine (having never seen a winter yet). Last week I had the bottom of the car coated in Fluid Film by a local guy. I also had him do the crusty underside of my 1995 Suburban as well. This is his winter business as a landscaper in Doylestown, PA when he isn't snowplowing. Cost around $300 a car and he spent a total of five hours under the cars. Wheels off and up on jack stands. He uses the spray cans for the suspension and then brushes on the heavy stuff out of a gallon can for the rest of the bottom of the car. It's a lanoline based goop that stinks a little for a couple days and then goes away.

This way the Challenger should get a little help in staying nice just in case the boy has to drive it this winter if one of our beaters isn't available.