OLD LAPTOPS AND OLD CARS—THEY HAVE A LOT IN COMMON

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Jerry Admin
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I’m on laptop # 7 or 8—I’m not really sure of the exact number, but I am sure laptops have a connection with old cars in more ways than I thought.

Here’s why.

Every machine starts out brand new.

Those will be the best days you’ll ever have with them, whether they are cars or laptop computers. After that, you’re going off a cliff whether you like it or not and eventually your car is burning oil or your laptop is running like a slug.

There’s nothing you can do about it because if you’re under 40, you’re probably going to outlast your new Honda and your new Dell laptop because neither one was built to survive and function over 25-30 years. Sure, they’ll be around–but neither one will perform like it did when it was new.  

The reasons are simple. Cars and laptops are machines, so that means things break after years of daily use. Hinges are a great example because they are weak points on cars and low-end laptops, so you’re going to face some challenges on both fronts.  

Eventually your door misaligns on a car, and your laptop hinge does the same thing because it’s built out of plastic. You can get by with crappy hinges, but once the plastic breaks or the door sill rusts away, you’re out of the fun zone and into the new laptop or car zone.

Another issue is batteries. You’re going to buy a million laptop chargers in your lifetime and half a million batteries because most of the re-pop stuff is crap.

You’re also going to buy several batteries for your Honda over the years for the same reason. Bottom line—we buy a lot of stuff from China and that definitely isn’t a badge of honor in the consumer world.

New tech is another issue. Cars have evolved since the Model T and that come with a price.

I’m old enough to remember when 250M was plenty of storage–I know my first laptop had half that number. Now my laptop has 1T and that’s not enough, so I have auxiliary storage of 3T… that’s lot of Ts.     

I’m also old enough to remember when anything over 300 horsepower put you in muscle car territory, but now Mom drives the kids to practice in a 400+ horsepower SUV. That’s net horsepower versus a ’68 Road Runner’s brake horsepower rating.  

Repairs are another issue with cars and laptops.

Your old Pontiac is something you can probably work with on the side of the road because it’s a relatively simple machine. Your old laptop will require more than roadside assistance, but in both cases you’re in a world where parts are nearly extinct.

Worse yet, you’re going to have to make a call on whether you’ve entered the world of DNR (do not resuscitate) with the old car and/or your old computer.

It’s not like the dreaded I-have-to-put down-my-dog scenario but you do get used to where things are in old Pontiacs and old laptops.    

My final thoughts? Don’t get too attached to old Pontiacs and old laptops because there’s enough pain the world already.               

Jerry Sutherland

By: Jerry Sutherland

Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post,  Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.

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