Don’t ask me why I am writing about The Flintstones today; I don’t know. I do know that I absolutely loved the cartoon when I was very young. My marvelous mom used to tell me that I was transfixed by the show (although she didn’t use the word “transfixed”), that I wouldn’t eat or do anything else except watch it when it was on.
I hope I don’t have to explain The Flintstones and its clever use of anachronisms, which was the heart of the show. The Flintstones, which first ran on ABC from September, 1960 to April, 1966, was the first animated show in prime-time on US television. As it relates to cars, a vehicle with holes in the floor is now often referred to as a Flintstones mobile as their vehicles were usually powered by the people who drove them using their feet to propel the car through an open floor.
From a WordPress blog a picture of the “cast” of the Flintstones:
Any other Flintstones fans out there?
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The OnStar subscription in my Corvette expires in about six weeks. If I ever had any doubt about renewing, this story quashed that doubt. A C7 Z06 that was stolen from a parking garage in California was recovered due to OnStar’s theft alert feature. In addition, since the woman who owned the car had the Performance Data Recorder in Valet Mode, which secretly records video on an SD card in the glovebox, when the car’s electronics are fixed it is possible the theft and the thief will be on video.
As “happy” of an ending as this may be, it is a reminder to me of the fact that many people are evil and will do whatever they think they can get away with. That is a reason I don’t like to park my Z06 out of my sight. Here’s a picture of my car that I don’t think I’ve shown before:
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Are most of you tired of reading about the search for a Corvette companion/grocery car after we move to the desert? Sorry, but my obsession with that search cannot be helped. It is OCD, after all.
This may come as a surprise to those of you who have any interest, but it looks as if a 2007-2010 Maserati GranTurismo coupe is out of the running. My wonderful wife and I decided that both the acquisition cost and maintenance cost of the car will be too high for a third car.
Initially, I never wanted to spend more than about $20,000 to buy this vehicle. Even the least expensive of these Maseratis are listed at $27,000-$28,000. Obviously, service would not be inexpensive, either.
In a nationwide search for 8-cylinder convertibles and coupes built between 2000 and 2009, with fewer than 45,000 miles and listing for between $6,000 (a floor to exclude wrecked cars and cars sold on a salvage title) and $18,000, A LOT of these cars showed up. They are not a contender for purchase as they only have two seats, but I was amazed at how many were listed:
From AutoTrader a picture of a 2002 Ford Thunderbird. Of the 203 cars that were returned as fitting the criteria of the nationwide search, 71 of them were last-generation Ford Thunderbirds. By the way, one or two older Maserati coupes circa 2004 were listed.
I know John Kraman‘s wife is quite the fan of these cars; how about anyone else?
#YabbaDabbaDoo!
#TheFlintstones
#OnStar
#CorvetteCompanion/GroceryCar
#LastGenerationFordThunderbird
#somanycarsjustonelife
#disaffectedmusings
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Disaffected Musings 
I own a Toyota Avalon as our main transportation. Though not on the top ten for stolen vehicles, Toyotas are high on the list with the Camry and Corolla in the top ten. I subscribe to the Toyota equivalent of OnStar for that reason, as well as the automatic crash detection. It’s just lucky we don’t own a 2000 model Honda Civic, the most stolen car in 2018. >grin<
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Thanks for sharing, sir. I would like to see data on thefts per thousand vehicles. One of the reasons the Civic is stolen “often” is there are many of them.
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That’s an excellent point. Same with the Toyota Camry. They produce over 350,000 per year, according to an article in Dallas News. They have been number 1 or near number1 in sales for almost two decades.
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Even a clock (analog) that stops is right twice a day. 🤪
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I am a long time fan of the Flintstones as I too watched as a “kid”. Fred was patterned after Jackie Gleason’s Ralph Kramden character on his show “The Honeymooners”. The live action movie of The Flintstones is not on my movie watch list.
I am not tired of your search for a grocery “gofer’ car for your move to the desert. You provide hints about the move which interests me and mine. Definition of “Gofer”: someone or something used to “go for” whatever is needed. I am the designated “Gofer” at our house.
As for the “last” Thunderbird, I am NOT a fan. It was a vain attempt by Ford management to capitalize on the public’s love for the original two-seat Thunderbird. Sadly, they failed to even come close to matching the original’s swagger as a performance. This recent one was styled similar to the original; but the power train was anemic.
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Thanks, Philip.
As a young child I had no idea about the inspiration for Fred or any of the Flintstone characters. To be honest, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen more than one or two episodes of the Honeymooners.
I am not a big fan of the last generation T-Bird, either. The car is not angular enough for me, the rear valence/bumper is too round and sticks too far out, and the car is underpowered. Good idea, not so good execution.
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