Its the under 40 or so generation, they never had a car they could be expected to fix themselves. How sad, they will never know how to set points with a matchbook cover in the middle of no where or stick a screwdriver in a choke plate to start a car with a stuck closed choke. The shame of it.
Many years ago (about 1974 to be exact) one of my favorite uncles (very smart guy but not mechanically inclined at all) must have seen my basic mechanical ability and he bought me a tune up guide, and a simple engine analyzer. I already had basic tools, and tune up stuff. He would then come over with his '70 Mercury Marquis (429 cu in 4 bbl carb) or my aunt's '65 Plymouth Belvedere (318 cu in, 2bbl carb) and I'd tune up his cars while we discussed politics, the economy etc. Great times. One time the Mercury sprung a leak from a stamped steel tube that was pressed into the intake manifold and connected to a heater hose. It just rusted through, Sunday afternoon, no place open. So I went in the garage and found some copper tubing about the right size, filed it down to fit, then coated it up with Permatex and tapped it in with a hammer. Put the hose back on and away he went. That repair held for years!
These young kids today, just don't have the opportunity, unless they take auto tech at the technical high school program.
