Good point.  Maybe the criteria for whether to put any given essentially
free (firmware) safeguard in is whether the destruction that would be
caused would be easily provable as to cause (for denial of warranty
coverage purposes).

For example, in the LH cars (and probably most others) the PCM limits
engine RPM to 4000 rpm when the tranny is in park or neutral.  If my
theory is correct, it could be that engine damage due to over-rev'ing in
neutral may be difficult to distinguish (to a point provable in court)
from certain spontaneous damage from other (non-customer initiated)
causes - so that safeguard is put in.  And, on the flip side of that
scenario, that damge to a drivetrain from a tranny being thrown into
reverse while traveling forward at speed *is* easily provable - so that
safeguard is left out.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

really dan could have fooled me when my kid slammed my charger into reverse at
45 and we heard the most allful noise  and then had to get home by tow truc

The ones I've seen that were going bad all did the same thing.  When
placed in gear, either forward or reverse, they hesitate before they
start doing anything.  

I never tried anything that is supposed to "clean" your engine.  It
doesn't seem wise to clean crud out of an old engine unless you want to
tear it apart later.  All I want to do is cut down the quart per week
oil habit when I'm driving an oil-burner.  Smoke-B-Gone is cheap and
gooey.  When I use it, I leave it stuck upside down in the oil filler
hole at the end of the day when the engine is hot.

I'm thinking of going to the auction this week to see if I can get a
good deal on something to replace my 89 with the bad transmission.  I
saw a 92 3.3L sell for $450 last week, and it had only 132,000 miles on
it.

This is not entirely true.  Lots of people throw away things that are
not used up.  I have mentioned here a few times that I put over a
hundred thousand miles on a particular 1990 caravan without experiencing
problems.  I paid $200 for that one.  I was sorry to see it go, because
it still ran great, but I figured it was time to get a new one when the
odometer said 275,000.  Right now I'm driving a 1989 Honda that I paid
$400 for.  New struts, new water temperature sensor, and a new exhaust
pipe, and it runs like new.  Who knows how long a Honda will run....
The nicest one I ever bought was a 1996 Caravan that my wife drove.
That was a really pretty van, and it drove great, too.  When I got my
paperwork from the auction company I found out that it was a donated
vehicle.  I'm sure those folks didn't donate it just because it was a
worn out piece of crap.  I bought it for $600 and sold it for $1400 a
year and a half later.  

As far as I can tell, there are three common circumstances under which
vehicles come to that particular auction.  A lot of them are fleet
vehicles (rental, contractors, or police/municipal) being sold at ten
years of age or 100,000 miles.  Another large portion are donated.  And
the other significant group are sold by dealers who don't want to have
the same old cars on their lot month after month, regardless of whether
there's anything wrong with the vehicle or not.  The dealers get cars by
trading with other dealers, or from trade-ins, which are usually traded
in just because the customer wanted something newer.  Looking around the
lot, I get the impression that only 5% or less are just junk.  I figure
that these are the ones that come from individuals who are tired of
fixing stuff, in other words mostly the donated ones.  Usually there is
one major problem that was the straw that broke the camel's back, such
as a blown radiator or a bad transmission.  You will rarely see a
non-runner with more than one big problem.

I also don't believe that you can assume that drivers of cheap vehicles
don't treat them well.  You could also say that the guy with a lot of
money will buy an expensive car and not care what happens to it.
Neither one is necessarily true.  You can usually tell when you look at
the cars whether they have been well cared for or not.  For instance, I
can always tell when somebody pulled the cap off the radiator and topped
it off with bright green antifreeze, or if they pressure washed under
the hood yesterday, but the rest of the car looks like somebody has been
beating the hell out of it.  These things are obvious.  I couldn't help
but notice that my Honda had a half quart of Mobil 1 oil in the trunk,
with a mark where the bottle had ridden there for lots of miles.  I
figured that was a good thing.  Turns out I guessed right.  The engine
is in great shape and I haven't had to add oil even after driving it
4,000 miles.  On the other end of the spectrum was a Caravan I saw last
summer.  It was full of dog hair, there was spilled soda everywhere,
lots of little doors and handles were broken and held with tape or
rubber bands, and there was a bottle of Dexron next to the driver's
seat.  No, I didn't bid on it.

You think like a mechanic.  Most folks just want a shiny new car, and
they'll get rid of a good used car without even thinking about it
because they keep the same easy payment.  There are tons of good deals
out there.  Sure, sometimes I get stuck with a bad transmission, but
overall I'm doing pretty well.  I always figure that when I pay $300 for
a vehicle I won't be sad if it simply burns to a crisp on the side of
the road next week.  Most of my vehicles last a good long time.  I'm way
ahead of the guy who pays $300 every month.