A while back I finished watching Rockford Files. I've seen I think 2 seasons of Magnum PI so far.
It seemed really fitting that there should be a tie-in between the shows, given that Magnum started pretty shortly after Rockford ended, and Selleck had been on Rockford. But I guess the legal disputes with Garner are what stopped that from happening.

The very last episode of Rockford that was filmed (but not the last episode aired) was actually in Hawaii. And if I remember correctly Selleck was in that episode, but he was playing the ridiculous character he had been given on a couple older episodes of Rockford. He wasn't playing Magnum - too bad.


One of the Rockford season 5 episodes had a unique car in it. At first glance it looked like an ordinary 2nd-gen Firebird.. until it drove past.


According to the internet, this car was modified by Pininfarina for GM and is the only one that exists.
A guest star character on Rockford Files was driving around in this thing like it was no big deal. The show never said a word about it.

quote Originally posted by cvxjet: I just don't get how they just gave up on the Fiero like...."It's unfixable".......Yes, rusted to death, or caught fire and burned to nothing.....But the engine and trany are so easily replaced...Maybe not "YOU"(Marshal on HIMYM)....But if you have enough money to buy another car, you have enough to pay to have a new engine installed.

I missed who "they" is - but you're describing something that kills me here in California. I used to live in IL, where rust murders cars. Despite that, there was a pretty strong culture of keeping old cars running (in the 90s anyway). Out here, rust is hardly an issue, but people are highly inclined to throw them away instead of getting them fixed. You can walk around a CA junkyard and find countless nice old cars that make you shake your head as to why they were junked.
Overly pedantic emissions rules and the state's version of "cash for clunkers" also plays a part, by keeping cheap cars out of the hands of people who would like to legitimately buy them, fix them, and use them. There's an awful lot of waste out there, and in a low-rust climate, it can be frustrating to see.

Older cars are more serviceable than newer ones, so as the older cars disappear, the owners lose their opportunity to develop this skill. The price of professional repairs from shops on newer cars won't get any cheaper either.
Many people get excited about a new car with 500hp hiding in a black box that says "Do Not Open". I'd rather have 100hp in a car that I can understand, learn, and maintain myself. It's a much more rewarding experience IMO.
Financially, I think getting an older car professionally repaired is often a better investment than buying a new car payment, but people like the predictability of monthly payments. Some people in my family are like that.

[This message has been edited by armos (edited 04-07-2019).]