You might need it some rainy day

Dreams can come true again

When ev'ry thing old is new again"

-- Lyric, "Everything Old is New Again"

After soldiers returned home from World War II, many settled down and began raising families. Children born during the years 1946 - 1964 are referred to as "Baby Boomers," and are currently in their prime earning years, and the target of many people that want their disposable income.

I was born in 1961, at the end of the boom, and have always felt a bit like an outsider when it came to all of the discussions about "boomers." Growing up in the 1960s with older siblings, I was a first hand witness (in the protection program now) to many of the things that went on to define a generation. I'll never forget the day Robert F. Kennedy was shot.

One of the things I remember the most about the 1960s was the cars. In those days, Chevrolet and Ford were at their zenith -- and at each other's throat, trying to top the offerings of their fiercest competitor. There are many men (and women) who grew up wanting to own a Mustang or a Camaro. Unfortunately, many of us came from large families and were relegated to the second or third seats of the family station wagon, where we were able to "lust from afar" at the muscle cars and dream of the day when we could own one.

It turns out that, unless we were really good at restoring cars or were really wealthy, we would be out of luck. After the early 1970s, cars became ugly. Can you say Gremlin? Pacer? Mustang II? Can I get an amen? So, those 1967 dreams of a Shelby Mustang were dead and gone -- or so we thought.

I'm not sure if it means that automakers are all out of original ideas for car designs, or they figure the boomers will flock to reruns of their favorite cars of the 1950s and 1960s, but it seems that everything old is, in fact, new again in the car biz. Witness the 2005 Ford Mustang, a literal clone of the 1967 Shelby Mustang. Volkswagen brought back the Beetle, Austin brought back the Mini. The nostalgia theme also is carrying over to the sports utility vehicle (SUV), the successor to the station wagons of the boomer years. Take a look at these photos of a 2005 Nissan Armada and a 1956 Rambler station wagon. Pay close attention to the windows and the roofline. Look familiar? Nissan is, I believe at least on a subliminal level, banking on the positive experiences the boomer kids had in a Rambler station wagon to sell their largest SUV.

Enjoy your summer vacation. Get away for a long weekend, if nothing else. Gas is expensive, but the memories you will make with your family are literally priceless. Who knows, maybe your son or daughter will fall in love with one of the car models of today and get to buy a clone of it in 2045. Maybe by then, the cars will fly (don't get me started - a story for another time.)

As always, I welcome your comments. You can reach me by email at tstangl@lemarscomm.net, telephone 712-546-7031, x40 or toll free 1-800-728-0066 x40.

Thanks for reading, I'll keep in touch. Feel free to do the same.