The unusual circumstances I've endured over the years include the debacle of the original equipment Firestone 500 tires. Within a year of my taking delivery I was informed that these tires were being recalled since they were known to "throw tread" at high speeds. These were the first radial tires Corvette offered, a far cry from the Z-rated tires of today. Also, I had to endure the indignities of the seatbelt interlock system required on all '74 automobiles. This tidbit required that the driver buckle-up before the car would start. The law requiring this feature was quickly repealed when our senators and congressmen came to the stark reality that they too, as motorists, had to endure this clumsy, ill-conceived hassle. Or how about the "noise pollution" option my '74 Vette came equipped with? This single, not a dual, horn setup "peeped" rather than "beeped."
Being an original owner of a '74 Corvette with only 34,000 miles on it is great, but one tends to limit driving in order to qualify for low insurance rates, and to keep the car from wearing out. Sometimes my friends or relatives will urge, "Why don't you go out and drive that car? I would if I had one." My past response is that they don't have one, and probably never will...a two-seater is not for everyone. I take solace in the fact that I will have owned my Corvette in four different decades, a very good start since I bought the car with the intention of keeping it forever.