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Later I drove several of such Ford Consuls, since they seemed indestructible .. and it was true: I backed into a solid concrete block once while backing up, and it made a horrible sound, and the big poller rolled away: yet only aminor scratch on the bumper.

The guy I had rear-ended on icy roads (going slooow), a farmer, never spoke a word to me: he looked at my car – entire front, hood, both headlights destroyed – and then just wiped all the glass and debris from his trunk; took a deep draw from his cigar, gave me a stern look and drove off. I was a soldier at the time, drafted for my obligatory 18 month term – maybe re realized I was on my way back from the barracks on an early Friday night, and had some compassion? I will never know.