Maybe it is no longer true.

Perhaps vehicles such as the ones that shaped my perspective on this are no longer on the road. May they rest in peace.

But once it was a sign that you had arrived at a certain station in life if your car had air-conditioning that worked easily and efficiently. By that I mean AC that, when switched on, did not cause the vehicle to sputter and lurch as if the engine had suddenly been deprived of fuel. I mean AC that, when switched on, did not create sounds that reminded you of movie scenes featuring B-17s with two engines on fire and a third loudly grinding to a halt.

Once you have owned a car like that, it takes a while to become accustomed to smoothly functioning auto air-conditioning. About 30 years, by my latest reckoning. 

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