Originally Posted by ekpolk
Wow -- it's a better thread than I thought -- I got both buster AND Patman! Sorta like the BITOG version of shimmering apparitions of Yoda and Obi-wan at the same time!
Originally Posted by StevieC
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Did cars & pick-ups not get by just fine one Vanilla bottle M1 in the past?
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Indeed. When I started using M1, mid-80s I bought it at various military exchanges, where I was stationed. Prices were better, it was before the Super-Wal-Mart effect kicked in strong. There were exactly two choices, 5w-30 and, IIRC 15w-50, both came in round white plastic bottles. The shiny metal cans were already gone by then. Two choices. Yes, I got by on one, my Civic and the Dodge Aries (yes, I admit I owned one...) ran perfectly on the 5w-30.
In light of the marketing and shelf space comments, I can still see in my mind's eye from Cherry Point (most of my time), how the two viscosities stood side-by-side, two bottles across each (total of four wide) flanked tightly by other products on either side. You really had to be looking for the stuff, unless you noticed it by accident. It's not that way any more.