It's like there's an old car (hockey team) that costs a lot of money to keep running, and while it might get you to work (play a regular season game) 82 times a year, it will only get you home again (win) 45-48 times a year... and if it ever manages to make it out onto a highway (playoffs), you know there's no way it will ever get you where you want to go (a Stanley Cup).
Approach A - The voluntary rebuild.
"I've had enough. I'm not waiting until this thing dies on the side of a road for good. I'm parking it in my garage, and I'm tearing out the engine, tranny, differential, suspension, etc, and I'm replacing them with all new components. I'm rebuilding the engine completely (I might keep the same block and maybe the heads), but the plugs, pistons, gaskets, chains, belts are all getting replaced. Probably keep the tranny housing, but the flywheel, clutch, plate etc are all being replaced. Definitely replacing the entire suspension. I could maybe clean up the leaf plates and U bolts, but new springs, new bushings, etc etc."
Approach B - The involuntary rebuild.
"Damn it. I want to keep driving this thing, but the engine just doesn't want to start anymore! I even tried to throw a pile of money at it, but then the electrical quit on me, so I started trying to trace whatever was shorting that out and now the tie rods are giving out and the (etc, etc, etc). Well, I guess I'll tow it back to my shop and figure out what I can keep and what needs to be replaced or rebuilt. The car isn't running, but the goal is to still be on the highway with this thing, whether it running or not. Our motto is "Just get on the highway and go from there!""
Approach C - The Tree method
"Damn. This car just keeps falling apart. It's like none of the parts even want to work no matter what I do... but I'm just gonna keep replacing pieces with other old, worn out pieces. It sucks becuase a lot of those pieces are more expensive and perform even worse, but I'm convinced this is a highway car that will get me where I want to go! I just have to find the right combination of old parts... and maybe find a couple new parts here and there, and then just try to ignore that new parts just get messed up becuase they have to run at the pace of old failing parts... to the point where the value of the new parts are completely ruined and..."
Approach C was starting to make me mad again... lol.
Anyway. The Flames fall completely under the umbrella of "Approach B."
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