Decades ago Cuba found itself effectively isolated by international sanctions, forced into desperate resourcefulness to keep its automobiles on the road. In the new millennium, the process is repeating itself in another Latin American country now, Venezuela, where people are barely able to hold their cars together as a result of sanctions and economic downturn. Some of the causes of Venezuela's car crisis echo those facing U.S. drivers, raising the question as to whether Venezuelans' difficulties foreshadow hard times for U.S.drivers.Visiting the Venezuelan capital of Caracas this month,
The Associated Press spoke to car owners and mechanics to understand the plights of locals who struggle to maintain their cars—never mind replacing them. The country's economy fell apart over the last decade for myriad reasons, almost wiping out its middle class, and leaving a typical monthly salary in the range of just $53.
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