Automotive complexity

[patricktaylor]

... scrap it ...

Which is what we did with a perfectly sound Volvo estate (from back in the old days) when its front wing got bashed in modern times. The insurance company wrote it off. Many people nowadays run their cars (which they never actually own) on a 3 year replacement cycle (no pun intended) with finance rolled in. If you have capital you can safely extend this to 5 years. By 10 years your car is starting to look silly anyway.

[MikewsMITH2]

By 10 years your car is starting to look silly anyway.

I don't agree Beauty (or silliness) is in the eye of the beholder, but I haven't noticed any tittering... And I can fix them myself




OK the bottom one isn't 10 for a couple of months. Maybe it'll start looking silly in May?

[mw3230]

My car tells me when it needs a service. A few weeks ago I checked and the indicator said 5600 miles to service C. Thats good I thought- the Autumn. Two weeks later it flashed at me and indicated service C due in 14 days which decreased daily.

When I spoke to the dealership to query this, they explained that the service was 15000 miles or 12 months whichever is sooner and once the car realised that I wasn't going to do the mileage it reverted to the datal counting. Very clever - for them. The service including the change of brake fluid and some multi filter thing cost £450!!! Believe me I was happy with that as the original quote had been nearer £600. Now I'm getting ready for a set of tyres - woe is me.

[patricktaylor]

By 10 years your car is starting to look silly anyway.

I don't agree Beauty (or silliness) is in the eye of the beholder, but I haven't noticed any tittering... And I can fix them myself ...

Those are nice cars. One of my sons has a customised Mark II Golf and that doesn't look silly either. But classics aside, most modern cars are destined to become ugly, or at least distinctly dated (except perhaps German cars designed in a more classic style). The more trendy something is, the more it looks dated later on.

[GrahamNR17]

MikeSMITH, as I live and breathe, gorgeous bikes AND gorgeous cars is against the law!

You're right, after ten years cars like that get MORE good looking. Wow, I'm completely blown away

[MikewsMITH2]

I shouldn't be too sure about the computer telling you everything. My daughter has a BMW Mini. It needed a couple of tyres so she left it here for me to get them changed and got the train back to London. When I came to to take it to the tyre fitter, it wouldn't start. The RAC man came and plugged in his computer. It showed 120 faults! His experience told him it ws the crankshaft sensor as there was no spark or fuel. However this wasn't one of the 120 faults displayed. It was towed to the garage. They also said "crankshaft sensor" but it wasn't. It turned out to be a "faulty fuse box" at £60 - I'm not conviced of that because when they removed it they found a broken wire which was probably the the real fault. Cost? £335. When they eventually got it to start, the electric windows wouldn't work either and they wanted to charge for investigating this. When I insisted they were working when I took the vehicle in, they argued for a bit then 10 minutes later they were working! No charge. The "body computer" needed resetting. To this day the Airbag light is still on. They can fix that next time... Give me "unreliable" old cars any day!

[MikewsMITH2]

We didn't buy these cars as classics by the way. The red one was 4 years old when my wife bought it. When child number 2 came along she needed a bigger car. It wasn't worth anything according to the garage that sold us the new Escort (yuk!) so we kept it anyway. The white one was 11 years old when I bought it in 1989 . I had reached that mid life crisis when you need a convertible They both cost about £3500. This is about one year's depreciation on a modern car. There has been little or no depreciation and they have been extremely reliable. The parts are cheap and they are easy to fix.

The green one is Jan's daily driver. She bought it new in 2000. I think its still only done 28,000 miles She says she'll probably never have another car, so she's looking after it!

[hubgearfreak]

The more trendy something is, the more it looks dated later on.

mine's doomed then. although it's not very complex. it has what's required by law and a fuel gauge - that's packed in

[patricktaylor]

The more trendy something is, the more it looks dated later on.

mine's doomed then. although it's not very complex. it has what's required by law and a fuel gauge - that's packed in

But that looks more functional than trendy. What does a new one look like? If a new one looks the same as an old one, it's not trendy.

I know what I'm talking about, BTW. I'm a design guru and that's official (as it tells you lower down on that page).

[GrahamNR17]

I need to have a mid-life crisis. Right now. I feel the need for carbs and points and push rods and leaf springs and torsion bars and and and... things like that

WHERE'S MY MID-LIFE CRISIS

[Mick F]

carbs and points and push rods and leaf springs and torsion bars and and and... things like that

The thing is, I was doing all that in my twenties and thirties AND forties!
Minis (lots), Imps (a couple), Triumph Herald, Triumph Spitfire, Humber Sceptre, Hillman Hunter, more Minis...........
Been there, seen it, done it!
I've "grown up" now. Pity really.

WHERE'S MY MID-LIFE CRISIS

AFAIK, I haven't had mine yet ............

[patricktaylor]

... AFAIK, I haven't had mine yet ............

It starts in May, doesn't it Mick?

[MikewsMITH2]

OK Graham,
Here's your daily dose:

[GrahamNR17]

I've died, haven't I? Is this heaven?

[Mick F]

... AFAIK, I haven't had mine yet ............

It starts in May, doesn't it Mick?

I've died, haven't I? Is this heaven?

This is what I'll be thinking on the Infernal Raleigh Chopper in May!