Postby Bo » Fri Jan 14, 2011 3:53 pm
Gents, can I please borrow your rose tinted glasses?
I have had in excess of 40 cars over the years since 1981, most of them up until the last few years were crap.
Cars built in the 70's usually needed welding for their first MOT, you were lucky if the engine lasted 60,000 miles, clutches needed changing every 30,000 and most used to get you high on fuel vapour or exhaust fumes. Diffs whined and the new fangled front wheel drive cars front wheels used to fall off when the lower ball joint went. If you made the mistake of turning on the optional heated rear window at the same as your home fit AM radio, the battery went flat. I has a Celica that went like stink due to its 2.0lt engine but wouldn't stop as they forgot to fit any brakes. It was the lightweight bodied version as the middles of the panels and floor had rotted out.
In the 80,s wheel arches and battery trays needed repairing for every MOT, cam belts used to let go on a regular basis even if you did change them and the cam used to wear out every six months. Track control arms gave up the ghost on a regular basis meaning tyres only lasted about 12,000 miles. Electronic ignition was introduced but was about as reliable as the 9:15 from Peterborough. Front wheel drive cars used to munch their way through engine mounts and then snap the exhaust.
By the 90's things were getting better (honest) Vauxhall invented something called a cam position sensor which periodically and for no good reason put a red light on the dash and set the engine to limp home mode. Fords were still rotting faster than an over ripe banana the French were building cars that wouldn't go through puddles without taking a drink and locking the engine. For those that way inclined and there seamed to bee thousands of them, you could nick the average car with a spoon and half a tennis ball.
Moving in to the 2000's I now keep my cars for 3 years, they do around 130,000 miles in that time and other than routine servicing, the only fault I had that stopped me driving home was a faulty EGR valve on a Saab.
To quote Harold Macmillan, "you've never had it so good".
5/4 of people admit that they’re bad with fractions.