Coyote

[2007DBR9]

Now now I am not going to stand by and watch the Brits being let off the hook!

 

Our "classic" cars are rubbish. Yes they may be made with logic in mind, but they never work, they are painfully slow, and they fall apart if you look at them funny.

 

I can't think of a single good car to come out of this country. My mate loves them for some reason and has several MG's and Triumph's, and I have never seen one work for more than a day without something going wrong.

[Wally]

Now you've put me on the defensive. Of course Brit cars are crap, they have always been crap, that's why post war Japan took Brit car plans ... because there was so much scope for improvement. But haven't you ever owned a pet with a serious defect, you know a dog with a bent leg, a cat with one good eye.... you just can't help but nuture and spoil it in between giving it a swift kick for good measure. It's like that godaweful station wagon in the other topic, it's a POS but obviously somebody with poor eyesight thinks otherwise.

[2007DBR9]

Now you've put me on the defensive. Of course Brit cars are crap, they have always been crap, that's why post war Japan took Brit car plans ... because there was so much scope for improvement. But haven't you ever owned a pet with a serious defect, you know a dog with a bent leg, a cat with one good eye.... you just can't help but nuture and spoil it in between giving it a swift kick for good measure. It's like that godaweful station wagon in the other topic, it's a POS but obviously somebody with poor eyesight thinks otherwise.

 

Good analogy with the pet... But at least you can take solitude knowing that your pet is special because it is different from the rest - it has character. If every single pet had a major defect it would no longer be spoiled and treasured, it would be a pain in the ass.

 

Every single Brit car is a heap, so that takes the individuality away. Unless your MGB has exploded in a slightly different place from your mates MGB and you call that indavidual

[bfeeney]

No, just every manufacturer hires engineers that never, ever have to work on their own designs...

 

On my BMW, the radiator is something that shoudl rarely break, yet it takes about 2 minutes and a flat blade screwdriver to get it out. (good thing because it turns out BMW radiators DO need repair often). But the in cabin air filters for the HVAC, that are supposed to get regular servicing? To get the passenger side one out requires disassembling the entire right under dash area, after dancing in a candlelit circle with chicken boood on your hands while chanting to the bavarian gods for assistance.

My whole thing with every manufacture is that the things they know will be done either regularly (oil,air,washer) or things they know will break (alt., starter, spark plugs)- make it convenient for someone without them doing crazy stuff. The other stuff is fine since techs are flat-rate or commission. Is there an uprade for the BMW radiator?

[Elite_Deforce]

- Haha I thought that said reliability! Oops!

 

- Why? Over here you are always slowing down and accelerating back up to speed again which wastes fuel.

 

- Some, not all!

-It did.

-That's nothing compared to the wasteful driving people do here.

-Go on google maps and just go on any given street in Montreal. You'll see.

I've gotta say I find Toyota engineering very satisfactory. I haven't owned a qaudzillion cars and haven't swung a spanner on more than a moderate amount of them either, I haven't even owned a Toyota, but the experience I have had with them solicits more of "that's a good idea" than "wot tha feck". I think you are being a bit hard on the Brits...that's my job; Audi A4.. well Audi made the Quattro and that is legend and I can't help but feel Audi is where Ford want to be.

I have so much to say to that.

[Wally]

I bet you do, but professional ethics won't let you eh.

[2007DBR9]

-It did.

-That's nothing compared to the wasteful driving people do here.

-Go on google maps and just go on any given street in Montreal. You'll see.

 

- Ohh get you and your mod powers

 

- Granted, its not what you drive - it's the way you drive it

 

- I will take your word for it

[Chris V.]

I can't think of a single good car to come out of this country. My mate loves them for some reason and has several MG's and Triumph's, and I have never seen one work for more than a day without something going wrong.

 

As I said, I've owned Jags, and loved them. One of my top dream cars is a '67 Jag E type 4.2 triple carb convertible with the covered headlights (so still a series 1).

 

My last Jags (both the cream one and the black one were '86 Series IIIs)

 

 

I used to daily drive an MG Midget, though in order to do so, I replaced the generator with an alternator out of a Mitsubishi.

 

Here it is with my first Fiat 124...

 

 

I also had an MGA for a bit and a TR3.

 

This is the MGB I have right now (pictured just after the respray but before reassembly):

 

 

with my last Fiat and old Range Rover in the background...

 

Here's that Range Rover, purchased for $800. Exceptional offroader:

 

 

That Range Rover and it's replacement, a '95 County LWB (while I was buiilding a new garage):

 

 

And the '95 with it's replacement in '08, an '01 Range Rover 4.6 HSE:

 

 

 

And the '01 doing what it does best: tow our travel trailer all over the east coast:

 

 

I'm in the process of restoring a neglected '73 MGB GT for a friend. Love these cars. I also really like the classic Minis, and would daily drive a 1275 example any time. Another frind has a Ford Lotus Cortina that he's had for a couple decades. Wonderful little car.

[Elite_Deforce]

I bet you do, but professional ethics won't let you eh.

You would be right my friend.

 

- Ohh get you and your mod powers

 

- Granted, its not what you drive - it's the way you drive it

 

- I will take your word for it

-Mod powers or not, it's what I originally meant.

-It's not the size of the wave, it's the motion of the ocean. Unless you have a Hummer.

-

[2007DBR9]

-Mod powers or not, it's what I originally meant.

 

Yes, but you edited my post and confused me!!

 

Chris V. - What exactly do you like about these cars? I don't mean to be rude, but I really don't see any reason to have one. The reliability is beyond a joke, and the small "sports" cars drive horribly and I can't see any redeeming features.

 

As for the Range Rover... They are good off road but again they are made very badly (with the exception of the new ones) and break down all the time.

 

Maybe the Defender is the exception, but there is not really anything to go wrong.

 

And that Rover 3.5 V8... I can honestly say it is one of the worst engines I have ever come across. It doesn't even sound good. It wasn't even made by Rover anyway - it was a Buick engine that they didn't want any more.

[bfeeney]

No, just every manufacturer hires engineers that never, ever have to work on their own designs...

 

On my BMW, the radiator is something that shoudl rarely break, yet it takes about 2 minutes and a flat blade screwdriver to get it out. (good thing because it turns out BMW radiators DO need repair often). But the in cabin air filters for the HVAC, that are supposed to get regular servicing? To get the passenger side one out requires disassembling the entire right under dash area, after dancing in a candlelit circle with chicken boood on your hands while chanting to the bavarian gods for assistance.

I have heard that way back in the day, but I was new to the game so I didn't understand. I have since saw what you're saying and I agree but that raises a big 'what the f@ck' with the design department.

And on a side note. Be nice to Wally, He's cool

[Chris V.]

I have heard that way back in the day, but I was new to the game so I didn't understand. I have since saw what you're saying and I agree but that raises a big 'what the f@ck' with the design department.

And on a side note. Be nice to Wally, He's cool

 

I've dealt with Wally for years. For a long time, he was pretty cool, and I got a lot of good info from him on Aussie cars, but lately he's been a PITA on two forums, and I'm not sure why.

[Chris V.]

Yes, but you edited my post and confused me!!

 

Chris V. - What exactly do you like about these cars? I don't mean to be rude, but I really don't see any reason to have one. The reliability is beyond a joke, and the small "sports" cars drive horribly and I can't see any redeeming features.

 

Seriously, if you can't figure out what's cool about these classics, then I can't explain it to you. The last Fiat I restored, for example, was completely reliable for many years. It was a lot of fun to drive, with a certain character and joy you don't get from over-neutralized modern cars.

 

http://home.comcast.net/~cvetters3/fiat_spider.htm

 

 

They have a sense of style, and a very individual nature. People talk about needing a manual trans to feel like they are communing with the machine they are driving, but with these cars you really did in EVERY area, and it's fun.

 

 

As for the Range Rover... They are good off road but again they are made very badly (with the exception of the new ones) and break down all the time.

 

Really? You might want to tell mine that, as that's no more true for them as it is for my BMW. Less, so in fact. How many have you owned again?

 

And that Rover 3.5 V8... I can honestly say it is one of the worst engines I have ever come across. It doesn't even sound good. It wasn't even made by Rover anyway - it was a Buick engine that they didn't want any more.

 

None of mine had the 3.5, though I do have a modded 3.5 here ready to go in an MGB. The engines in mine have been stout and do their job superbly.

[Elite_Deforce]

Really? You might want to tell mine that, as that's no more true for them as it is for my BMW. Less, so in fact. How many have you owned again?

Are you serious?

[2007DBR9]

Seriously, if you can't figure out what's cool about these classics, then I can't explain it to you. The last Fiat I restored, for example, was completely reliable for many years. It was a lot of fun to drive, with a certain character and joy you don't get from over-neutralized modern cars.

 

http://home.comcast.net/~cvetters3/fiat_spider.htm

 

 

They have a sense of style, and a very individual nature. People talk about needing a manual trans to feel like they are communing with the machine they are driving, but with these cars you really did in EVERY area, and it's fun.

 

 

 

 

Really? You might want to tell mine that, as that's no more true for them as it is for my BMW. Less, so in fact. How many have you owned again?

 

 

 

None of mine had the 3.5, though I do have a modded 3.5 here ready to go in an MGB. The engines in mine have been stout and do their job superbly.

 

That's a Fiat, they are Italian. Do you still have it?

 

I still think the classic American cars are much better in every possible way.

 

Several mambers of my family have had a Land Rover of some description - my grandfather had the first Range Rover in the Highlands for example, and my uncle has owned several Range Rovers. The only one that has worked consistantly is the one he bought last year on a "58" plate.

 

I have driven several cars with the 3.5, and one of them even broke down while I was driving it.