How often do you change your car?

[Smudge]

Is that the lovechild of a Land Rover and TR7?

Its unmistakably a TR7 body on there...... The TR7 was another POS car that i once owned back in the 80's.

 

[I like Skol]

Its unmistakably a TR7 body on there...... The TR7 was another POS car that i once owned back in the 80's.

You seem to have suffered some terrible cars. I would suggest you chose examples that had previously belonged to the wrong owners! A cars condition is, much like a bicyclist, usually a reflection of the owners mechanical sympathy and aptitude. A car in poor condition merely points to a neglectful or uncaring owner. Perhaps you should be more careful when buying your cars?

 

[Smudge]

You seem to have suffered some terrible cars. I would suggest you chose examples that had previously belonged to the wrong owners! A cars condition is, much like a bicyclist, usually a reflection of the owners mechanical sympathy and aptitude. A car in poor condition merely points to a neglectful or uncaring owner. Perhaps you should be more careful when buying your cars?

I was young, short of money and bought it cheap.

 

[Smudge]

You seem to have suffered some terrible cars. I would suggest you chose examples that had previously belonged to the wrong owners! A cars condition is, much like a bicyclist, usually a reflection of the owners mechanical sympathy and aptitude. A car in poor condition merely points to a neglectful or uncaring owner. Perhaps you should be more careful when buying your cars?

BTW, anyone would think i've listed loads of crap cars i've bought on here. I've only mentioned two, which out of all the cars i've owned is extremely few !

 

[lane]

You seem to have suffered some terrible cars. I would suggest you chose examples that had previously belonged to the wrong owners! A cars condition is, much like a bicyclist, usually a reflection of the owners mechanical sympathy and aptitude. A car in poor condition merely points to a neglectful or uncaring owner. Perhaps you should be more careful when buying your cars?

Probably don't want to buy a car off me then

 

[Drago]

Its unmistakably a TR7 body on there...... The TR7 was another POS car that i once owned back in the 80's.

The story goes that when the TR7 was first revealed at the Geneva motor show the great man Bertone walked slowly and thoughtfully walked around it. As he got half way around the car he suddenly exclaimed, "uuuurrrgghhh! It's the same on the other side!"

 

[KneesUp]

Surely higher MPG = less emissions
More torque than needed? easier driving/hill-ascending

Emissions aren't just Co2. There are (as I understand) basically three things you can do to get more torque from a diesel.

1) Advance the timing
2) Retard the injection timing
3) Increase the fuelling

As you get more mpg, you can't have had option 3. Option 1 increases cylinder pressure and temperature, meaning slightly better economy but a huge increase in NOx. Option 2, on the other hand, gives less NOx but an increase in soot, Co2 and hydrocarbons. Car manufacturers are not oblivious to the fact that the engines can give more power, they just need to make sure they (very roughly, as it transpires) meet the emissions regulations. And the power rating is nothing to do with the quality of diesel in some markets either - for a start it's regulated in the EU, but also cars have a phalanx of sensors to ensure the can adjust themselves to match the fuel anyway. How has your car been tuned so that it emits less? I think VW might be interested :-)

It is my conclusion that your tuned car is emitting more of the stuff that gives other people asthma and is carcinogenic. I can smell and taste the crap coming out of diesels on my commute, but on some I can see it too. Those, I always assume, are the ones that have been tuned.

As regards the easier driving thing - I don't get that really. I've driven cars with 65lb/ft (0.07lb/ft per kg of car) to 224lb/ft (0.15 lb/ft per kg). My current car is somewhere in between at 128lb/ft (0.1 lb/ft per kg) and I've driven all of them up hills - and not once has it been difficult for me. It might have been tricky for the car, and when I tool the Viva HC (the 65 lb/ft car) to Cornwall it was quite slow climbing out of Polzeath with 4 adults and luggage, but it wasn't an effort for me, just for the car, and ultimately we got where we were going. What do you mean be "easier driving"?

 

[swee'pea99]

Every 20 years, whether we need to or not.

 

[RoadRider400]

Had my current car for 12 year now, 36,000 miles then and 101,000 now. Had a few cambelts replaced and some electrical issues along the way. Its 17 years old with the original clutch and turbo (petrol).

Want to keep it going because I dont like spending money, and I only do a couple of thousand miles a year now. However I am hankering after a luxobarge when my old hatchback goes off to the garage in the sky. Had my heart set on a ten/twelve year old Lexus GS300 until I realised the back seats dont fold so no use for a cyclist. Now swaying towards a Volvo V70. Im just not sure I could bear driving around in an Audi, pity because the old A4/A6 Avant would be ideal.

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

I always used to buy cars around 5 years old and run them for about 7 years, mainly Japanese cars. I get a company car now every couple of years, that are German. I think I was expecting more its been a real anti-climax. I find them really overrated, I'm going ask for a Focus ST next time, I'm sure it will be more fun, and it's not my problem if it breaks.

It's borderline the tax paid on a company car whether it's viable or not. I'm getting too old to be lying around on the drive now. The complexity and unnecessary gadgets on modern cars, also swayed me towards the company car, as I would imagine you'd need to sell a kidney if it develops a fault. Like the thread on here with the guy with that Ford Kuga, and it's pile of sh**e gearbox..

If I change jobs, I'll certainly revert back to what I used to do. Cars are a bit boring now. It's all about the gadgets and crap now, instead of what it drives like and practicability. Totally lost on me, I've no interest at all in that, just safety, decent stereo, aircon, reliability, running costs..

 

[swee'pea99]

safety, decent stereo, aircon, reliability, running costs.

+ a comfy seat.

 

[Drago]

I'd sit on a wooden pew listening to oom-pa music if it meant minimal environmental impact and tiny runnings costs.

 

[Proto]

As infrequently as possible. It's about as exciting to me as buying a new fridge.

Yeahbut, our new fridge so much better than the old one. Much colder. Much whiter. Wished we’d changed it earlier, it’s changed our lives.

 

[Edwardoka]

I'd sit on a wooden pew listening to oom-pa music if it meant minimal environmental impact and tiny runnings costs.

It's bizarre to me that BMW took the Mini brand and used it to produce a line of "normal" oversized cars. Considering so many people get Audis in place of a personality, I think a remake of the classic form factor would do well.

 

[Slick]

It's bizarre to me that BMW took the Mini brand and used it to produce a line of "normal" oversized cars. Considering so many people get Audis in place of a personality, I think a remake of the classic form factor would do well.

I think your spot on.