alastairq

Sadly, not only is it new [therefore unattainable] but that marriage is 45 years beyond redemption....

I recall being led [maritally speaking] to a local Suzuki dealership in the later 1970's, to look a purchoicing a Suzuki SC100 Whizzkid.. Unfortunately for us [maritally speaking] my heart was taken by the Suzuki SJ20{?} jeep parked in the same showroom. No way could I squeeze my heart away from the Jeep towards the more sensible [from her viewpoint] SC100 Coupe [with it's Hillman Imp connotations].. Being dragged kicking and screaming towards the car wouldn't come close to the torment I underwent. The SJ jeep beckoned....despite its roughly 40 bhp engine [Who needs power...it's what it does that's important].. We ended up back home, both of us, empty handed. I eventually ended up with a VW type 3 fastback ['orrible thing really]....whilst t'uther 'arf got her dream vehicle...a new Vespa P200....!!

As a mid-teenager in the middle of the 1960's, one of the folk I was 'acquainted' with, a young fella just out of college or whatever...drove a Sprite Mk2 When he decided to marry, he felt the need for a more 'family' orientated car..so sold the Sprite and purchased a [mk1] 1100. I recall how he , oddly, found the 1100 to be far superior in almost every respect to the Sprite.. Comfort, performance, practicality, even road holding... My early driving tuition was somewhat disjointed by also being in the Merchant Navy as a youngster, but I started taking lessons in an 1100, finally taking my test in a 1300 GT. The only real dislike I had for the 1300GT was, the bling. Much the some way I disliked similar with the mk1 Cortina estate, and its fablon wood panels. I only ever owned one 1100 [a mk1] briefly, in the mid 1970's, when it was over 10 years old, roten as a pear, but I needed some transport very briefly for moving house, so my BIL, who owned a scrap yard, gave to me the 1100 which still had a bit of ticket on it. Before returning to its scrappy fate, I took all the seats out and used it as a wheelbarrow, shifting what seems like tons of hardcore for my new driveway.

The 2wd Dacia Duster is a popular alternative for just such happenings..

Forgot to mention..surely a sign of a died-in-the-woolies Landy lover, who views the thing as ''their car'' must be, the Landy running on ordinary van tyres? Given the prices charged for 'proper' off-highway tyres, for running around the countryside lanes, i can think of no better idea than a set of 80 aspect ratio van tyres? I recently [this year is 'recent' for me]...bought a pair of Event tyres for the rear axle of the daily Suzuki GV...They were on an offer from Camskills...but cost twice as much as the more recent [road] tyres I got for the front wheels for MoT time...[80 quid compared to 40 quid] from the same source. Those Event tyres really do howl..[they did say so on the Camskill blurb] but hey, the GV is a countryside hack [an expensive one to tax, unfortunately]...which gets washed once or twice a year [I used 4wd this weekend, as I was helping marshall observed sections on the MCCs EdinburghTrial Being old and a bit decrepit, I need to drive around the sections sticking the signage up, etc].. I can put up with the howling.....tells me how fast I'm going.....

I suppose running an old Land Rover as a 'daily' might be the same as wearing ancient waxed cotton jackets, when one lives somewhere where one is totally surrounded [as far as the eye can see] by houses? I think they're a bit like a pair of old wellies? A 'basic' vehicle.. [exactly what else does one 'need' in order to travel about, eh?] if ever there was one? No worse than having a motorcycle as one's only form of transport, either. What amuses me about the views held by too many people concerning things like landies, or any other 4 wheel drive-capable vehicle is..the expectation that one uses 4wd all of the time. When in reality, one doesn't..[or, shouldn't...let's put it like that?] Having access to 4wd is no 'worse', automotively speaking,than having ABS, for example. ABS really is only there to get one 'out of the shyte of one's own making'....in my view.... Same with 4wd..... Or, traction control [for example]... All there so one can billy about being a clott....and won't come to 'serious' harm. Later Landies don't wander around very much at all.... But what does one expect from front suspension that uses leaf springs? DAihatsu 4wds that use leaf springs do the same. [the later [1990's] Daihatsu 4Trak independants, with their independent front suspenders don't wander about at all...and are indeed a very valid, relatively comfortable alternative to the Landie of the day. In other words, I can sit in one without the squeeezy hassle I get in a defender....[especially civilian versions, with their gucci trim panels inside].. Like the Landie, one can get them mucky as 'eck with impunity....washing is an option...so is smelling of damp sheep. Plus, they make little or no pretension at being stylish. Thwack it agin a rock, and so what? Hawthorns do a much better job of keying paintwork than any local scrote can.. Older landies can be repaired, easily enough, when they conk out...unlike much that has been made this century? But, what most of the non cognoscenti fail to grasp are the designed differences between a proper so-called 'off highway' vehicle...and the multitude of modern so-called wannabes. Regardless of whether 4wd is available or not. Things like, sealed fuel tanks [to prevent ingress of watter?]...breathers, etc....locations of essential electrics, etc....so that a reasonable 'wading depth' can be achieved [without serious modifications].. Exhaust locations [so they don;t get ripped off by stiff grass?]...locations of simple stuff like brake lines, cables, etc....all better protected from stuff on the ground. Unlike the average Mazda or Peugeot, for example? Items which are only happiest when on smooth tarmac? All these little details make the difference between an off-highway equipped vehicle....and a school run bus! As far as sticking a middle finger up at 'style' is concerned, i don't think one can beat a UMM Alter, either? such a pity Landies are such targets these days, however...

I've done a search, and not found one, for land rovers as such. {There might be threads on models of land rovers, however?] However, it seems older land rovers are considered to be 'classics' as such, for some reason? [Such a pity I cannot easily get behind the steering wheel of any series land rover...]

Not just old cars, either. Modern cars have become white goods. They are treated in the same vein as one would one's fridge. Or washing machine.

Whilst I have had a pre-wawer car [Morgan 4/4, 1939]....and I have had cars that were, by dint soley of gearing, limited to relatively 'low' speeds when compared to today's Tesla-owning Mustgetons [various trials cars]...I cannot be described as an 'enthusiastic user' of pre-Wawer motors. I have no real 'love' for commonplace 50's cars either.....although I do see the attractions. But I do see the difficulties that face owners of pre-wawer, run of the mill motors. Especially when one compares the amount of time, effort & money they expend just to get their cars 'right?' I also think [not as an old car enthusiast, but as an old-style driver who ventured into the world of driver education]...that much of the impression the driving world has , of old cars out on the roads, stems from the way they are often driven, in this day & age? The manner in which they are driven. Certainly not the manner in which many were driven, back in their day. I know Blair is a Rover enthusiast...and would like to remind folks that pre war cars aren't just Austin 8s or 10's.....or Ford Ys or CXs [My favorites, from a cost viewpoint]...but also Rovers like the P2... These too, like Armstrong Siddeleys, or the smaller Alvises, have struggled to realise 'values' of significance at auction. Not all pre war cars are from the 1920's either.....far more come from t h e late 30's and early /late 40's....and these too, struggle to appeal as they once did. Another struggling example [which once didn't struggle, value-wise] is the Sunbeam Talbot/90 of the middle 1950's. Albeit all carpets and arm rests...not so much appeal for me.. Is it the cross ply tyres that put folk off? [Or, the sheer prices of cross ply tyres?] My Dellow 'passion' isn't quite 'living in the past' either, as Dellows are still very valid [and championship winning] cars even up to today....so perhaps are not quite as valid an example of the 40's and 50's era..despite originally using components and metalwork from pre war vehicles... Bucklers are another timeless icon, very underrated as sports cars [folk prefer gucci handbags like Sunbeams and MGs]..

Surely the biggest issue when trying to put folks into motorcars? All down to the UKs [and other countries] method of exacting taxation. Having a bigger, or more modern design of engine didn't necessarily make the car a 'better' one. Running costs always would be an important selling point. In just the same way that, today, Dacia's products are more highly favoured than, for example, Vauxhalls? [Or, indeed, other so-called 'major' manufacturers..especially across Europe] Model T Fords were a lot slower, in terms of overall speed [because they were heavier?] than most of Austin's products of the 20's and 30's. Or Wolseleys? Or Singers? The disadvantage of the long stroke [sidevalve] engine that UK makers found themselves encouraged to produce was, in certain foreign markets, one of longevity.

Oddly, that's more than adequate a speed for many of the major roads round here...given that the NSL has effectively been lowered by the 50 mph speed limits on all goods vehicles with a loaded weight above 2 tonnes! {If they persist in ignoring the Law, they deserve to visit the nearest ditch].. I have ''experimented'' on a new [for me] dads taxi run by not exceeding an indicated 50 mph in my 'daily'...[2000 rpm]...Finding that, whilst I do attract a small convoy behind me [IE those who choose not to take advantage of long clear straights to overtake..surprisingly, few bother]...I do in fact, find myself tacking onto the rear of more convoys...and arriving at the destination slightly ahead of most who venture to overtake [in a fit of impatience, usually].. The issue is, most look at the speed that can be attained...rather than looking at the more valid, average speed, on a particular journey. If a thoughtful driver can manage to keep the overall speed of their ''slow'' vehicle up, during a journey, then their average speed will be not be far adrift from that of the Mustgetons.. A case of demonstrating ''more haste, less speed?'' There are far too many physical obstructions to progress on a given journey, these days....that bring us all down to the same level. It only takes a tractor and implement, or two....Or a road works, or a slower LGV... to make high speed capability and massive horsepower a total nonsense.

Indeed, and exactly the same can be said of today's new offerings. But we should not compare apples with oranges. We seem to view those old cars from the vantage point of having experienced modern technologies [or, 80 years of automotive advances?] Instead of viewing them from the viewpoint of knowing little, if anything, better? Personally I try to view old cars for what they are, and what they do, too Which is why I thoroughly enjoy the using of my Dellow...despite it having a Ford sidevalve engine, and 3 speed gearbox......and wouldn't thank anyone for an E-type Jaguar, or even the offer of driving one. [I consider them to be no more than gucci handbags..like modern Morgans.]

On a matter of personal observation, I don't find general traffic speeds, even on ''wide open roads' to be very much different to those of 50 years ago or more. The advantage of those pre-wawer [often sidevalve, but not always] engines, in the more cost-saving categories,was that they had an abundance of torque, despite lacking bhpeees. Something folk fail to grasp is that , in order to get reasonable road performance out of, say, an Austin 8 or 10, one doesn't try to scream the nuts off it. A style totally alien to modern day drivers... Brakes were fine....they only disappoint when owners try to fit modern day lining materials for which the brakes were never designed.

Trouble is, when they were 'new', although they were cheap [competition from others?] they were also darned good [for their day!] Similarly placed [marketwise] cars of the 50s and 60s , of similar good condition, seem to fetch better prices. The price and market when new bears little relationship to values on the old car market today. [A reminder, one can get a megabux Bentley today, for less than the price of a second hand Focus].. The pre-WW2 market seems to have deteriorated as the likely enthusiasts start hitting 80 and 90 years old, methinks? Also, given the depressed values, pre-WW2 is a darned good place for a young, proper, enthusiast to start? Or, do 'impressions' and 'street cred'' matter more to folk these days?

Having a old car with an unfixable, or unreliable, early injection system may seem like a bin job, but I know at least one business that has had good use of their services in order to 'fix' the running of cars with 'unfixable ' injection.... Those being, Bogg Bros of East Lutton not a million miles away from me] Bogg Bros hand made, and sold, manifolds to replace kernackered injection manifolds on engines , with bike carb set-ups. They had an in-house rolling road in order to set things up...and have done very good business for years now. Bike carbs have several things in their favour, as fuel systems for cars.....One being, reliability [when compared to many more usual carb set-ups...and obviously more reliable than a duff ECU or fuel injection system] Another is the ease of tuning to suit particular needs. I used to run a rear engined Skoda Rapid [136 engine]...which as standard came with a very good [& improvement] carb similar to a twin choke Weber... {Jikov carb] The car was set up for trialling, so needed decent bottom end torque....rather than 6000 rpm screamies. The carbs came from a Honda Fireblade, as these had smaller chokes than the usual Yam R1 set ups [more used for racing and rallying] As I recall, they were 35 quid for the set. A long Pipercross foam filter covered all the bell mouths [which the carbs came with...unlike the likes of weber and SU?} I cobbled up electronic ignition [from the Felicia]... The advantage of the bike carb setup was the almost impossible chance of flooding the engine should my right foot start bouncing too much. In any event, struggling with, for example, a busted Lucas system....seems like unnecessary pain, when a nice bike carb setup would do the business? Besides, a 4 pack of bike carbs do look rather good.. They can be had as twins, triples, sixes, eights, and are oh so easy to fit up with throttle mechs. I once marveled at Bogg Bros Dad [David Bogg, still going strong, a lot older than me too]..who fabricated a 4 x SU carb setup to suit a fairly local Railton Special, which used a straight eight Hudson engine... [Special as in, two seats, gear lever, steering wheel and a bit of a windscreen...] The linkage, including chokes, was marvel of understanding....

Has anybody noticed, how incredibly low current auction values for pre-WW2 commonplace cars are? It seems, nobody really wants anything more mundane, pre-WW2? [Whilst there always will be a healthy market for pre-WW2 Alvises, Bentleys, and other more noticeable models....} I'm thinking of the more mundane makes, such as Austin 10s, 8s, Singers, etc? Many darned good cars simply going for relative peanuts? OK, so road performances for today's traffic isn't exactly brilliant, but hey....no worse than many of the smoky clapped out 10- year old Ford Transits, either. I would say, if it can reach a steady 50 mph or so, then that's more than adequate for today's traffic! Cannot complain about electronics, etc, with pre-WW2, can we?? For real revenge on modern drivers, how's about a 1930s long Jowett? Lucky if it'll reach 45 downhill, but just to annoy everybody, it'll just keep on going! {Secretly, I have little or no time these days for the inadequacies of modern drivers, and their modern cars.....Currently I have a twice weekly dad's taxi run to York down the A166....That road is a mix of NSL [once up & over the hill, or down it]...and 50 limit where a myriad of side roads causes modern drivers who drive faster than their abilities, crash, repeatedly....Driving my old [21 YO] suzuki GV petrol at around the 50 mph mark all the way...I find that, when I get to the A64 junction, I am but a couple of cars behind the must-get-ons in their supah doopah Audis and BMWobblies...Which really must annoy them as I slide quietly alongside them in the next lane....The point being, it doesn't matter what speed one does, traffic being traffic, it will always bring everyone down to the same level. BTW, the Suzuki's cruising speed is as much dictated by the revs as anything else. Oddly, I seem to have more time to deal with the eedjits, and use the actual brakes a lot less......Doesn't help the hyperactive younger drivers out there, however...]

Not all older infection systems use electronics[ECUs]...Anything with Bosch K Jetronic fuel injection might not have an ECU. Bosch L Jetronic was, I believe, ECU controlled {???} I came across K jetronic injection in my Volvo 740 estate, F plater...On the whole a very reliable car, let down a bit by lack of reliability within non-Volvo engine components... The fuel system was essentially ''mechanically' operated....[needed to have the manifold cleaned out every year, however]... Volvo 2 litre engines seemed to be 'the best of the bunch'....In my hands, could out-handle any BMW that cared to stay with me through local bends... Probably the latest diesels that didn't have common rail technology, or ECUs of any description could be found in the long missed Daihatsu 4Trak range...These went up to the turn of the century....[this century, not the last century!!]..Good for 250,000 miles without overhaul, good also for 100 bhp, out of 2.8 litres, low revving [when compared to common rail engines]...A favoured replacement diesel engine for Land Rover owners.... In my shed, I have the two 'black boxes' I took out of my old MG Maestro 2 litre...If they are any use to other enthusiasts, then feel free to 'PM' me?

Of course, its entirely possible that DVLA retribution has already occurred? Maybe the RK is deceased?

You have them too???

Showing not taxed currently...so hopefully it's off the public highway on private ground?

Volvo 445? It appears these were produced on limited basis as a chassis with PV444/544 running gear. Thus Volvo could supply the more limited specialist vehicle market...and a few were made into cabriolets, but not by Volvo themselves. Rare indeed,as I think fewer than 40 examples were ever made, by a few specialist coachbuilders in Sweden?? It also allowed for a Volvo estate called the Duette, I think? Plus, hearses, etc.e tc...

VW Karmann Ghia

Indeed, my water company won't even reduce their charges for sole occupancy, where a water meter isn't feasible to fit.... I have applied for a meter, but owing to covid, and a backlog, that doesn't seem to be happening any time soon. No reduced rate for single occupancy either...

A Reliant Kitten would have been my choice as well...Light in weight, 850cc lightweight engine...loads of tuning potential, and loads of tuning expertise since these were raced...However, I might prefer the older Rebel? Mainly because..............000............... of the road wheel size? The Kitten ran a similar size wheel to the earlier Minis, and their tyres are not exactly cheap or easily available, I've noticed. The Rebel ran larger diameter wheels...and can accept the later engines -& gearboxes [and rear axles too?] Important if making use of older vehicles, having a later mechanical chain to fall back on.

Currently in the process of finding, and eventually, buying, a replacement modern car for my last Ex-missus. Mum to my son [who is on the autistic spectrum] and with whom I share day-to-day care and taxiing responsibilities. We do get on still....despite being divorced...[I get on with all my Ex's very well...],,,,,,,,,Anyway, she recently changed her old car [ A well used Puma]...for what turned out to be the lemon of the century.! Yup, a Citroen [what else?]..one of the C3 Picasso type....a 1.4 petrol, which essentially had been run out of oil too many times by the previous [first] owner, who relied too heavily on the desktop screen, rather than a dipstick regime. This lemon expired just out of guarantee...needing essentially a replacement engine. Not an issue regarding labour as I have the gear and the space to do it...but I lack the will. I mean, the entire front end bodywork has to come off first!!! WTF??? It has been scrapped...[simplest solution]....but I hadn't been involved in it beforehand, aside from the occasional lift, in which I noted it ran like a bag o rusty nuts. Also, I was 'diagnosed' with AF very recently, which explained my shortness of breath at the slightest exertion, and palpitations....now sorted by three pills a day, on top of the others...Doesn't help in the lack of enthusiasm front... Anyhow, I sold my '67 Mustang [which was happening anyway]...for more than I paid for it....and having sorted out Son & Heir's Uni year, left me with enough to offer to fund the Ex's next 'new' car... So, we've all been out 'looking!' I had a rough idea of the amount I could afford to donate....which turned out to be not a lot in today's marketplace. [When I first got the Mustang, that figure would have purchased a brand new Dacia Sandero!!] So the current marketplace was quite an eye opener for me. We worked out that the best bets for her usage would be one of the Dacia range, up to ten years old. Less to actually 'go wrong' with them, when compared to the mainstream dross. [For I consider all mainstream offerings to be dross....when one gets under the skins and does one's 'research?'] Looked at Dusters. Nice cars, fitted the bill for needs perfectly..no real need for 4wd,so they can be had without. But they still benefit from the design features of a potential off-highway vehicle [ignore 4wd for now] with waterproofing, ground clearance, etc....More Important that driveline gizmos in my book...and what separates proper off-highway-designed vehicles, from ordinary cars...Cannot get water in the fuel tank, for one..unlike ordinary 'cars'... Anyway, i noted that nearly all Dusters post 2013 [what I deemed essential to look for..pre-2013 they were made in India, and had quality control issues, AKA early onset corrosion in the bodyshells] were diesels.....and with quite high mileages. [Fears of clogged DPFs raised warning bells too].. But, she liked the way they drove! Practical and built to work too. But most round here were originally purchased to do long daily mileages, economically, and reliably. So we looked at Sanderos.....almost the same bodyshell, but hatchbacks instead. These had a choice of small petrol engines..old school, and more 'modern'.... The petrols tended to be lower mileages, bought originally for very different tasks... Also could be had with lower mileages. All very well built for the price, little in the way of what we both considered to be non-essential bling [like buttons on steering wheels, aircon, satnag, and all the other non essential tripe that we are convinced by sales people we all need in our cars] Big enough too, to be practical. I also researched, and hilited, a car that had completely different criteria, which she liked too..the Suzuki Celerio. Ths was aimed at being very cheap to actually run. Pre-2017 [when the VED rules changed].....they were zero rated VED, very cheap to insure, made for the cheaper end of the marketplace, so not over endowed with non-essential Kwapp, very reliable, guaranteed at least 60-plus mpgs [or 70-plus mpgs with the dual jet engine]...All very desirable for those on very limited incomes [Full time carers allowances not very much at all]... I found a local big Renno dealership that had an example of one for sale..priced roughly in the middle of the choices from the likes of Autotrader. So, having trolled around in my 500-quid suzuki grand{!} vitara daily...currently the only working car in my entire extended family, owing to my daughter's car getting rear-ended the other night, Ex had a go in several of our final short list of 'models' to look for. Involving my driving everyone round half of Yorkshire in the process. Currently on 143000 miles! She liked the Dusters, to drive. But she found too many 'faults' in those we saw....[upset one dealer by pointing out rust and gumbo in one of the sills..he hadn't spotted it!!] But Ex is like that...well trained by me over the years, no doubt? But, at that local dealers, the Suzuki was quite the opposite to what we had seen..clean, smelt nice [no signs of previous smokers, for example]...much lower mileage [but not too low], sold originally by the same dealer, and used for a very local commute during its life...Drove well enough to suit the Ex [now just in her 60's, but is only reminded of that when she sees me!!]... However, i declined to go out on the test drives with her...I know , as an ex-specialist driver instructor, I could unintentionally be intimidating... During her Suzuki drive, I pottered around the forecourt of the dealership [a big one, with all the facilities, including prang repairs]...and spotted a 2016 Dacia Sandero Stepway for almost the same price as the Suzuki..... So, when she returned, very impressed by the way it drove...I pointed her to the Stepway....[basically a Sandero with extra ground clearance...an important factor round these parts, being rural]... I t happened to be the top spec Dacia sold, so had buttons...but heck, I wouldn't be driving it anyway...so, off she went on another test drive, with No.1 son. It had the 1 litre petrol engine of Renno's...a reliable enough unit, if old tech [which w what was needed really,latest tech being in my view, totally pointless.] She returned well impressed...pokey enough for traffic,and with space enough just short of the Dusters..She also realised that the likes of the Suzuki might not be 'tough' enough to carry out what she realised was, a lot of her 'normal' driving, with & without our son. Strong enough to handle a reasonable amount of off-tarmac driving...Without the rask of ripping lower bodywork apart, etc.. Neither of us do any real 'city' driving, or urban driving....if it can be avoided. So it now boils down to Sandero Stepways.... At least with these cars, choice wasn't an option...which can be a good thing really. So the Suzuki celery stick got consigned to the bin, along with Duster,and anything French really...VAG also consigned to the bin, for reliability reasons..[in our price range, cars are part ex-ed for a reason..usually just when they were about to become expensive, as modern tech spares & repairs tend to be?} Now, my issue is, I cannot 'bargain' for the life of me [probably why, as a new car, I would gravitate towards Dacia?}...and Ex isn't much better. But I liked the extended guarantee thrown in [they are actually Dacia dealers as well]...plus the bits knocked off...the saleslad offered to throw in the tax for the suzuki...until I pointed out it was zero rated, so free anyway... The Dacia wll be 13 quid a month tax...[My suzuki is over 30 quid a month..More Than my bigger, but older , Daihatsu 4Trak!!] and cheap enough to insure for the Ex to cope with. I dare not ask what she shelled out for that 'orrible Citroen?? There Are certain things I have earnt over the years, not to ask! She'll get a couple of hundred back for the scrap... But bang went my ideas of hunting the adverts for a decent very old motor to spend my munny on! I guess it'll be 'welder out' time, to get yet another year's usage out of the Suzuki GV? Sorry about length of this epistle... Just a tale of recent happenings, and how things can change, and what steers the way we end up going?