Oh Dear.. now I know I'm old

[stpetre 12]

Up to 1970 motors and engines (cars, lawmowers, boat outboards, motorcycles) were only for the rich or the handyman. Valve and crankshaft grinding, re-corking clutches, replacing head gaskets were almost an essential hobby. Feeler gauges, tool kits and torque wrenches needed a lot of work space.

 

After 1970, thanks to the Japanese, motors were for women too and came without an encyclopedic MANUAL, and specialized tool kit!

 

They just worked until the paint faded and were traded in![/quote

'They just worked until the paint faded' ? Yes I knew a few girls like that ! However...the Japanese stuff was...?

Edited August 30, 2016 by stpetre
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[ivan edake 13]

Don't see how you think the Renault Dauphine handled well Bullerboy.It was their handling which caused their demise and Renault almost becoming bankrupt and needing a government bailout.Their handling was about as predictable as a Reliant,I saw several accidents on the Bithums where these monstrosities had left the road.I totally agree about the Wartburg though,I had completely forgotten about these things.

Edited September 1, 2016 by ivan edake
Word missed out

[Padders 2,863]

just reading this thread bit technical for me but the best car i ever had was a 1303 beetle had it 8 years no trouble took me and the family all over britain anybody agree

[bullerboY 10]

The problem with the Renault was that it had a swing axle which is a different driving technique to a live axle and people didnt put Michelin x's on just like a beetle take your foot off in a fast bend and over they go.

 

---------- Post added 01-09-2016 at 22:44 ----------

 

Sceptre,some of those early manuals were a good laugh when translated to English.

[TORONTONY 10]

I dont look at British cars through rose tinted glasses they were complete rubbish when MoT came out in 1960 I sent that many to Coopers scrap yard he should have paid me a bonus Volkswagen in there days were almost bulletproof at the side of the junk we made.Personally i had BMWs for over 30yrs and now they are trading on their past reputation of being a great car,now I bought a new Mark four Mazda Mx 5 Sport Nav and it is the best car i have ever owned an absolute dream to drive and the dealer had for more enthusiasm for their products than anyone i have known.Take a look in the scrap yards in the 60s-70s and look how good the British cars were and i dont just mean the bread and butter cars either.Yes they were good for my living I made a bit of money keeping them on the road for people who hadnt banked on spending a lot of money on them when they purchased them and found how unreliable they were. they were made down to a price thats when the unions allowed them to work and make cars.Sorry if you dont like how I see it but thats how it was in my opinion.

I agree on Mazda cars, I love them, but the original parts are way over priced, at least they are over here. I had the second version of the Ford Probe in its model year 1993, I am on topic .by the way as everything except the transmission and the body shape is Mazda and as much as I loved the car it was costing me a fortune just for basic scheduled maintenance like tune ups, timing belt changed transmission fluid changed. The last one was a real good one, they had to remove the floor to drain the fluid, and it was normal practice. Air filters were 4 times the price of other cars. My point is buy a Mazda and enjoy but sell it before 100 k lol

[bullerboY 10]

Torontony. A service for my new Mk4 MX5 is £167 at the main dealer compared to my last BMW series1 thats peanuts,each service which is once a year is under £200 I have no complaints with this or the car which is the best i have ever had more than can be said for 3oyears of BMWs i am so glad I changed.Good pattern parts can be obtained from various car part factors here as well.

[TORONTONY 10]

Torontony. A service for my new Mk4 MX5 is £167 at the main dealer compared to my last BMW series1 thats peanuts,each service which is once a year is under £200 I have no complaints with this or the car which is the best i have ever had more than can be said for 3oyears of BMWs i am so glad I changed.Good pattern parts can be obtained from various car part factors here as well.

 

Mx5 , lovely little sports car did they ever call it the Miata over there? A mate of mine had one a few years back let me drive it a couple of times ...NICE. Are they expensive over there? You can get one over here for under 30,000 Canadian dollars for a 2017, fully loaded. That would probably be around 17000 pounds these days with the pound spiralling downwards

Edited September 2, 2016 by TORONTONY
typo

[bullerboY 10]

Mine is a NAVSPORT and is fully loaded the MK4 is a totally different car to the older Mx5 complete rebuild 135MPH and 51MPG and is an absolute joy to drive.They differ on price according to spec mine was a couple of ponds under £25,000.There are some Miatas over here and Uenos as well.

[TORONTONY 10]

Mine is a NAVSPORT and is fully loaded the MK4 is a totally different car to the older Mx5 complete rebuild 135MPH and 51MPG and is an absolute joy to drive.They differ on price according to spec mine was a couple of ponds under £25,000.There are some Miatas over here and Uenos as well.

 

Was the RX8 ever introduced over there, one heck of a cool looking car, and pretty fast. They stopped making them in 2012. Always fancied one but not realistic as I am a big lad and can't drive littls sports cars for too long without cramping up the old legs LOL. I believe they had a rotary engine like the very popular RX7 which was around 20 years earlier and smaller.

[old tup 30]

just reading this thread bit technical for me but the best car i ever had was a 1303 beetle had it 8 years no trouble took me and the family all over britain anybody agree

I had a beetle 1303 brand new in 1974,kasan red,I drove it across France to Spain,across the Costa Brava with my wife and two girls!.Then down the Costa Dorado to Salou camping at four different venues in a frame tent,we had a great time for 3 weeks!.Driving back was a killer as we stayed too long instead of stepping the journey over a few days,the car never missed a beat,one of my favourite motors!.

[bullerboY 10]

The VWs were a good motor provided the mechanics did the tappets on the services otherwise the camshaft could wear and the valves snap shut instead of closing gently then when you went down the motorways or long straight roads with a good speed the heads would snap of the valves with expensive consequences but all in all they were good cars.I worked on the first ones which were Crash gearboxes small engine a heater that didnt and cable brakes even the handbrake worked all 4 wheels and a split rear window.

 

---------- Post added 03-09-2016 at 17:51 ----------

 

Never had much to do with the RXs Torontony to be honest.Only the NSU Wankels

[old tup 30]

The VWs were a good motor provided the mechanics did the tappets on the services otherwise the camshaft could wear and the valves snap shut instead of closing gently then when you went down the motorways or long straight roads with a good speed the heads would snap of the valves with expensive consequences but all in all they were good cars.I worked on the first ones which were Crash gearboxes small engine a heater that didnt and cable brakes even the handbrake worked all 4 wheels and a split rear window.

 

---------- Post added 03-09-2016 at 17:51 ----------

 

Never had much to do with the RXs Torontony to be honest.Only the NSU Wankels

 

My first VW was a 1959,the same as mentioned above,rod brakes,crash gearbox,no petrol gauge you drove until you ran out ,you then turned a lever under the dash to release a reserve gallon!.You had to be on your toes to drive it safely,plan ahead due to the crash gearbox and the useless rod brakes,one good thing was the bodywork solid thick gauge metal,it was built like a tank!.I bought a new one in 1964 ,entirely different mechanically much better but the bodywork was a lot thinner,I paid 654 pounds for it ran it 8 years and sold it for 250 ,not bad I think!.