Shite cars: is the end nigh?

[forddeliveryboy]

Don't joke about it. The Lib Dems seem to think that is the future. In cities at least. Quite how you replace the internal combustion engine out in the sticks remains more of a problem, which they at least accept.

 

Not joking - it's likely to happen within the next half century. Compare today with 1980. Ok, the car engine is similar (as it has been since the 1910s) but so much else has changed. The hideous complexity of today's bog-standard 2 litre diesel is a sign it's on its way out. Look at how simple a Golf diesel was in 1983. Carbs got over-complex in their last few years. Everything starts to get very expensive, which makes the new technology all the more appealing to manufacturer and buyer alike.

 

There's a guy local to me (also in the sticks) who is trading the Yaris in for a Zoe. He is no fool, a hands-on engineer and has worked out the number of occasions they go over 80 miles - it's very few. There's an old diesel estate for such trips, for the time being. With fast-charging at motorway service areas, improving batteries and regeneration techs, possibly even super capacitors, I'd say for the private motoring majority the internal combustion engine is in the late autumn of its life. After all, since many drive straight into congested traffic on a morning, electric cars do make sense. Kryten/Rob LLewellyn is nuts about EVs but I'd say they're all crap at the moment, all based on normal cars and all overweight. Perhaps the new BMW is a hint at better things to come.

 

If we're still in Europe, they will hasten the end of the ICE as a form of direct power. The new BMW electric vehicle uses a twin cylinder bike engine as a generator. As I mentioned, the chances are that licences will eventually be brought out for those with proven needs for petrol or diesel cars. Highlands and Islands probably will be exempt for a good while. Fuel prices will spiral to weed out those who are just obstinate, before a form of licencing is brought in.

 

If we've got our act together, then onshore and offshore fluvial power will be developing a lot of electricity for 'free', as will the massive number of panels and plenty of windturbines. There'll be HVDC links across to Scandinavia for when our demand is greater than supply. And the existing cross-Channel links to France's nuked grid. Scotland stands to do very well out of new energy techs - there's loads of wind, plenty of fast-flowing rivers, lots of shoreline with fast-flowing tides and lots of space for more pumped storage. If they leave (ie break up) the United Kingdom, they'll be sitting pretty. Even if oil doesn't run out, we'll struggle to compete with the prices China, Japan and India are prepared to pay for it.

 

I'm not too concerned - progress has been at a standstill for the motor car for at least 25 years - as Junkman says, the car is fuggin' dead. The first twenty or so years of electric car production will turn up some right half-arsed machines, along with one or two decent ones. Once again there will be cars of interest to be had. I'm hoping cars will get lighter and faster. They will probably be little cheaper to fuel eventually (NHS to be financed somehow), but we're going to live through an interesting, cheap fuel period where two techs run side by side.

[Junkman]

With fast-charging at motorway service areas, improving batteries and regeneration techs, possibly even super capacitors, I'd say for the private motoring majority the internal combustion engine is in the late autumn of its life. After all, since many drive straight into congested traffic on a morning, electric cars do make sense.

Absolutely. Because electricity is created by...

 

...MAGIC!!!

[DSdriver]

Back in 1913 I expect there were similar conversations going on about the future of the horse. Everything has its time but the loop seems to be getting shorter.

[forddeliveryboy]

Absolutely. Because electricity is created by...

 

...MAGIC!!!

 

Aye, but a conventional engine hardly makes much sense in a traffic jam. And when modern cars go wrong it takes a few weeks to clear away the unnecessary crap to get at the gubbins. We're not the average car user, here on AS.

 

 

 

Back in 1913 I expect there were similar conversations going on about the future of the horse. Everything has its time but the loop seems to be getting shorter.

 

Many will be working from home and most will require permission from the gubbermnet to use their cars by 2038. There'll be a code issued online (subject to having worked enough hours/had your children vaccinated and security chipped/paid your 20 year old SORN fines) which you'll take with you to prevent being photographed/recorded. Your vehicle will be tracked 24/7 for insurance purposes. Speed and any other infingements will be dealt with immediately online via PayPal. George Orwell just thought things would happen a little more quickly.

 

Enjoy the freedoms of the day - once gone, they're gone forever.

[Hendry]

I think the problem causing cheaper manufacturers to not sell a lot of cars is that they haven't got the big dealer groups onboard.

 

In the '90s Arnold Clark - as rubbish as they are - had a Proton franchise and thus Protons were a pretty common site around here, similarly with MG Rover the likes of Clarks, Reg Vardy, Halshaws and Lookers all had the franchise and they were common as muck. They'll sell because most ordinary folk trust big groups more (in the same way they'd rather buy a widescreen tv from Currys than "Daves electricals")

 

Their size means more exposure, bulk buying so plenty of discounts and selling the cars at a truer reflection of their value, plus all the pre-reg stuff, plus all the folk who are loyal to them and those who'll buy anything if there's a dealer local to them as is the case with those who buy Chevrolets because the local dealer sells them.

[beko1987]

I'll be posting in 16 years asking what old Shite to get my daughter as her first car. Going to be odd talking about 13 plate Astra's or kias like we talk about 16 year old white now!

[Junkman]

Thanks God that nobody can tell what's it going to be like in 30 years hence.

I mean, if I would have said in 1983:

 

"The Soviet Union will collapse within the next five years to a point where it ceases to exist, within the next 20 years an East German woman will be chancellor of a united Germany, in 25 a black man will be president of the US and the Republic of Macedonia, Georgia and Ukraine will apply for NATO membership, and in 30 years Romania and Bulgaria will be fully fledged members of the EU, while Greece, Italy and Spain will be bankrupt",

 

you'd have called some guys to put me into a white coat with unusually long arms and take me away, haha.

[fordperv]

The MG dealer in Stoke felt the need to tweet when they managed to shift an MG3 (not the one in the picture).

 

 

I'll keep a lookout for the happy looking owner of the mg3 while I'm out and about, it would be nice to get him to sign up so he can share his anecdotes of New shite ownership.

 

Someone find him on Facebook and get him signed up

[beko1987]

I'll keep a lookout for the happy looking owner of the mg3 while I'm out and about, it would be nice to get him to sign up so he can share his anecdotes of New shite ownership.

Someone find him on Facebook and get him signed up

I'll keep an eye out in the tales of a recovery driver thread in case one of our members finds him broken down

[ayrshirelad]

We dont seem to have many MG dealers in Scotlandshire,. I know of one in Stirlingshire and i think one in Edinburgh. The local Vauxhall dealer had some x Avis Mmgs during the summer but they seem to have gone from the forecourt but i havent seen them on the road locally. As for Proton the last newish one i saw was last week. What looked like a Gen2 saloon on a 62 plate and Preston regy. Worringly the amount of Dacias that are appearing on our roads locally seems to be increasing. Although it is the Duster that is in the majority by a big margine. Sannyong as moved to anew location about half mile form where i am at the mo. Big signs on front of what should be showroom. However below said sign are boarded up windows and a decidley run down looking building. Across the road the Seat dealership looks a tad better, with several Sannyongs sittng nearest the road!. There is even a blue Sannyong pick up sitting which i have seen not a jot of advertising for! No wonder their sales have plummeted!

[mercrocker]

all of the above makes me glad I am nearly dead....biologically speaking.   I am really going to be a belligerent old bastard when I can no longer drive!

[Junkman]

Fuggin tellmeboutit. Can't wait for this fuggin dementia kicking in and meet new people every day.

[oman5]

well with all of the above, what better justification for enjoying tat while it lasts? if you ever wanted that 1973 limeflower maxi or a temptingly cheap 20 year old S class, now's the time! 

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Plus you're all acting like there's no EVshite. 

 

Look at this forum full of people building their own electric cars armed with little more than forklift motors and multimeters. It's great! In years to come when petrol's £30 a litre I'll be happily posting on here about my Fiat 126 with 750kg of lead acid batteries occupying three and a half of the seats. 

[forddeliveryboy]

well with all of the above, what better justification for enjoying tat while it lasts? if you ever wanted that 1973 limeflower maxi or a temptingly cheap 20 year old S class, now's the time! 

 

 

Plus you're all acting like there's no EVshite. 

 

Look at this forum full of people building their own electric cars armed with little more than forklift motors and multimeters. It's great! In years to come when petrol's £30 a litre I'll be happily posting on here about my Fiat 126 with 750kg of lead acid batteries occupying three and a half of the seats. 

 

Precisely. There'll always be shite. Some EV maker is bound to come up with a sweetly-engineered car which image-wise is the equivalent of acne and dandruff.