Ask a Shiter

[warren t claim]

Can you still buy a Transit or Land Rover Defender with a petrol engine?

Are there any cars available new with vinyl seats, keep fit windows or power steering?

Is it still possible to buy a new diesel car without a turbo?

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

You can select a 2.3 petrol (Pinto??) Transit. I think all new Defenders are diesel.

 

One of the last non-turbo diesels in passenger cars was the VAG 2.0 PD SDi, this has been replaced with the common rail 1.6 TDi.

[Richard]

I'm sure at least one of my dad's 207s doesn't have a turbo.

[ashmicro]

Land Rover SVE (Special Vehicles Engineering) will do you a 5.0 V8 Supercharged Defender. Catch is, you have to also order FV984569 HVPK Makrolon anti-RPG armour too. GR8 4 ram raiding. Circa £150k.

[M'coli]

I'm sure at least one of my dad's 207s doesn't have a turbo.

No, it just feels like it does't have one - it's a 207, for goodness sake. 1200kg FTL.

[Richard]

I've never driven it but I looked for one and couldn't find it. Wikipedia says there is one.

[Alexg]

Keep fit windows are still standard on a few entry level city cars. Citroën C1 VT and Peugeot 107 Urban Light don't have electric windows or central locking. They do have Power Steering however. I believe the last car available without Power Steering was the CityRover...?

 

Agreed about the 207, you must have driven the 70-odd hp 1.4 Turbo Diesel.

[Richard]

I've never driven, or even travelled in, any 207. The one I looked at was a 90PS 1.6HDi 16 valve. I'll look again next time I'm there.

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

The CAy07 has a 1.4 non-turbo HDi.

[Richard]

Are there really no cars left without power steering?

[Alexg]

Not available in the Uk anyway. Even the basic Perodua, Picanto, Panda, C1, Alto have Power steering

[Espacetic]

What was the last car to use headlamp wipers? Seemed the norm on most higher levels of trim, now vanished.

[wuvvum]

What was the last car to use headlamp wipers? Seemed the norm on most higher levels of trim, now vanished.

Volvo S80?

[Espacetic]

Quick google comes up with S80's with headlamp wipers up until 2006. Well done!

[wuvvum]

Are there really no cars left without power steering?

 

OK, it's not technically a proper car, but it's the closest thing you're likely to find without PAS. Anyway, it's longer than a Mini, it seats 4 and it'll do 70mph, so it ain't far off.

[Rogue trader]

Iv got a Peugeot Partner van 1.9 non turbo diesel painfully slow and and shit on fuel

[Guest]

My C4 has windy up windows in the back. I am disgustingly spoilt though, it has ABS. Which is useless in snow.

 

It's about the only tricksy feature the Citroen has. The engine is fairly tech laden though - it's the first car I've owned that's been a DOHC 16 valve with fully electronic fuelling and ignition. So I'm only about 5 years behind the times, I got in because of the stupidly thick A pillars.

[meggersdog]

Caterham seven, R300 and CSR.No power steering and no windows and the R300 doesn't even have a windscreen.

[Albert Ross]

Ariel Atom is a fair bit stingy with kit.

[Timewaster]

^^ Beaten to it by Albertross

I dont suppose this has ABS and ESP either

[Pete-M]

I know if you buy a new Skoda Octavia in poverty spec you still get keep-fit windows in the back, the thing that gets me is that they don't have rear speakers for the stereo. Same with a fair few new cheapskate spec VWs.

 

Other than a couple of the notorious misery mongers in 'ere, who the hell would buy a family car built in the 21st century that didn't have a semi-decent stereo setup? "I'm not buying this Skoda, it isn't utlilitarian enough, my passengers can enjoy the wireless"..

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

I know if you buy a new Skoda Octavia in poverty spec you still get keep-fit windows in the back, the thing that gets me is that they don't have rear speakers for the stereo. Same with a fair few new cheapskate spec VWs.

 

Other than a couple of the notorious misery mongers in 'ere, who the hell would buy a family car built in the 21st century that didn't have a semi-decent stereo setup? "I'm not buying this Skoda, it isn't utlilitarian enough, my passengers can enjoy the wireless"..

 

That is pretty stingy, my Golf doesn't have speakers in the back either but that's 1996 mingebag spec. I guess it's to ensure most people buy the more profitable mid-range models.

 

My C4 has windy up windows in the back. I am disgustingly spoilt though, it has ABS. Which is useless in snow.

 

That's why ABS is switchable on Mercedes Gelandewagens and early Audi quattros.

[Guest]

My C4 has windy up windows in the back. I am disgustingly spoilt though, it has ABS. Which is useless in snow.

 

That's why ABS is switchable on Mercedes Gelandewagens and early Audi quattros.

 

I took the fuse out last year. This did not impress FATHA_WAT who regularly used the Citroen. Apparently I was 'stupid to drive in these conditions without ABS'

[Richard]

I had a nasty scare with ABS last year, which I think I mentioned on here. Basically I was in a situation where I had to pull over to the verge and lose some speed. Because two of the wheels were on mud it was like switching the brakes off.

 

I find it appalling that all UK market cars are so badly designed that they need power steering. Even with struts up front it's perfectly possible to make a small to medium fwd car with acceptably light steering.

[Pete-M]

I'd never take the ABS fuse out. ABS works!

 

If you brake too hard on snow or ice, you'll kick the ABS in - which won't help you to stop much other than to warn you that you've been a bit clumsy. Thing is, ABS is much better at cadence braking than I am. I can't apply and release the brakes 20 times a second no matter how hard I try, ABS can do it 20 times a second without trying, and it can do it on individual wheels on a lot of modernish stuff. Can't do that with a pedal

 

I find ABS to be very useful in snowy and icy conditions and much prefer to drive cars fitted with it. I've not actually needed it with the Jag, but it saved me from killing an idiotic cyclist the other day whilst I was driving a Brabus ForFour. I was going slowly (~10 mph) up a quiet residential road when pedal pushing knobhead just shot out from between two parked cars and right in front of me. I hit the brakes and the ABS kicked in allowing me to steer away from killing him. If I'd not had the ABS I'd have knocked him off the bike as I'd still have braked but I wouldn't have been able to steer with locked up wheels. ABS doesn't reduce stopping distances, but it does make steering more likely to happen.

 

Also, switching ABS off is only a good idea on loose, fresh, untouched snow. That's why Mercedes and Audi fitted the switches, so that if you're on loose snow you can lock the wheels and snow will build up in front of the tyres and slow the car.

 

Traction control rocketh mightily in this weather as well. If you kill the ABS, you kill the traction control.

[warren t claim]

Just to bring the thread back on track...

 

Do you really have to remove the engine in a Renner Espace to change the plugs?

[meggersdog]

On the V6 offside engine mount and inlet manifold.Not nice but do-able without removing the engine.

[boobydoo]

You can still buy a Merc A Class with windy rear windows.

 

I think they should bring back neat centre wheel caps instead of those minging dinner plate monstrosities they use nowadays. Either metal or plastic...I don't mind.

 

Look at this Avenger with a lovely, neat, no-nonsense centre trim. No worries about scuffing that little beauty!

Yet it hides all your gubbins perfectly!

 

[barrett]

That's why I like Vauxhall Combo wheels!

 

I should probably get out more

[rml2345]

Proper hub caps are a great idea! No more chewed placca dinner plates. Combo vans do look pretty neat with them on, as did '90s Escort vans. I should stop looking at wheels...