Cars I don't "get". Add yours!

[AnthonyG]

I'm looking forward to global warming, it was advertised as giving us a Mediterranean-style climate. I'm going to start up all my cars and leave them running for a few hours. C U L8R SNOW!

 

They've stopped saying that recently, and now claim that its responsible for all the recent cold snaps as well, as the Bridlington by the Med scenario wasn't really worrying people too much .

[richardthestag]

I'm looking forward to global warming, it was advertised as giving us a Mediterranean-style climate. I'm going to start up all my cars and leave them running for a few hours. C U L8R SNOW!

 

They've stopped saying that recently, and now claim that its responsible for all the recent cold snaps as well, as the Bridlington by the Med scenario wasn't really worrying people too much .

 

Yay

 

too windy = man made global warming

Not windy enough = man made global warming

too hot = man made global warming

too cold = man made global warming

snow in winter = man made global warming

mild damp winter = man made global warming

long hot summer = man made global warming

miserable damp summers = man made global warming

absent and overdue ice age = man made global warming

ice age = man made global warming

 

 

everything apart from Gadaffi duck and the Duck Billed playtpus can be attributed to global warming by some yogurt knitter! however in truth

 

man made global warming = convenient excuse to rake in more taxes.

 

Aircooled Volkswagens - more because of the hippy/surfer/wanker image than from any actual experience mind. The recent TV show about a so called 'coCk' driving around in a campervan is a good exampe of the tossers who think they are great.

Fixed that for you

 

Btw I am so with you on the whole dub baywindow/splitty scene tax. I would happily smoke up in a rusty old Comma BT van hastily converted into a Campa and not only "out cool" the lot of them on a 200th of the budget but also not give a shit about what ever they thought and then use the latest surf gear to light my pallet fire

[Guest]

I managed to get some old kid at my work to SHUT IT when he started whinging about the bad weather by saying "Yes, it never used to rain or snow in the old days".

[Richard]

Aircooled Volkswagens - more because of the hippy/surfer/wanker image than from any actual experience mind. The recent TV show about a so called 'cook' driving around in a campervan is a good exampe of the tossers who think they are great.

 

I caught a couple of snippets of that. I liked the bit where another van (I think it was a Caravelle or something) came into the campsite and selected a pitch as far away as they could get. It was to no avail though, he went over and attempted to have a jolly conversation with the occupants. Only one of them would speak to him at all and she was far from keen.

 

He kept banging on about how amazing it was that he could cook all this stuff in his van, as if a caravan cooker was some amazing device.

[Negative Creep]

Everyone should use a swb Vanette as a camper

[eddyramrod]

I used to drive a bay-window pickup on a regular basis. We also had a 1983 diesel, so square-cut and water-cooled. Guess which one we used to fight for? Nobody wanted to touch the bay. It was unremitting crap, especially in winter. I also had my hands on a couple of Beetles, both of which were first-cars for teenage girls. Let's just say, I really don't understand why anyone would pay at all to drive these things, let alone pay as far over the odds as they do. For the price of a 1300 Beetle, how many 1300 Vivas can you have? And your Viva comes as a four-door or estate if you want, suck that VW!

 

I also don't get OSF tax on Escorts either. And yeah, I know all about rally history, blah blah, I've used all that spiel myself enough times.

I've even been helping build this! But come on, are they really that much better than anything else I might have learned to drive in, back in the 70s? Not to me, they're not.

[Pete-M]

But come on, are they really that much better than anything else I might have learned to drive in, back in the 70s? Not to me, they're not.

 

I think they are if they're properly set up. Boggo 1.1 four doors don't interest me at all, but a well set up 2.0 is a grin.

 

I've yet to drive anything else that is as much fun, and I've been trying for 20 odd years.

[eddyramrod]

It's the ordinary models I'm talking about, Pete. These are the ones I drove, not only the Escorts but the competitors too. A Toledo or Viva is a much nicer thing to drive than a 1.1/1.3 Escort. And a world ahead of a 1.3 Beetle! But which will people pay most money for? I'd bet on the answer being either Escort or Beetle, and that's what I don't get.

 

I'm sure a good 2.0 Escort is a delight, predictable, chuckable and powerful; but honestly, how many of us actually ever got our hands on such things? Most of us have only known the plain-janes.*

 

*Actually, here on Autoshite, that probably isn't true, being a community of petrolheads... Assume I speak only for myself!

[Pete-M]

It's the ordinary models I'm talking about, Pete. These are the ones I drove, not only the Escorts but the competitors too. A Toledo or Viva is a much nicer thing to drive than a 1.1/1.3 Escort. And a world ahead of a 1.3 Beetle! But which will people pay most money for? I'd bet on the answer being either Escort or Beetle, and that's what I don't get.

 

I'm sure a good 2.0 Escort is a delight, predictable, chuckable and powerful; but honestly, how many of us actually ever got our hands on such things? Most of us have only known the plain-janes.*

 

*Actually, here on Autoshite, that probably isn't true, being a community of petrolheads... Assume I speak only for myself!

 

Ah, I started driving when Mk2s were £800 for a mint 1.6 Sport or Harrier. They were just 9 to 15 year old cheap cars, £250 would get you a good 1.6 Ghia four door on an S reg. £350 bought me a Mk1 Escort Mexico from the local auctions. I bought my first RS2000 for £800 in 1989 because the interior was knackered - a full, mint fishnet brown Recaro trim cost me £200. Put them together, ran it for a couple of months and sold it for £1500.

 

My mates all had Mk2s as well. Jeff had a 2dr with a 1760 race x/flow in it, a van with a knackered 1.3 that he bought from my mum, then an estate then he bought a Mexico from me which he sold to Iain who sold it to Paul, eventually I bought my Java green Mk2 RS from Jeff. Geoff had an RS2000 spec mechanically 'flat front' 2dr, Andy had a mint 1.3 GL 2dr with about 30k on the clock. Paul had a very early 2dr 1.6 Ghia, Barry had a 1.3 GL (with for some obscure reason 007 logos on the rear 1/4s where Mexico or Sport would normally be). Tony had a tweaked 1.6 x/flow 2dr. Evo had a blue L 2dr 1.3, followed by a Harrier followed by one of the press fleet RS2000s (which I should have bought when it was £1500). Si had a silver Harrier with a tuned 2.1 Pinto and 5 sp box. Craig had one of the fabled Merseyside Police Mk1 Mexico 4drs. Neil had a works spec RS1800 (identical to the Vatenen '82 IoM tarmac car) which cost £18k to build back then. He crashed it on its first event, Tommy bought all the bits, built them into another RS shell, used it as a road car for about four years and eventually flogged it for £1500. Iain had a Mk2 Mexico with a tuned 2.1. Paul had a P reg 2dr (which was shabby) which had probably the best suspension setup I've ever tried and a quick 2.1 - eventually the running gear went into the Me / Jeff / Iain Mexico. It was still about a couple of years ago. SOL210S. Emma had a yellow 2dr 1.3 with RS alloys. Richie had a 1.6 Auto four door. Jed had a metallic red 1.3 Ghia four door. Dave had a multitude of red two door shells he'd buy from scrapyards and rebuild from scratch. Ian and Gary had a blue'n'yellow Mk1 which they rallied competitively.

 

Most of them ended up with 2.1 Pintos, 40s, 5sp boxes, Bilsteins, A008s, etc. Between my mates and I we must have got through 250 of 'em in about three years. I've had at least 10 RS2000s and god knows how many 1.3s and 1.6s.

 

It's funny, because everyone I know had a Mk2, I kinda forget that isn't normal.

[Shep Shepherd]

Craig had one of the fabled Merseyside Police Mk1 Mexico 4drs.

 

Wow! They must be the rarest RWD Escorts of all!

[Pete-M]

Craig had one of the fabled Merseyside Police Mk1 Mexico 4drs.

 

Wow! They must be the rarest RWD Escorts of all!

 

We used to take the piss out of him for having a four door.

[Shep Shepherd]

Craig had one of the fabled Merseyside Police Mk1 Mexico 4drs.

 

Wow! They must be the rarest RWD Escorts of all!

 

We used to take the piss out of him for having a four door.

 

I bet that a lot of other people did, too - I only found out that the four-door Mexico existed after reading an article in Performance Ford magazine in the 1990s

[eddyramrod]

It's funny, because everyone I know had a Mk2, I kinda forget that isn't normal.

 

I've never owned a Mk2 at all! I drove them as driving school cars, and thought they were cheap-and-nasty; subsequently had a girlfriend with an ex-police Mk1 1100 which was no better; had a boss with a 1300 Mk1 van; later had a Mk1 1300 estate for a whole week; and once had a rally-school day with a prepped Mk2, though I didn't get the spec on it. That's all my RWD Escort experience. The driving school cars were new, by the way.

 

Once I started buying cars, I paid as little as possible, so Escorts were always above my radar. The estate was an emergency impulse buy while I was waiting for an insurance payout so I could buy the Mk5 Cortina I had my eye on. My plan was to use that and give my dad his Marina back. Somehow Escorts always failed to inspire me, unlike my 1200 Anglia, which I would repeat like a shot! I loved that car. I "get" Cortinas though; I've always preferred a 4-door car, and that's how most Cortinas came. Not the hot ones, I know, but again, most of my experience has been lower down the range. Even so, I've only actually owned two. My history is littered with whatever old shed I could afford, and most of those weren't RWD OSF; even 30 years ago, too much ante was required.

 

It isn't just Escorts: I don't get Morris Minors either. I have an Austin A40: nearly all the same engineering in a much sleeker body, with a hatchback, even! Why buy an outdated bubble for 12 times the price?

[Pete-M]

I like A40s.

[Talbotman]

All mk1 and 2 escorts are great.....as indeed pretty much any front engined rear drive car from the same era....the difference with the escort was the prolific aftermarket tuning programme which built up around them. An ordinary escort is indeed very ordinary..however start stacking it up with bilsteins,souped up pintos etc etc and the inherent easyness of playing around with the running gear and you have a superb and back in the day economical driving tool..........forward on thirty odd years to today though and i can see the gripe that people have with the expence and the prices that the humble escorts have reached...oh to have stashed them all away 20 years back!!..............even tidy avengers chevettes and such like now have started to follow suit. Time to fish out the old tooling methinks and get some new rwd escort shells made!!!

[M'coli]

Time to fish out the old tooling methinks and get some new rwd escort shells made!!!

I can't see how Ford could fail to make money on this venture, considering the number of VIN plates for Escorts that abound - an unresgistered shell is still legal as a re-shell, right?

[Pete-M]

Time to fish out the old tooling methinks and get some new rwd escort shells made!!!

I can't see how Ford could fail to make money on this venture, considering the number of VIN plates for Escorts that abound - an unresgistered shell is still legal as a re-shell, right?

 

If they'd like to sell me a nice new 2dr shell, it'd save a shed load of grief rebuilding my Sport - and all the bits to make a gorgeous car are there, ready to go.

[AnthonyG]

If Ford were like BL/AR/MG Rover etc, they'd still have all the tooling lying around various yards and sheds in Halewood, and would get a couple of old boys from the factory social club to clean it up, put it all back together and start stamping shells out, just like BMIHT or whatever they are called these days. You can still buy a 1974-89 Mini shell, and probably a 1990-2000 one now as well.

 

However Ford would also be bankrupt and just a badge for a Chinese firm, so perhaps it's just as well they are not like BL.

[Cavcraft]

A40s are ace, would love one.

 

I wonder if some of the 'anti' thing about Mk1 and Mk2 Escorts is due to the scene tax applied to them? Maybe they weren't the greatest cars in the world but I don't remember them being any worse than their (sales) competition at the time and many people remember them with a smile for various reasons.

[eddyramrod]

Have one on me...

[oman5]

I don't get any Citroen or peugeot with a petrol engine. why would you bother?

[dollywobbler]

I don't get any Citroen or peugeot with a petrol engine. why would you bother?

 

Same for 1.6 Golfs. A smaller petrol engine makes sense, but if you want more grunt in your really bland car, surely it has to be diesel?

 

To argue with you slightly though, a BX 16v delivers a LOT that even the turbo diesel can't match. Lunacy for a start.

[Negative Creep]

I don't get any Citroen or peugeot with a petrol engine. why would you bother?

 

Same for 1.6 Golfs. A smaller petrol engine makes sense, but if you want more grunt in your really bland car, surely it has to be diesel?

 

To argue with you slightly though, a BX 16v delivers a LOT that even the turbo diesel can't match. Lunacy for a start.

 

 

205 GTi, 306 GTi-6, 106 GTi and Rallye, Saxo VTS, ZX Volcane, AX GT..........I'd rather have them over the oil burner. There's more to a car than how many mpg it gets

[Angrydicky]

I've never owned or driven a MK1 or 2 Escort, but although I think the 2 door is a great looking car, I think the same about the 2 door Viva HB. Escorts are nice enough cars, but I can't help thinking they're extremely overpriced for what they are, when you can still pick up the equivalent Hillman Hunter or Vauxhall Viva for peanuts.

 

I think the main reason I'd never have one is because I live in Essex, and all everyone goes on about f*****g Escorts and other Fords. I like to be different, which is why I prefer BMC/BL cars.

 

Instead of an Escort Mexico/ RS 2000, give me a nice MG Montego Turbo instead (when I can afford the insurance!)

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

I would have a ZX Volcane TD, C U L8R 2.0 16v petrol with some pump mods and running on veg oil.

[eddyramrod]

Instead of an Escort Mexico/ RS 2000, give me a nice MG Montego Turbo instead

 

Yes please!

[ashmicro]

 

Oh yes. Mk1 Monty Turbo action. Count me in and all!

[oman5]

I don't get any Citroen or peugeot with a petrol engine. why would you bother?

 

Same for 1.6 Golfs. A smaller petrol engine makes sense, but if you want more grunt in your really bland car, surely it has to be diesel?

 

To argue with you slightly though, a BX 16v delivers a LOT that even the turbo diesel can't match. Lunacy for a start.

 

 

ooh yes, I'm with you on that...I drove a GTi 16v back in the day. an astonishingly good car. I always had a soft spot for the BX after I'd gotten over my initial prejudice and drove one. Best seats of any car I've driven

[Futuramic]

I don't get any Citroen or peugeot with a petrol engine. why would you bother?

 

Same for 1.6 Golfs. A smaller petrol engine makes sense, but if you want more grunt in your really bland car, surely it has to be diesel?

 

To argue with you slightly though, a BX 16v delivers a LOT that even the turbo diesel can't match. Lunacy for a start.

 

 

ooh yes, I'm with you on that...I drove a GTi 16v back in the day. an astonishingly good car. I always had a soft spot for the BX after I'd gotten over my initial prejudice and drove one. Best seats of any car I've driven

 

It's an easy thing to say but the French do make good petrol engines. I have had Citroens in both sparky and Hdi 110 flavour and preferred the petrol Xantia in every way. I had the 1.8 16 valve. It was revvy, powerful, reliable and good with petrol. As a light lump it responded dutifully to the throttle and really delivered when holding on to third gear. It was rather similar (in both concept and capacity) to my BMW; which possesses an outstanding four cylinder engine.

 

I disagree with whoever made the first comment as it dismisses the entire Citroen and Peugeot range as utilitarian family wagons where economy is prime. The 306 and equivalents had a class defining chassis; well paired to a sporty petrol engine. I would joyously purchase a GTi-6 or Xsara VTR Coupe if in a position to do so. In fact the diesel engine in the Xsara was a weak point. The little car was ideally suited to spirited B-Road driving but the on/off nature of the power delivery and clunky gear change went some way to spoling the experience. Conversely the petrol Xantia had a sweet gearbox and linear power curve. It lacked torque but that was compensated for by the many valves coming on song.

 

Later HDis may be better but nothing beats petrol in a hot hatch. And no-one makes a hot hatch like Peugeot.

 

As for cars I don't get: the new Seat Leon. It looks horrible.

[Des]

Another here baffled by the Escort thing, drove plenty of them back in the day but none left any impression on me, at best just average. Never tempted to have one, even when offered free until about 1995 when I felt sorry for a '69 2 door on it's way to the scrapyard, bought sills and arches and got stuck in only there was more rot than I had patience for, dumped it down the yard for 'later' but 'later didn't come for over a decade when someone paid me an obscene amount for it. I suspect such 'scene' vehicles, VW vans and all that shit, will sell because they're overpriced, their primary role is to display wealth, secondary role is as a vehicle, same deal as turds who buy a new car however unsuitable, ridiculous or just plain stupid.