BS: Slow car worship

Subject: BS: Slow car worship
From: Fibula Mattock
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 05:14 AM

Fast cars are lovely but they are tempermental and expensive. Slow cars are cheap and fairly robust. They are also highly underappreciated. I lost my heart to a clapped out 1988 VW Polo which drove several thousand miles offroad before everything except the clutch stopped working. I marvel at the mini tank that is the Nissan Micra. I'm itching to offroad in a MK1 Renault Clio.

This is a thread in favour of the slow cars, the small cars, and the cars so crap they are classics.

I want a Lada.

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: The PA
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 05:45 AM

I'm with ya there. My baby is a 1974 Range Rover with a diesel engine the size of a chiefton tank. I know he's not small, but he's heavy and slow (until he gets going - his name is Roger) and utterly reliable, unless of course he's cold when he wakes up and has to be coaxed into action with is usually preceeded by clouds of white smoke and steam. Lovely. My previous car (before a succession of company cars) was a white and rust T reg, thats T reg the first time round, Mini Traveller. We took the carpets out in September and put them back in March and just used newspaper - the water poured in from somewhere, great fun in the snow!

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: Jean(eanjay)
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 06:10 AM

I love my Smart car even though I've had to listen to all the jokes like "do you plug it in at night?".

In the late 1980s/early 1990s I had a 2CV and that was great as well.

I have had bigger cars but to be honest I find these smaller ones more relaxing, cheaper and easier in many ways.

I loved the bubble car that you could pick up and take into the office (I put a link in the fast car thread). Mind you, imagine if everybody took one into the office!

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: The PA
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 06:31 AM

Do people who mare Aero's drive bubble cars?

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 06:31 AM

My everyday car is a Citroen Berlingo Desire Multispace diesel, and it cheap to run and insure, it's also practical with loads of room for dogs, guitars, and fishing equipment.
Pity about the name though ;)
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: The PA
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 06:31 AM

Yeh, I know, should read 'make' Aero's.

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: GUEST,LTS pretending to work
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 06:51 AM

I had a Lada Riva Estate. It was like a little red tank, and I loved it.

Finally, the thing that puts oil in the ashtray broke and as this was some time before the Russian economy got back together, finding spare parts was like searching for kitten feathers. All the Ladas in our area had been bought up and shipped back to Russia to be sold on. It was just too uneconomical to repair in the end and it went to the scrappers.

Mind you, it was by no means slow and it started on the coldest days when almost every other car refused!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 07:00 AM

i had a Lada, it was shite, it fell to bits.

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: Mr Red
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 07:52 AM

2001 Nissan Micra no problems - I know it's history

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 07:59 AM

We drive around in my partners 1966 series 2 Land Rover. It doesn't go fast, the back seats aren't that comfy but it gets us where we want to go! He also has a 1952 (I think but might be 1955) American Military Jeep. Don't think we will ever have a 'midern car'!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: The PA
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 08:54 AM

My old Rangie gets tinkered with once a year for its MOT and has never cost me more than £100, I put £30 of diesel in per month and it does everythingh I ask it. Which includes towing. My husband has a brand new car its 6 months old and been back to the dealership 5 times. 'Nuff said?

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: Rapparee
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 09:30 AM

Never heard of most of these. I did, however, once own a 1953 Chevrolet and had a friend with a 1948 Packard. The latter was driven almost everywhere, including across corn fields filled with stubble and never had a problem (except the time he stalled it in a creek).

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: Mooh
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 09:44 AM

Have had a Nissan Sentra and Ford Escort and both were troopers after some initial service woes. The Escort was a five speed hatchback that would accept the double bass if the the passenger side seat was moved forward, it was fun to drive too. Also had a 1984 Susuki 4X4 with a 900cc engine and 4 speed box; coffin on wheels. The best slow car was a 1974 Volvo sedan which I still miss all these years later...romantic, ain't it!

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: jonm
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 12:22 PM

Too many young people get behind the wheel of cars without the skills to handle them if things go wrong at speed. Also, too many of them have never ridden, or fallen off, a bicycle, so they have no sense of perspective - speed hurts. On a Playstation, you can just press "reset" and start again if you crash!

I have had a succession of slow cars and have always revelled in driving them quickly. It requires loads more skill to keep up the momentum, plan your cornering speed and braking distances etc. while still travelling at a safe speed in terms of visibility. The thrill for me lies in the skill and concentration of good driving, not the actual speed.

There's something special about the moment a humble Fiat Seicento overtakes a BMW on a country lane when the BMW thinks he's trying!

I have driven fast cars, mainly on tracks, where visibility is less of a problem and there are no idiots coming the other way. To get the same thrill of driving fast, the speeds required in modern exotic machinery would be suicidal on the public highway.

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: Andy Jackson
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 12:28 PM

For many ( something like 18 ) all I ever drove was a 1933 or 35 Austin Seven. I went everywhere in it despite many breakdowns and periods of enforced inactivity. I eventually sold the 33 only a few weeks ago but still have the 35 Ruby. It is truly my second car to my camper van although not roadwortrhy at the moment.

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: GUEST,Fibula at work
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 12:48 PM

My careful driving in the MK2 Polo:

http://feckinirishrovers.googlepages.com/spun_polo.jpg

It was not easy keeping on those ridges when the tracking was off, the brakes didn't work, we had only 2 gears and if you slowed down the engine cut out. This might explain why I didn't successfully keep two wheels on the ridge.

But that car took so much abuse. Note the gravity tank on the roof (we ruptured the fuel tank - twice). And, er, the exhaust on the roof. And the rather crashed appearance (from writing off a bus in Russia - no speeding involved).

I loved that car. I hope it's gone to a better place.

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: Bobert
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 01:15 PM

Well, I used to own an '82 Volswagen Rabbit pickup truck with a diesel (furnace) engine... It was real slow...

You'd need a calendar to time it from 0 to 60...

O to 60 with the air conditioner on was not possible unless you took it up in a C-5 transport and dropped it out the back at about 3000 feet...

But I loved that little truck... I sho nuff did and would still have it today if some jerk who was not payin' attention hadn't rear ended me and folded up the back half like an accordian...

Sniff...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: gnu
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 07:01 PM

Slow? Ye don't know slow from what I heard yas sayin. Slow is when ya kin get out, take a leak and catch up before she went without gettin any drops down yer pants... like, 5m. My ten year old Ford F150 kin crawl... bull low, first gear, 4X4, she just chugs man... just inches along... I've had her down to 8kpd! Dream ride, man.

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: MaineDog
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 07:12 PM

Yes, Bobert, I remember the vw Rabbit diesel. I once drove one up the interstate from n.c to the Mason Dixon line in an ice storm. I must have passed over 200 cars and trucks that slid off the road, but the rabbit just didn't have enough moxie to generate a skid. (North of the line they salted the road :} .
MD

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: Grab
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 08:29 PM

Good choice Giok - I've just recently got one of those too (although not one called "Desire"). Our previous car simply didn't have enough room for PA, mixer and guitar amp, so it was a choice between getting a bigger car or settling for less gear. We got the Berlingo. :-)

No complaints either, because the Berlingo (aerodynamic as a breeze-block) does 50 to the gallon, whereas our old Seat (1.6 petrol saloon) was lucky to get 35.

Graham.

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: Bill D
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 09:48 PM

for years, I tooled around in a '56 VW bus with a 59 engine. (still was only 36 HP). 40MPH up hills was good....maybe 55 down, with a long run. And yes, that back #3 cylinder got too hot.

Recently, I acquired an '85 Volvo station wagon as a 2nd car. only 140,000 miles and no rust. One owner. I guess I'm set for 10 more years.

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: Jim Krause
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 10:42 PM

This is a thread in favour of the slow cars, the small cars, and the cars so crap they are classics.

This ain't a crap car exactly, but the rest fits; slow, small, and definitely classic. I really dig Model A Fords, especially the 1930-31 models, the last two years of production.


Jim Krause

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: Bryn Pugh
Date: 21 Nov 07 - 11:17 AM

I drive a Ford Ka - 0 - 60 eventually, and on a downward slope :-).

My daughter drives a Beamer ( US - that's|Limey slang for BMW) , and I wouldn't swap.

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: Neil D
Date: 22 Nov 07 - 03:09 AM

A Texan was vacationing Down East and he told a native "When i'm back home on the ranch I can get in my car and drive all morning and still be on my own property." The Down Easter shook his head and said "Had a car like that myself once, till it finally died."

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: GUEST,LTS pretending to work
Date: 22 Nov 07 - 05:06 AM

Limpit and I made up a song for when we overtook other, more expensive and noteworthy vehicles in our previous, East European car.

To the tune of 'she was only playing leapfrog'..

Overtaken by a Skoda!
Overtaken by a Skoda!
Overtaken by a Skoda,
Oh, the shame of it!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: Fibula Mattock
Date: 22 Nov 07 - 05:57 AM

You have to watch those skodas, Liz. Crash into one of those new ones and there'd be jam and cake everywhere!

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: GUEST,LTS pretending to work
Date: 22 Nov 07 - 06:09 AM

Fibs - you have no idea how distraught I was when I opened the bonnet and found a metal engine.. and we won't go into how I found out it wasn't golden syrup in the oil sump...

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 22 Nov 07 - 04:16 PM

I had a whole sucession of Lada's in the 80's and they were all brilliant. Funny jOhn should think they were crap because they were all imported by Lada UK of Hull! Maybe they just saw you coming jOhn? ;-P

Best thing you could ever do to them was replace the immitation Webber carb with a genuine Webber, preferably wide-bore. Total cost (form a scrappers) about £10. Difficulty to replace? My granny could have done it with a pair of nail scissors. Difference? Amazing! I could burn off Escort Xr3i's with my 1984 1500 estate!

Best thing Lada, Hull did was make a 'sports' model with a fuel injected Fiat Super Mirafiori engine. Boy, did that upset the boy racers:-)

Anyway, seeing as this is about slow cars, best slow car I had was a Reliant Supervan III - The T.I.T. version, but blue rather than yellow! Couldn't do more than 75 and 0-60 was later rather than sooner but it did do 70MPG and could take a family of 5 on hols for a fortnight! What a car!

D.

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: Metchosin
Date: 22 Nov 07 - 08:13 PM

I had a '55 Zephyr once. It was great for off road stuff, but it wasn't really fit for the kind of highway driving we have here. The Zephyr never complained about being driven through sandbanks, logging roads or creekbeds, even when a garage attendant once marvelled at the sandpile I was carrying around in its engine compartment. But the poor thing had a weird automatic transmission that down shifted, everytime you touched the the gas, especially on the highway. It made the daily trip to work noisy, jerky and very slow.

I did a bit of off roading a couple of weeks ago. I figured my Subaru Legacy GT Wagon should finally be fully tested to determine it's capabilities. The Sub and I did really well on a couple of overgrown rutted roads, but when I was being guided over one particularly bad stretch, keeping my side on the hump in the middle, they failed to disclose that there was a rather solid stump hidden in the salal on the shoulder.

I think my Sunday fun expedition is going to cost me about $2000 for a new bumper and some other broken bits. Ouch! That's about 10 times as much as I paid to buy whole cars in my youth. In the meantime I have some rope tied onto the wheel well lining to keep it from rubbing on the tire. I really am regressing, but in the old days the rope was usually used to keep the door tied shut.

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 22 Nov 07 - 08:21 PM

Dave-I used to be a self employed car dealer (sell from home in local paper, (tacks free, ( no premises hire etc).

so i know about cars, anyway - one time i was at auction, i see Lada, only 5 years old, genuine 30,000 miles, i think "ladas is a bit rubbish, but cheap), i got it for £50.

but was total rubbish, it had permanent engine management light on, like   BMW , but just say STOP", inside mirror fell off!

And I give a lift to Les from Hull to Yorkshire gahering, and we drive down motorway and bonnett fell off, is true, you could ask him, if not belieeve me.

And i drive back on me own, (Les got lift of someone else, (Mick?]
, and door fell off, most shit car i had in my life!


very rubbish.

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: Metchosin
Date: 22 Nov 07 - 08:36 PM

LOL Sir jOhn. I had a lot of those shit cars too, One was an old Mini that would come to a dead stop on the highway in the middle of traffic, every time it rained. I solved the problem by encasing the distributor in a plastic bag. Everything but the plastic bag eventually fell off it too.

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: The Badger
Date: 22 Nov 07 - 08:42 PM

Use the A1 in the morning. All cars are slow cars!

Subject: RE: BS: Slow car worship
From: Rowan
Date: 22 Nov 07 - 09:43 PM

Although I had driven Austin 7s, Mayflowers, Triumph Heralds, Land Rovers and beetles, my first slow car was a 1954 Morris Minor panel van (as they're termed in Oz). First of the overhead valve models in the MM line and the last car ever made that could be taken apart and reassembled with a bicycle spanner, it could reach the speed limit only downhill with a tail wind and never stranded me at the side of the road, even when negotiating serious goat tracks on rock climbing trips. It had been a delicatessen delivery vehicle ("The Breadbin") and was the only vehicle in Melbourne that could guarantee an armchair ride; there was one in the back, still on its castors, which made for an exciting ride. More exciting than the DKW Hobby, anyway. My future (and later ex-) father in law sold it on me while I was away at Mawson

Never a dull moment!

Cheers, Rowan