Cars today

[Valkie]

My first car was a hand me down Morris minor 1957 model.
It had a 998cc four cylinder engine, married to a MOWOG manual gearbox 4 speed.
No synchro in first or reverse, and a slipping clutch.
No radio,
No air conditioning, even the heater only worked occasionally.
Zero seat adjustment, you used pillows if you were short.
No blinkers, back in the 70s, you used hand signals legally.
Four wheel drum brakes , no antilock, unless you consider brake fade.
Skinny wheels, some push bike tyres are fatter than the old Morris's wheels.

Good mileage, around 18 miles per gallon, even today's v8s get better.

It had an electric fuel pump, which had a tendency to fail on a regular basis.
So Morris, in their infinite wisdom, secured a glass pint bottle to the firewall.
A small tube ran out of it.
When the pump failed, thou pulled the pipe off the pump and attached it to the bottle. Fill the bottle up and it gravity fed the carby.
Surprising how far you can drive on a pint.

And the starter motor had issues as well.
But Morris, not to be beaten by poor quality, fitted a crank starter recess on the motor.
A hole in the radiator allowed access so you simply pushed the crank through the radiator into the receptacle on the crankshaft.
You then brought the engine up to compression stroke and give it a mighty turn.
Or two, or three, or dozen.
It usually, eventually started.

Top speed of 85klm/ hour
But not up hill.
And if the going got really tough, you had to learn to double shuffle into first.

I loved that car.
Drove it for two years.
Starting it was ........interesting.
When the starter worked there was a process.
Turn on the ignition
Wait for the petrol pump to stop ticking.
Pull out the choke.....all the way.
Pump the throttle 5 times, no more, no less.
Pull the starter button

When it kicked, push the choke in half way and pump the throttle a few times.
When it stopped coughing, pull the choke 3/4 And wait until it started to cough again.
Push the choke in all the way, and your off.

Now
Isn't tgat better than all these modern cars with all their gadgets today.
Where is the fun in just getting in, starting the car, switching on the climate control and radio and driving into the sunset?

We even had GPS in the old days
They were called maps.

[sprintcyclist]

Cars today are far superior

[Gordon]

Old cars are nice to look at and that's about it.

All the new safety gear saves lives.

[Black Orchid]

I couldn't possibly have a car without air conditioning now

[sprintcyclist]

I couldn't possibly have a car without air conditioning now

Has to be an auto too.

Electric windows, remote locking ...........

[Gordon]

I couldn't possibly have a car without air conditioning now

Has to be an auto too.

Electric windows, remote locking ...........

The more stuff you get you can't go back.

Adaptive cruise control
Brake assist
Lane keeping

[rhino]

Give me an old Holden any day. Break down on the side of the road you could fix it yourself with a bit of chewing gum and a piece of string you could fix just about any mechanical problem. My first car was a HK Holden, I would own one again .

[sprintcyclist]

I prefer reliable cars

[Valkie]

Only last year I bought my wife a tiny car.
It was less than 20k, brand new.

It has
Auto windows
Cruise control
Auto lights
Built in GPS, hands free phone, phone music setup( or whatever it's called)
Auto climate control
And many many other extras

It's a 1.2 litre car and quite comfortable.
It also has no problem at all cruising at 120k, all day
Up hill and down Dale, the only thing that varies is the revs.

Compare tgat to a top of the line Holden in 1980
And it's game over.
My old Commodore struggled up the hill from the Hawksbury river.
This little thing does it without breaking a sweat.

And my new 4x4, is unbelievable.
Cars today vs cars in the old days.

I have seen some amazing changes in the last 20 years
Makes you wonder what we will be seeing in the next 20.

[rhino]

I prefer reliable cars

All cars break down at some point, new cars have planned obsolescence. The electronics are designed to only last for the term of the warranty then its game over. You have zero chance of fixing a PCB on the side of the road in an emergency.