Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2020 9:28:44 GMT
Ah, fair enough. FIATs are great for avoiding rust, unlike Mercs, Japanese marques and Fords.
I'm actually thinking I might have to sell the Leaf next year and replace with a cheap manual, as we approach the first 17th birthday. Running 3 cars will be hard to justify. I'm going to buy it in September for the GFV of £3.9k. Would be brainless not to, given I could sell it privately for about £9k still.
A Punto is a possible, as is a Tipo. Oh how I'd love a Tipo saloon (only available in the 1.4 MPI manual form in the UK, they are likely to be going for about £5k this time next year). All hinges on insurance of course, and if it's feasible an old Volvo V40 would be utterly smashing.
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Avant
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Post by Avant on Jun 4, 2020 13:03:00 GMT
It's always been good advice to learn to drive on a manual - but there's going to come a time quite soon when that's going to change, as more and more new cars sold will be EVs and PHEVs in the run up to 2035.
In some ways a Leaf is an ideal car for learner-drivers, with simple controls so that they can keep their eyes on the road. And they'll think twice before borrowing it and driving hundreds of miles....
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2020 13:07:53 GMT
I have been thinking similar. Professional lessons in a manual car with a proper instructor, and practice sessions in the Leaf concentrating more on roadcraft once basic vehicle control has been mastered.
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Post by Humph on Jun 4, 2020 13:12:57 GMT
Less than a few seconds ago, in terms of human evolution anyway, not being able to ride a horse or drive a horse and carriage would have been something of a social disadvantage. Now, some people can, but mainly (with the exception of jockeys etc) for pleasure only.
I suspect, within our children's lifetimes, that driving cars will become a similarly niche activity.
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Post by Humph on Jun 4, 2020 13:16:50 GMT
...whereas riding a bike, which would have been a fairly common thing at the dawn of the car era, may well continue much longer.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2020 14:56:39 GMT
Ah, fair enough. FIATs are great for avoiding rust, unlike Mercs, Japanese marques and Fords. Wasn't always the case as we know, the only car I've ever seen with a rusty roof (ignoring 70's vinyl cladding) was an 1985 C reg FIAT Regatta that was totally rotten through above the rear window. Since the 90's different story. I'm actually thinking I might have to sell the Leaf next year and replace with a cheap manual, as we approach the first 17th birthday. Running 3 cars will be hard to justify. I'm going to buy it in September for the GFV of £3.9k. Would be brainless not to, given I could sell it privately for about £9k still. A Punto is a possible, as is a Tipo. Oh how I'd love a Tipo saloon (only available in the 1.4 MPI manual form in the UK, they are likely to be going for about £5k this time next year). All hinges on insurance of course, and if it's feasible an old Volvo V40 would be utterly smashing. I'm going automatic with my next car for the second time in my motoring life. First was a SAAB 900 V6 auto in the mid-90's. Always enjoyed driving a manual and will keep the S60 (5 cylinders - good balance between insufficient and enough with a nice sonorous note) as a winter car for as long as my left leg will allow. That car will probably still be here when the cockroaches are giving up. Learner drivers are not allowed on the roads here with Mum and Dad instructors. It has to be a qualified driving instructor. If you want to pass on your driving knowledge and experience you have to hire time at a local (ADAC) driving centre. I think it's about 2,000€ to get your licence here with all the training (so many hours in daylight, nighttime, dry, wet, snow/icy, autobahn etc...) and classroom tuition. Thankfully, I swapped one UK EU driving licence for a D EU one for 42€ |
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Post by tyrednexited on Jun 4, 2020 15:32:13 GMT
Ah, fair enough. FIATs are great for avoiding rust, unlike Mercs, Japanese marques and Fords. Wasn't always the case as we know, the only car I've ever seen with a rusty roof (ignoring 70's vinyl cladding) was an 1985 C reg FIAT Regatta that was totally rotten through above the rear window. Since the 90's different story. The first "new" car I bought was a 1983 FIAT Uno 70s. In its way it was a good and well-packaged little car (and it did quite a lot of Continental mileage). Rust-free it was not, however. I caught the rusted mild steel bands holding the petrol tank and replaced those before they deposited it on the road. The folded over door skins were awfully prone to rust against the door seals. Of course, because of the reputation they'd gained, FIAT were one of the earlier adopters of galvanised panels, and the later, face-lifted Uno was much better in that respect. (Subsequent Mk1 and MK2 Puntos we owned were also far from rustbuckets). |
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Post by EspadaIII on Jun 4, 2020 15:43:14 GMT
I suspect that the world will expand over the next 50 years, just like it has shruck in the previous 50. So riding a bike may well be the one mode of personal mechanical transport that remains acceptable for the masses.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2020 16:27:38 GMT
I think if anyone on here is still around in 50 years time riding a bike might be what they call a stretch.
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Post by EspadaIII on Jun 5, 2020 6:10:59 GMT
Humph's going to try.....
How old will you be? 110?
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Jun 5, 2020 6:23:49 GMT
There’ll be another generation of e-bikes by then, where the battery powers the bike and the rider too. Humph will be fine; just give him a wide berth.
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Post by tyrednexited on Jun 5, 2020 7:09:23 GMT
There’ll be another generation of e-bikes...... It'll be hydrogen-powered bikes by then.......... ......with an additional Oxygen tank for the "older rider".  |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2020 7:57:38 GMT
I absolutely love everyone's ability to be so clear eyed about rusty FIATs in the 70s and 80s, and still keep bringing it up as if it has any relevance to modern cars, and yet completely ignore the catastrophic rust on Mercedes in the 90s/00s, Japanese marques, and Fords from about 1900 to, oh, let's say 2020. Brilliant.
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Post by EspadaIII on Jun 5, 2020 8:49:20 GMT
Well my experience of rust was mainly limited to Fords from the 1980s/90s (1994 Fiesta had sill rot under the drivers door) but our 2009 S-Max was perfect after six years. The 2004 Punto has bare metal in places after car park scrapes and still rust free two years later...
Before that, everything rusted including all Hondas until we got the 1993 CRX, Civic Shuttle and Accord. 1999 C-class didn't rust on me but I didn't own it long enought to find out. It was so dulllllllll.
Needless to say both Alfasuds from the 1970s rusted out to oblivion within five years.
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Post by Humph on Jun 5, 2020 8:54:41 GMT
I think the last Ford to suffer serious rust issues was the mk1 Ka. Since then, I'm not sure if they would be much different to any other mainstream brand?
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