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ponytug
Super Member
Hmmm... I remember working in a certain '70s vintage car that had 14" deep holes above the spark plugs. Getting the spark plugs out to clean them (carbureted engine), and gap them, was not a picnic, but getting the spark plugs back in was nightmare material every single time, because there was enough wiggle to cross thread the plugs if you weren't careful. I don't miss servicing that vehicle, but you could drive it anywhere, including over hundreds of miles of washboard without loosening anything besides your fillings. Willys jeep levels of point it somewhere and just get there.
I think that there is a middle ground though.
Personally, I don't like being locked out of my ECUs on my vehicles as it does make diagnosing issues more challenging. I get down to, "well, it must be in that there 'black box'...". However, I really don't miss the burning oil, uncombusted fuel, general lack of reliability, and constant service in older vehicles. It takes very little to keep my post 2000 vintage vehicles going, and as a group they get pretty good mileage. I have a couple digital tools, and that plus a few years of servicing vehicles covers most things. I feel like many of my local service centers have forgotten how to diagnose problems. Not having dealership level of tools and software subscriptions, I do get the "unknown code" errors, but often the internet can get me the answer on where to look.
Now, my tractor is completely mechanical and my generators are mostly mechanical as well (transistorized voltage regulators).
For me, looks are a different story. I am a firm believer that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Many of us, have vehicles that we idolize(d) and would love to drive or own again. I'm guilty of that one for sure.
I also admit to having read Car and Driver pretty avidly as a teen, but there were enough non-muscle cars floating around for me not to get hooked on straight line performance. I was a much bigger fan of the unusual solutions like Citroëns for their suspension (now there was a vehicle that needed constant TLC, but you could get 16-18" of ground clearance by pulling a lever, great for off roading in a sedan), the high revving VW golf diesel, the early 2002 BMW turbos, and early Saabs for their unusual, and very practical, engineering and ergonomic solutions.
If you want to talk straight line performance, go test drive a Tesla Plaid, and let's compare notes. Electric vehicles are a different world, in my opinion, but as they say, YMMV...
All the best,
Peter
I think that there is a middle ground though.
Personally, I don't like being locked out of my ECUs on my vehicles as it does make diagnosing issues more challenging. I get down to, "well, it must be in that there 'black box'...". However, I really don't miss the burning oil, uncombusted fuel, general lack of reliability, and constant service in older vehicles. It takes very little to keep my post 2000 vintage vehicles going, and as a group they get pretty good mileage. I have a couple digital tools, and that plus a few years of servicing vehicles covers most things. I feel like many of my local service centers have forgotten how to diagnose problems. Not having dealership level of tools and software subscriptions, I do get the "unknown code" errors, but often the internet can get me the answer on where to look.
Now, my tractor is completely mechanical and my generators are mostly mechanical as well (transistorized voltage regulators).
For me, looks are a different story. I am a firm believer that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Many of us, have vehicles that we idolize(d) and would love to drive or own again. I'm guilty of that one for sure.
I also admit to having read Car and Driver pretty avidly as a teen, but there were enough non-muscle cars floating around for me not to get hooked on straight line performance. I was a much bigger fan of the unusual solutions like Citroëns for their suspension (now there was a vehicle that needed constant TLC, but you could get 16-18" of ground clearance by pulling a lever, great for off roading in a sedan), the high revving VW golf diesel, the early 2002 BMW turbos, and early Saabs for their unusual, and very practical, engineering and ergonomic solutions.
If you want to talk straight line performance, go test drive a Tesla Plaid, and let's compare notes. Electric vehicles are a different world, in my opinion, but as they say, YMMV...
All the best,
Peter
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