Topic,
`Have your priorities of a cars features changed over time, in a way you would have once never considered? with particular reference to the ageing process.`
I remember age 17yrs laughing at the `Old Man`, who was contemplating power steering on a car back in the 60`s.
The humour in it was not just my perceived `wimpishness`of this, but that he was built like a tank.
Then there was the maestro clubman D i did 130,000 miles in the early 90`s and the frozen shoulder that refused to heal, followed by the other one going too. No power steering and a straight arm steering position. What felt like 60lbs force needed to turn the wheel at low speeds.
I really came to appreciate power steering and thought, that was it, regarding assistance with what could be called `physical degeneration `:)
Not so however.
As a youth i was never bothered much about heaters, even in those much colder winters. I had a Bond mini car 3 wheeler ( no heater) aged 16yrs and motorbikes.
in fact I can remember getting my first bike, a Honda C90 on my 16th birthday and that winter riding it through the night in sub zero conditions 200 miles to London. standing on the old london bridge (never been far before) and thinking, `Wow` hub of the world.
Then another 200 miles back up here to Yorkshire. All done wearing a pair of jeans, a couple of sweaters and a leather jacket in freezing fog at times.
Sitting here in the lounge, I still feel about the same psychologically, could still get on a bike and set off.... but I know that despite still being fit and able to run flat out, as i approach 60, enduring the cold wearing the same clothes would be different.
Very different.. Perhaps being slim doesn`t help, but I was even slimmer then.
Lets hear it for heating from central vents.
The car heater is essential these days and more than that. I need hot air straight out of the central vents onto the body, but more importantly hands. I would be in trouble without that , even wearing gloves is no good.
So to my surprise, I`m now adding `Hot air (really hot) from central vents` as a pre requisite, more so than power steering.
I`m lucky the Punto van has this because I never thought about it when choosing it.
How many of us would think of `central air vents hot air` though?
Or maybe its just me that feels the cold like this.
Its `payback` for losing nearly 4 stone to get to a `healthy` 11.
(be careful what you wish for;) lol.
Anything that has changed for you over the years?
Regards
Edited by oilrag on 11/11/2007 at 18:56
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Funnily enough I was thinking about this today, went to meet a biking friend for a brew, how we would have swooned at the thought of having handlebar heaters on a bike, I switched mine on today.....wimp
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Ah the joys of biking in the 60's and seventies. Winter biking meant your hands went numb and so did your toes. We used to stuff newspaper down the leathers to keep the torso warm and dubbin the boots to keep the water out, you had to wipe the helmet visor in the rain too. However summer in the good weather round N. Yorks was glorious- young and carefree and mortgageless ..........................
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If ever a car called out for electric power steering, it was the old Maestro diesel.
I had one for numerous years (you learn to follow - not overtake) often recording 60 MPG with relative ease. But that steering at anything below walking pace!
I recall one particular winter's journey, when crossing the county boundary, I realised from the snaking motion, the county gritters hadn't been out. I slowed to about 30 MPH, and the car gradually got colder and colder as the heater attempted take more heat than the engine was generating. I mournfully watched the temperature gauge creep lower as the passengers moans increased. Such is the price of economy.
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I always used to drive with my arm sat on an open window,i did this for years until a friends dad (a lorry driver) told me if i carried on i would get rheumatism in later years.
I took him at his word and stopped straight away and thinking back thank him for his words
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For me the car has caused some physical degeneration - and not become my car has power steering - it does'nt.
I can remember the days where I cycled (pedel cycle) at full pelt everywhere and frequently went on 20 miles rides without thinking about it. Cycling was done in any weather come torrential rain or ice, falling down never seemed to bother me at all.
Then as frequently happens to youngsters nowerdays I got a car. Cars are wonderfull, if it's a bit chilly or wet or late or dark or over 1 mile to your destination you use it - of course they also help transport me over vast distances.
But it has got me thinking I don't really do any excise now at all. During the week I drive to work and then drive home. During the weekend I drive to see my girlfriend and we sometimes go for slow walks during the day, but nothing stenouse. Another thing I noticed is how my body has got used to warmth. I sit in a warm house most of the day and then I move to a warm car. Cold weather seems to cause a lot more aches and pains than it did, and I don't think thats just my age.
Why are we obessing about power steering on this forum bemoaning how it makes us pansies, rather than our lack of general excise that the car affords us?
Over the last week I have tried to start cycling and taking more exicise, for my new job in Reading - Parking in the town centre is expensive and so I thought I should do some training so I can cycling into work for this new job. The results have been dramatic - I feel healther and full of confidence, rather than unfit and weazzy all the time.
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Torque means nothing without RPM
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Car heaters? as a child I can remember the days in my dads Austin 7 where the INSIDE of the windows used to ICE up!
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< Ulla>
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Car heaters? as a child I can remember the days in my dads Austin 7 where the INSIDE of the windows used to ICE up!
Luxury! My wife's cousin's hot water bottle froze solid in his bed.
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utter luxury
i remember going to the outside loo down the bottom of the garden breaking the ice in the pot and then ripping up the dailly mirror in anticipation of does need doing and i had a two foot icycle on my nose
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When I was younger, my brother and I used to live in a cardboard box in the middle of the road, and our dad used to thrash us to death with bread knives.
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Oh no ! Please, no dead parrots - AArgh! I look up to him etc.
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I didn't mean to start this thing again. I was just quoting.
But my wife's cousin's hot water bottle really did freeze solid in his bed.
Not when he was in it of course, but over the weekend.
Of course you would expect the automobile to cause physical degeneration. You know, people's legs atrophying and falling off for lack of use. Especially now that you don't have to grapple with a starting handle or even a wheelbrace and jack.
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But my wife's cousin's hot water bottle really did freeze solid in his bed. Not when he was in it of course but over the weekend.
Lud, I'm relieved to know that he was not in it - but when you say 'over the weekend' - do you mean that he was away for the weekend, or did it freeze during the day when he was in the house - i.e. he was in it both that night and the previous night?
I know that I am getting off motoring here, but for some reason, this fascinates me. Something to do with living in cold houses. Yes, as I type this, I have chilblains.
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What's a hot water bottle? Don't you just put hot embers from the fire into a copper pan on the end of a pole?
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C`mon guys ;) It took me 2 hours to tap out my originating thread with one cold finger;)
( written with warmth and humour, but hoping for more:)
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Sad to say but at 37 I've got a dodgy back. When I bought a 2005 new shape Focus I was pretty pleased with the car, but after 2 months had to get rid of it as the design of the seats caused terrible backache!
Now I have to really test the seats out before I buy!
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Just to be brief in satisfying tyro's prurient curiosity, he was away for the weekend. The house, at the end of Oxford High St almost opposite Magdalen College, was indeed extremely cold in winter, especially the rooms at the back. I know because I once stayed there myself.
Edited by Lud on 12/11/2007 at 13:14
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Thank you, Lud.
I looked up "prurient" in my dictionary (Chambers) and discovered: "itching:uneasily or morbidly interested, curious or craving:dallying with lascivious thoughts: causing itching (bot., rare)" Apparently it comes from the Latin word for 'to itch'. One learns something every day. Yup, I was just itching to know. Could be my chilblains, of course . . . :-)
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I'm not sure if it is my increasing decrepitude (I'm 49) but I, like most others I suspect, have had my expectations raised in terms of comfort and driver assistance.
Who would want to go back to vinyl seats? Freezing in winter and hot and sweaty in summer.
Cars with no heater?
No rear screen demister?
Drag link steering?
Cart spring suspension?
Manual chokes?
Cross ply tyres?
Poor aerodynamics leading to horrendous wind noise?
Yes all those cars worked fine as basic transportation and still have a certain "retro" appeal but to be honest we are all used to rather more comfort as a basic minimum standard.
Not just in cars either, central heating, draught proofing, double glazing, fitted carpets etc are all almost regarded as basic essentials now although they were luxuries in my youth.
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