Hey,
Lay off the cats...
Larry Miller
----- Original Message -----
From <GreenBugeye at aol.com>
To: <Toby@intri-plex.com>; <spridgets@autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, December 06, 2000 12:50 PM
Subject: Re: new cars, was [Fwd: My TR7/TR8/MR2 choice]
> In a message dated 12/6/00 2:39:07 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> Toby@intri-plex.com writes:
>
> > As much as we love the quirks of our British cars, There is something to
be
> > said about current vehicles. The original author was trying to show that
how
> > he thought his car was alive and he never felt alone when he was driving
it.
> > But the same can be said with any car you work on and know the ins and
outs.
> > Even my old reliable land cruiser feels this way. It is not only British
> > vehicles that have a spirit. I must say though that in modern cars, that
are
> > hardly unique, it still proves true, to a much lesser degree. Car owners
and
> > enthusiasts always treat their cars as so. My soon to be brother-in-law
with
> > his very new Tundra likes to floor it from time to time to "stretch out
her
> > legs". Perhaps it is because some of us don't know exactly how their
smarts
> > work that we don't appreciate new vehicles. After I took my auto
electronics
> > class, I had a whole new look on modern cars. The amount of engineering
and
> > work in them is mind-boggling compared to our Spridgets. This is
probably
> > one of the very reasons that we like our cars, the simplicity of all the
> > systems independently working together to get you from point A, to B.
> > Today's systems are so inter-linked electronically to make them "work
> > better" that I would say %95 of drivers have no idea what is pulling
them
> > forward and moving them around town AND have no idea of the workings
behind
> > their climate controlled leather interior. Not only to people not know
what
> > is going on, but they have NO desire to know. Sometimes I try to explain
how
> > my sister's cell phone works to her, but hey eyes just glaze over and sh
e
> > starts dialing. I am really sad for them. Advertisements for new cars
purely
> > show the looks and sometimes performance of the vehicle without one
thought
> > on instructing anybody on how they actually work. They like to throw
around
> > buzz words like like VTECH and VVT-i but without even trying to explain
> > them. When I was looking for an AUDI for my mother, the sales man was
quick
> > to point out that this vechile had the quattro option. I asked himn
about
> > it, since I had heard so much about it. He knew NOTHING on it. No
brochures,
> > no nothing. Even the mechanics were dumbfounded. But this model did have
it,
> >
>
> The system on my S4 is mechanical, with 75% of power going up front and
25%
> going to the rear until the fronts start to lose traction. Then it can go
as
> far in the other direction as 75% rear, 25% front. Alas, it also has a
neat
> little lighted switch that, when pressed, magically locks the rear diff up
to
> 22 mph. And really comfy heated seats, too! And a built-in
> voice-recognition hands-free cell phone that kills the radio volume when
you
> ask it to call someone! (I more or less got all that info from the owners
> manual.)
>
> How does all that stuff work? I don't know but, more importantly, I don't
> care. If I want to drive a car that I basically understand (and I use the
> term "understand" in the loosest possible fashion here), I drive the
Bugeye
> or the TR. But if I absolutely, positively have to be there, I use the
S4.
>
> And note the terms I just used off the cuff for operating those cars:
"drive"
> the Brits, "use" the S4.
>
> I had a 93 Honda Prelude Si for one year -- I sold it because it was the
best
> handling, quickest little no fun car I ever had. In fact, I have yet to
> drive a Japanese car that I really enjoyed. They just seem to lack soul.
> Very efficient, precise, reliable appliances, but no more.
>
> My newest theory on all this (as if any of you give a rat's rear), is that
> it's not the complexity per se that makes modern cars less "soulful" than
the
> oldsters -- it's the fact that some cars just seem to be living, breathing
> things that communicate with their owners (like dogs) and some just seem
to
> be soulless appliances (like cats).
>
> Let the flaming begin!
>
> Chris
> 59 Bugeye
> 59 TR3A
> (ex) 71 MG Midget
> 93 Audi S4 TQ
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