I don't like old cars

[duckers26]

Now this may well be because the cars are old as in a bit worn out, rather than classic ones which feel like they did when new, but I just don't get on with old cars. They feel fragile and unsafe and like they wouldn't be able to stop quickly/avoid something. I guess I've never owned a car without ABS/ESP etc and although I've probably only used them a couple of times it's reassuring to know they're there. Is this just me or perhaps it's my friends driving!

[DrTre]

what do you mean by old?

[Baffled Spoon]

duckers26 said:

I guess I've never owned a car without ABS/ESP etc

Your old '91 Metro 1.1 had ABS/ESP

[rb5230]

DrTre said:

what do you mean by old?

+1, are you meaning 10 years old or 20 years old or 30 years old?

[duckers26]

Old enough to have lost that "tight" feeling and wallowy! Friends K reg golf as an example

[duckers26]

Baffled Spoon said:

Your old '91 Metro 1.1 had ABS/ESP

Fair point, I was too young to sense fear then!

[r1ch]

On the flip side, i dont like new cars.

[Mastodon2]

My car is 10 years old, has no ABS, no traction control, only one airbag, drum brakes at the rear etc, but I have never considered it dangerous, nor have I felt endangered by the lack of "safety aids" when driving it. I would not drive it if it were dangerous - things like ABS etc are useful as long as they don't mar the driving experience, but they are not the be all and end all of a car.

[rb5230]

duckers26 said:

Old enough to have lost that "tight" feeling and wallowy! Friends K reg golf as an example

mk3 golfs were wallowy when new, never exactly felt tight.

so did your metro have abs/esp?

[cuprabob]

Some earlier generations of cars are great to drive even with modest power outputs as they weigh almost half their modern counterparts and don't have gadgets which reduce the driving experience.

I still have fond memories of my MK1 Golf GTI, no power steering, 13" alloys with 175/70 tyres and no ESP/ABS, in fact the brakes were it's weak point. Went like stink and handled great even with, by modern standards, bogey wheels

[DrTre]

rb5230 said:

mk3 golfs were wallowy when new, never exactly felt tight.

That.

In general though, you're probably right but is it surprising that as things get older they wear and deteriorate? A well maintained example of anything should feel OK. Depends on the model of car too.

Flipside is I don't really like new (cooking) cars, and find them to be heavy and unwieldy (there are always exceptions).

[Mastodon2]

duckers26 said:

Old enough to have lost that "tight" feeling and wallowy! Friends K reg golf as an example

New steering rack, refreshed suspension, good tyres? The whole point of servicing and maintaing a vehicle is to keep it feeling slick and nice. I sat in a 1990 MK2 Golf GTI this morning and while it had a load of other problems, the gearbox felt nice and the pedals were nicely weighted. Old does not necessarily mean "soggy old turd" by definition.

[Harri Vederci]

I've found that with all the new cars I've driven they don't tell you very much about what they are doing... if that makes sense?

[tr7v8]

duckers26 said:

Old enough to have lost that "tight" feeling and wallowy! Friends K reg golf as an example

So where would this stand, rebuilt from the ground up at vast cost, lots of it all new?

[duckers26]

Mastodon2 said:

New steering rack, refreshed suspension, good tyres? The whole point of servicing and maintaing a vehicle is to keep it feeling slick and nice. I sat in a 1990 MK2 Golf GTI this morning and while it had a load of other problems, the gearbox felt nice and the pedals were nicely weighted. Old does not necessarily mean "soggy old turd" by definition.

Would be really interested to go in a "timewarp" version of something like that. It's probably because the older cars I've been in have been older because the owner couldn't afford a new one rather than wanted to cherish and run an older car.

[Baz Tench]

OP you need to get behind the wheel of a nicely looked after 205GTi.

You may change your mind then....

[Motorrad]

What you really seem to be saying here is that you don't like knackered, worn out POS cars.

Neither do I.

[aww999]

My Mk1 MR2 handled like 10lbs of crap in a 5lb bag when I bought it. I did a total suspension rebuild, and fitted bigger brakes front+rear, and it was transformed into a razor sharp go-kart. I miss that car . . . if it hadn't been for Toyotas "Reducing Unwanted Steel over Time" system (ie crap underseal and no drain holes) I would never have sold it!

[Larry Dickman]

Don't buy one then. Simple.

[NiceCupOfTea]

duckers26 said:

Now this may well be because the cars are old as in a bit worn out, rather than classic ones which feel like they did when new, but I just don't get on with old cars. They feel fragile and unsafe and like they wouldn't be able to stop quickly/avoid something. I guess I've never owned a car without ABS/ESP etc and although I've probably only used them a couple of times it's reassuring to know they're there. Is this just me or perhaps it's my friends driving!

On the flip side, new cars are so over assisted and insulated from the road that I feel unsafe as I can't tell what the car is doing. Likewise people driving them make me nervous!
It's amazing how I survived with my parents driving me around in 70s and 80s cars!