What car do you want for Christmas?

Alfa’s Alfa has disappeared. 😱 I thought that they had finally sorted the reliability issues with the brand. 🙂

Wherefore art thou, Romeo? The purple flying alfatar still appears on my Convo.

Having driven a friend’s Morris 8 and done an ’emergency slow’ (intentional, to evaluate the braking performance), maybe vintage cars are not for me, though I find them interesting to look at and chat with their owners. I always wanted to drive a Sinclair C5 and might have a chance next year, thanks to getting to know someone who has one, and also a Morris Minor.

It’s fascinating how the controls of cars have changed over the years. My father talked of using a manual advance/r****d for the ignition and though I have seen this I have not driven a car with this feature.

I miss my old neighbour who had various vintage cars (one at a time) and took them to shows. Like a growing number of vintage car enthusiasts he was not very technical and always appreciated help. I must drop in with a Christmas card.

Edit: My post has been victim of the good old Which? profanity filter. What I’m referring to is a hand-operated control for the ignition timing.

I learnt on a Bedford 1962 minibus, that was eight years old, with a steering column gear shift, a battery that fell off when we cornered too quickly, sliding doors that also fell off from time to time, a horn button that would leap out for no reason, brakes that only worked one one side of the front wheels and no heating. It cost me £10.

Ah, for the days before the MoT 🙂

I don’t understand why cars made before 1977, and still on the road, are exempt from MoT. I suppose if they are defective and involved in an accident their insurance may be void and the police may well prosecute, or the victims sue, but an annual mandatory safety check should be in everyone’s interests. Most people consulted apparently were not in favour of the idea but it was pushed through anyway. I think MoTs prevented a lot of defective vehicles from being driven, until fixed, and should apply to all vehicles whatever their age.

Absolutely. Perhaps the theory is that owners of vintage cars are knowledgeable and keep them in tip-top condition. Many do but others buy them to use or to take to shows.

Back in the 50s when I was a little lad I remember my father driving at 80mph (indicated) in a Civil Service Ford car where the vacuum-operated windscreen wipers slowed down as the speed increased or when going uphill. He did explain the reason. He should have been a scientist or engineer.

I wouldn’t class a 1977 car as vintage though, it joins the accolade “classic”. I agree many will be lovingly cared for but whether they are all then “safe” is questionable There are a number of relatively inexpensive 1960-77 cars on the market – Mini, Allegro, Minor, Minx etc – that will have dubious safety if not looked after by experienced and knowledgeable people.

I drove a Ford Anglia 100E for a while and as the accelerator was depressed so the manifold vacuum decreased and the reservoir was exhausted, but so was the car – I never remember getting it above 60 and if I had, might not be here to tell the tale. But it was a useful little car at the time.

I believe the reason why pre-1977 cars are exempt from MoT exams is that there are no testing stations with the facilities and expertise to undertake them. Wavechange gave the probable answer that they are treated with TLC, never raced or rallied, and rarely run on the road usually being taken to shows and events on trailers.

I always loved two-tone cars with white-wall tyres. No style these days.

That was probably a Ford. What rubbish those wipers were – they were actuated by the vaccuum in the inlet manifold I seem to remember. Cheaper than providing an electric motor I guess.

Although I love old cars I completely disagree with them being exempt from MOT. Most don’t get used all that much and it is quite possible that the owners will not bother to rectify faults that should be done, simply because it is not worth the effort for only a few miles each year. I am also against extending the first MOT from 3 to 4 years for new cars but that is another matter.

I agree with both your points. It’s worth having a look at the MOT history of cars, using their registration number: https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history

I didn’t realise pre-1977 cars were now exempt from an MoT.

That means my first 2 rust-buckets could legally be on the road now. 😱

In the days before pc thought/guilt/mind control, we knew a local garage that would MoT anything, so why go anywhere else?

Your Ford went faster than my Ford malcolm, with a top speed of 50mph. It also ran on fresh air most of the time so I became an expert in changing the fuel pump that got clogged up with rust from the fuel tank. I carried a spare from the scrap yard cleaned and ready to use and got quite adept at changing it at the side of the road.

I had an equally skint flat-mate with a similar rust-bucket and between us and the scrap yard, we learned a lot about car mechanics and keeping our cars going. I always had legal tyres though and never remoulds as I didn’t trust them.

These days, I am glad to say I can afford to belong to the AA, get someone else to service my car and have 4 matching tyres. 🙂🙃🙂🙃🙂

Anyone driving a car that is defective could be prosecuted, so that would apply to a two year old car with worn tyres and a little used vintage car with seized brakes.

Good job you did not have an 70s Lancia, Alfa. I remember tales of engines falling out because of rust. 🙁

MoT is valuable in that it forces people to have an annual inspection.Subsequent maintenance is still, of course, required. I’d rather see safe cars on the road than rely on prosecuting those who neglect them – if they are ever caught, which might only be after an accident. Too late then.

Notwithstanding the exemption from an MoT exam, Alfa, it remains a legal requirement for any road vehicle to be entirely roadworthy and to comply with all relevant regulations. This means your two first rust-buckets could only “legally be on the road now” if they were maintained in proper mechanical condition. I would guess that they would be beyond economical repair by now unless a small fortune had been spent on them over the years. And they would still be uncomfortable. Such was her affection for it my sister ran an old Morris Minor [with trafficators on the B body pillars] for many years after it was really costing far too much to keep going.

Even with the MOT, many don’t keep their cars roadworthy. Just looking at the MOT history of a few cars will show that many have failed MOTs for bald tyres, faulty lights and other problems that every driver should check for. An annual check is simply not enough.

Insurance (if they have any) is also likely to be invalid if the car is not kept in a roadworthy condition. An MoT should detect failures that require immediate attention (worn ball joint, defective exhaust, brake pads on the limit perhaps) but will also give “advisories” – matters you should attend to sooner not later to prevent a problem – discs getting worn, brake pipes with a deteriorating outer say. But in the end it is up to the owner to look after their vehicle – and be responsible if it goes sub–standard.

My cousin had a 1938 Ford eight and if the rod operated breaks were not adjusted every few days you had to stop it by dragging your feet on the road through the hole on the floor The first part is true but it was reluctant to stop if not done my spelling ??

Heaters were extras on many cars then !

Steering column gear-change had a whole different meaning in those pre-automatic days. A triumph of engineering, however. The Hillman Minx was quite a roomy vehicle and fairly reliable [in the sense that it wouldn’t start every day in the winter].

I used to drive vans in my holidays for a neighbour, who had a wholesale grocery business, to small shops all round a very hilly city. He always overloaded them and this played havoc with the column gear change on an Austin J2 (if I remember the model correctly). The load distorted the body and made selecting gear quite an art.

J2s gear change was fine until the linkage got a little worn then getting the gear you wanted was a matter of luck I have driven several of them and found the only certain gear was first

Not in my case – I first started driving on a Fordson Major tractor with rather rudimentary controls, no comfort, and not much protection. I was too young to drive it on the roads though so I had to ride on the mudguard with the dog. Happy days!

I was once loaned a new tractor and 10 tonne trailer by a local farmer. He told me all about the controls but forgot to mention that it was a good idea to press both brake pedals together. How was I to know that the left and right wheels had independent brakes? I learned that day.

I wonder why gear lever positions have never been standardised? Reverse appears all over the place. The same as stalk switches on columns; sometimes wipers are on the left, sometimes on the right…….I see a safety standard required.

What happened to common sense and cooperation?

Blame the computer everything today is decided by computer By the way have you ever driven a vehicle with a Chinese gear change I do not suppose you have even heard of them

I too started driving on a Fordson major or rather I was put on the seat and told to steer over the rows of newly cut grass I progressed to starting and stopping a short time later There was no need to learn how to change gear as gears could not be changed when moving on tractors then I was about 9 years old

Computers do not have any common sense

Sadly, neither do many people…

You wouldn’t need the speed limiter, Elisa, honest.