New MOT test coming in.

[Peter Hill]

But "Locost", Caterham and Morgan aren't listed.

My 1993 1.8L 200SX isn't listed (S13 1988-93), just the model after (1994-98).

I can't find a tyre pressure check - you are all bangin on about more Fin FUD.

Tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS)

The inspection of the tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) is for M1 vehicles first used on or after 1 January 2012.

"The TPMS warning lamp (see diagram 3) can operate in many ways depending on the vehicle type. You must only reject vehicles if it's clear that the lamp indicates a system malfunction and not simply indicating that one or more of the tyre pressures is low."

If you have TPMS it has to be working, if the TPMS lamp shows it's faulty - Major fails MOT and has to be fixed. If it says the tyre is under-inflated and it isn't then it's minor - you will PASS MOT and be told to get it sorted. If it says the tyre is under-inflated and it is that's a minor fail - you will PASS MOT and be told to put some Fin air in the tyres.

Basically if it shows a low pressure it will make you check and that's safe. If it's faulty then you may depend on it but won't tell you the tyre is under-inflated so you won't check and that's dangerous.

It's far easier to just keep a car that don't have any of this crap on it. (If it failed the ABS would be removed from my 200SX - it's permitted.) It's going to make it close to impossible to for any current car to be kept long enough to become a classic car. You may find new spares at 20 years old but at 40 unless you have filled a garage full of spare parts you have no chance.

[The Other Mike]

Over time 'electronic' things have become significantly less repairable, surface mount being one driver, higher component density being another. Even service information is less accessible than it once was.

For instance up to the early 1990's you could (at least in the UK) buy genuine very high quality 'colour' (red, green & black) service manuals for Sony products for not very much (like less than a tenner delivered) enabling just about all consumer products and the like to be repaired either by skilled individuals or independent repair shops.

By the late 1990's it was all on microfiche and then DVD, the prohibitive cost excluding many individuals, and while Sony would sell spares via their service centres other makes were less accessible for both service information and spares provision.

Things like regunning tv tubes was still relatively cheap and common in the

80's, same with video head retipping, within a few short years both were extinct, way before 'replacement' technology in the form of LCD's and PVR's were in place. Last time I priced up the main head for a Panasonic S-VHS they were about 400 quid and on an extended lead time. If you need to do a video transfer there is less and less kit out there to fit the bill.

Many professional 'repairs' now are just board or module swaps, or even priced out of the market because spending 500 quid on labour and a pcb makes the repair of a two and a bit year old 600 quid TV a bit daft. If it's a main pcb you might even have to upload new firmware which requires specific tools / software and access to the manufacturers 'dealer only' website.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Whilst that is true, it is far more likely on a car engine electronics for a sensor etc to fail. And of course dirty etc connectors.

And much of that can be checked with simple equipment.

But so many these days have decided it is all far too complicated so don't want to learn how to check even the simpler stuff. Sadly this includes many garages.

[Steve Walker]

And how does that help? It is a kit-car; kit manufacturer unlisted; they never gave a recommended figure (they couldn't because they had no idea what size and width of tyres you'd use); suspension has been modified from their design; recommendations from the owners' club and members have been anything between 28 psi and 18 psi.

Since the suspension mods, I run 24 psi, but many garages might consider that a low figure, nevermind the 18 psi pre-mods!

SteveW

[The Other Mike]

Not even the vehicle make listed there

[alan_m]

Judging by the age of many people who own/drive the higher engine spec. modern cars younger people do have the disposable cash but they prefer to spend it on something reliable rather than old rust buckets of 40 or

50 years ago which most sensible people were glad to see the back of.

Just because something is old doesn't make it a classic but perhaps a classic example of how not to design a reliable car.

In my 40 years of driving every car that I've purchased has given me a better driving experience than the previously owned car. I wouldn't want to go back to driving any of my first cars.

[tabbypurr]

Yet ancient cars are often worth a small fortune.

NT

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Most don't have an old car as an alternative to a modern one, but in addition to.

Classic is merely the accepted term. Covers all from a Lada to Ferrari.

No one forces anyone into a hobby. Many can't understand the waste of time that is football - but to others it is a way of life.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Some a very large fortune. ;-)

[Hankat]

Sure, but so are fancy painting, stamps and coins etc, none of which I would even bother with myself.

[dennis]

Something isn't good just because its expensive. It just means more than one person wants it.

[Peter Hill]

Shopping trolleys on personal lease start at £120pm, £1,440pa up to £156pm, £1,872pa. Need a 9 month payment up front, £1,080 - £1,404.

£260pm, £3,110pa gets them a BMW 320d with £2,340 initial payment. £14,560 for 4 years with a £35K car.

I haven't looked at lease residual value and end of lease terms. Bet the punter isn't too bothered either. that's a long way off. Sadly 2014 320d is only worth £16k so someone has to make up the £4K loss.

If you have to pay for maintenance then a new car on personal lease with servicing included and long warranty is really saving money. Any old car if used for daily transport can often incur higher bills. If you maintain it yourself as a hobby then it's cheaper as you can source 2nd hand parts.

The only things a modern car could bring to my driving experience is flash programmable ECU, direct injection and variable valve timing. The application of these technologies to my 1.8L 16V turbo would easily take it from 170bhp to 250bhp and re-flash to 300bhp. Yes it would also be safer, come with air bags with the price of being +300Kg heavier, 20cm wider, 5cm taller, bigger more expensive tyres to hold that power and weight on the road.

It's value has gone up by £3000 over the last 8 years, while a new car would have lost £30K over that time.

And I wouldn't keep finding notes and cards from people that want me to add them to the list of prospective buyers should I ever want to sell. Sadly none of them have ever made a cash offer.

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

Does it matter? They just pump them up, pass it, then you let them down again.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

It's sad in some ways. Pushes many cars out of the reach of hobbyists into speculators.

[tabbypurr]

and people want them because in some way(s) they're good. We all know that in some other ways they're not good.

NT

[dennis]

That the same with quite a few things, models like my n gauge pendolino are selling used for £700+ on ebay ATM but they only cost £400 new.

There aren't many of them about having been made to pre-orders and no retail run being done.

Maybe I should have left it in the box instead of playing with it?

[whisky-dave]

Thjat applies to most things, but the majoroty of these things aren't because they are good or not it's because they are wanted because others want them and that's about all they are worth the desire that others have for them.

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

Why is that naughty? I did the same with mine, except I just removed th= e door and stuck in a window for extra light.

-- =

Why is bra singular and panties plural?

[Peter Hill]

It changes the rateable value, hiding it is fraud.

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

No more than adding a conservatory or building a new shed or garage, whi= ch also need no planning permission.

I assume you're referring to the value for council tax purposes. They d= on't have a clue anyway, they charge council tax based on the value when= you bought it. If you bought your house 30 years ago, you're probably = on a band that means you pay half what a new owner would if you sold it.=

-- =

Stupidity is the basic building block of the universe - Frank Zappa