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18887. thoughtful - 3/14/2006 6:11:03 PM opel gt's were cute.
the mini cooper is about as small as we have them here now, but i remember the very early honda civics that were really wee...one I saw had stenciled in the back window "Tonka"
but for size, you couldn't get much smaller than the mg midget:
 18888. PelleNilsson - 3/14/2006 6:42:13 PM 
The Mini was our second car. What I remember most about it was the long, angled gearstick like in a truck and the imprecise gear positions.
This was our first car (my car actually, we weren't married then).
Colin Powell has a fine collection of them. Ours was memorable for the amount of engine oil it consumed while approching its unglorious end.
18889. Jenerator - 3/14/2006 10:58:25 PM Macnas,
I didn't realize your red car is an Opel?
Remember LeCars?
I saw three wheeled cars last time I was in Paris. 18890. Jenerator - 3/14/2006 10:59:19 PM Wish I still had my Opel GT
Mine was white. 18891. wonkers2 - 3/14/2006 11:46:23 PM GM's improved quality isn't a rumor. I'ts been a fact for several years And the durability is good also as measured by warranty costs, thanks to robust engineering. Sabotage is so rare as to be non-existent. You have a closed mind on the subject and you are paying an unnecessary premium over GM or Ford cars as a result. 18892. anomie - 3/14/2006 11:56:12 PM Jen, there were still a lot of three-wheeled Robin Reliants in England when you were there. Remember seeing any? 18893. anomie - 3/15/2006 12:01:46 AM Wonks, I've rented some GM cars over the past 10 years or so, and they weren't too bad. But I remember when American car manufacturers were cruising on poor quality at the expense of safety and reliability - the 70's - and I've lost any loyalty I may have had to American cars. I grew up thnking front end joints had to be replaced every two years and thinking 80K miles on the odometer was about it. First time I drove a 78 Toyota I was hooked. Even a cheap car like that was a revelation od what a car should be compared with GM. Takes a long time to forget stuff like that. 18894. Jenerator - 3/15/2006 12:02:54 AM I was in Paris a year ago October.
I don't remembers eeing any three-wheeled cars in England.
hmmm.
18895. Jenerator - 3/15/2006 12:03:26 AM How often does Uzzmakk come around? I am curious what his latest book acquistion was/is. 18896. anomie - 3/15/2006 12:05:08 AM My car has two very irritating "features". The stereo raises the volume all by itself as I accelerate. This bugs the hell out of me, especially if I'm trying to talk with someone. And I get an alarm buzz anytime the outdoor temp reaches 37 degrees. Makes me jump. One of these days I'm gonna hit something when that damn buzzer goes off.
Auto climate control is pretty useless too. 18897. anomie - 3/15/2006 12:06:56 AM Google on Robin Reliant and see if you recognize it, Jen. At some angles it looks like both front wheels are missing. 18898. alistairConnor - 3/15/2006 12:15:56 AM Mac, dissing French cars for the electrics is like criticizing Japanese cars for rust... so nineties. They got over those problems.
And parts? any decent garage will get them from the factory in 24 hours, for any Renault or Peugeot/Citroen...
... oh.
So, drive an Irish car then! 18899. alistairConnor - 3/15/2006 12:19:01 AM My Citroen van is far too big for me. Especially for commuting and parking in town. I really should have a little car for that, preferably a hybrid, but I'll have to wait till the van is about 5 years old so I can afford it. Then I'll keep the van, 20 years or so, for its real purpose : holidays. 18900. anomie - 3/15/2006 12:34:06 AM Jeremy Clarkson is a car critic and writer for the UK times. Funny guy and always a fun read in the weekend edition.
Speaking of the times. Check the Food and Drink section for A.A. Gill's pieces. Another very funny restaurant critic who gets around to the food in gthe last few sentences.
Both these guys only recently accessable online. For free, anyway. 18901. wonkers2 - 3/15/2006 12:55:47 AM Anomie, what you said was true in the 60s and 70s, but quite a while back GM got the message and has been playing catch-up ball with Toyota, even to the point of forming a joint venture (NUMMI) in order to have a first hand learning opportunity. Robust engineering for durability has been a watchword in GM for 15 years or so. They aren't quite there yet, but the improvement has been spectacular. You mention replacing suspensions--I'm driving a 2001 Oldsmobile Intrigue with 150,000 miles on it with the original shock absorbers, and exhaust system. The only thing I've had to replace was the alternator and of course brakes and one set of tires at around 100,000 miles. (A majority of the miles were on an Interstate highway between Detroit and Lansing, Michigan.) 18902. Jenerator - 3/15/2006 1:25:20 AM Anomie,
I don't doubt that they (the Reliant) were in England, I just don't recall seeing them. I think I was more fascinated by how well kept the cars were overall. My husband and I never saw dinged up cars when we there last time. Plus, we would count how many Range Rovers would drive by in a minute in London! 18903. anomie - 3/15/2006 1:29:07 AM Wonks, I believe what you're saying is true, but they lost a lot of customers back then. I actually bought an AMC Hornet, trying to be a good buy-American consumer. Last (new) American car I ever bought. I know that's not a GM product, but my brother had a Vega.
But it's also a matter of style. I think Honda and Toyota keep getting that part right and GM plays catch-up. The Cadillac looks good, but that's about it, unless you like the retro look. 18904. anomie - 3/15/2006 1:34:47 AM Jen, there's a whole "street-cred" thing going on with cars in England, and part of that is the license plate. Up till just a year or so ago, the plate showed the year of the car and people payed a premium to be the first with that year's registration letter..."Yeah I'm cool, I drive a J-reg)"... that kind of thing. This was true for all ages too. AND it was job-related kind of perk to have the most recent reg number.
My GF at the time was very frustrated in the States. She kept asking me how I knew the year of everyone's car. Of course I didn't give a rat's ass and she was baffled by that. 18905. wonkers2 - 3/15/2006 1:56:57 AM Toyota, in my opinion, is not a style leader. That distinction, at the moment, goes to Nissan, whose chief designer started out at GM, BTW. The new Ford Fusion/ Mercury Milan is a nice clean design, in my opinion. So is the Buick Lacrosse. If you like Toyota but want to buy American and help conserve gasoline, get a Pontiac Vibe which is built by NUMMI in Fremont, California, on the same assembly line and with the same components as the Corolla. The two are essentially the same car with a different badge. 18906. anomie - 3/15/2006 2:18:04 AM Toyota may not be the style leader. You have a good point about Nissan. Honda is out front too.
Made in America hardly matters anymore. Toyotas, Hondas and BMWs are assembled here, and many American brand cars import parts. The companies are pretty much global, aren't they? So it's mainly a job thing, and it mainly doesn't matter anymore.
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