When it comes to cars there are four types of young people, I am talking new drivers not 20 somethings:
1/ Knows nothing about cars and has no idea how dangerous they can be, drives too fast at all times (except when they have run out of petrol or put diesel in it), doesnt know how an engine works or where the oil goes, a legal tyre is one that has just a little air in it, a light is to see by so if one of them works then, well it's ok, a car is only a means to get to the pub, club, Topshop or copshop with the latest 5 day wonder.
2/ Knows nothing about cars and is not really interested though gives their car a cute name and can top up the washer level if required, also cleans it now and then with a dish cloth and Fairy liquid, realises that cars can be dangerous, keeps forgetting where the fog light switch is, drives too cautiously, a car is only a means to get to the gym, cricket club or stables.
3/ Is interested in tarting up cars, understands little about engines though knows the difference between bass and treble, what a wheel spacer is and how to apply caliper paint, is a nutter on the road.
4/ Is interested in cars and motorsport, drives quickly though is fairly sensible, enjoys tinkering with engines, understands the 4-stroke cycle, how a turbocharger works and how to spell "viscosity".
;-)
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Anyone else worried by the fact that I most closely identify with category four? ;)
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But which category do your friends identify you with, PG? :o)
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Anyone else worried by the fact that I most closely identify with category four? ;)
Girly girls are a PITA, so no. ;o)
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Spot on Avant. I was very confused on a recent stag night I attended (I am not as wholesome as to be in a choir, plus I can't sing) as to why so many people were sarcastic about the fact that the ages of attendeed ranged from 20 to 55. People seem to actually enjoy limiting themselves to people of their own age, background and income.... seems to promote narrow-mindedness to me.
Mind you, anyone who disagrees with me is either an old codger or a young hooligan, depending on their age. : )
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TVM, what is a PITA? You understand these things!!! Is it a type of bread?
Ho ho.
On a language-related aside, I watched the 1956 version of 'Around the world in 80 Days' this afternoon. Sad, I know, but worth it to hear David Niven say to Passportout "we'll have no more of that fiddle faddle, dash it".
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TVM, what is a PITA?
Who? ;o)
PITA = Pain in the ....
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Arris
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Thats Aristotle
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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As in bottle
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Bottle and Glass
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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I have to admit that like the youf of today I'm not interested in cars, and sorry Leonora, I don't think I give a stuff about being perceived as being too old by the car I drive. I didn't learn to drive until I was 28 (passed first time) and bought a £100 Marina. [Sold after 10 months for £70 - now there's depreciation !) and there was a certain obligation to know enough to keep it running (replacing alternator brushes, for example). These days on these boards I see posts about how somebody's daughter wouldn't be seen dead in a Micra, wants a model x, etc. There seems to be a different attitude to things that are expected and commonplace (and, with modern cars, better made!). I suppose people are better off, and it certainly seems to affect the way they treat possessions.
I wonder if the young people who are most conscious of style ("oh no, not a Micra")
are also the best at maintaining their cars, or is it a reverse correlation?
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£7000 for a D reg Dolly. Flippin 'eck !, get a decent Landie for that !
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Absolutely spot-on fluter! Well said.
I drive one of the most boringly reliable cars around, a Nissan Almera. It gets serviced regularly (by me, a 20 year-old "yoof of today"!!), oil change every 6 months (which equates to 4,000 miles!), and I don't expect it'll let me down in a hurry.
Fashionable "must-have" cars that are bought for teenagers, for example the Fiat Punto and Ford Ka, are often neglected because these people don't understand cars (who'd buy a fiat if they did?!?!?!?!). The engine in the Ka is particularly prone to problems like plugs rusting into the head, head-gaskets going and oil emulsifying etc etc etc. The punto engines aren't much better. Someone I used to work with had an old fiesta 1.3, and hadn't had the oil changed in 3 years. Bet he's not still got the car!
If I were buying a 5 year-old 2nd hand car, I'd buy a micra over a "hairdresser's" Audi TT, any day! I'd be laughing all the way to the bank, and PAST the repair shop!
People who worry about their image need therapy, not fancy cars.
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Cars are like mobile phones to the fashion slaves. It is not enough to have one, you must have the "Right One", even though know you naff all about them. I remember a conversation with someone which went;
Him "Wow, look, an Escort injection!"
Me "What's an injection, then?"
Him "I dunno".
--
Robin Reliant, formerly known as Tom Shaw
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This is an interesting debate.
I'm 25 and was taught by my Grandad as an 8 year old how to check the levels, change tyres and later to change the oil. I check levels, tyre pressures etc. regularly. I've never had cause to change the oil, because this has always been done alongside routine servicing at the garage....
But my parents (both 60) rarely check anything under the bonnet of their cars. They have very little interest in anything motoring and seem to assume it will "all be alright", relying on the garage doing the servicing to do the necessary. Dad checks tyre pressures, fills up his washer bottle, and that's it. But they run new-ish cars replaced every 4 to 5 years and so never really have any problems, except my Dad's 93 Rover 214 which developed head gasket problems after it ran out of coolant...
My FiL is an experienced engineer who rebuilds vintage motorcycles to an incredibly high standard for fun. Until recently he had a company car, and his wife always drove old bangers. None were EVER serviced. In fact I doubt the bangers had an oil change ever. He maintained the attitude that he would sort problems when they developed, which they regularly did, and I'm quite sure he spent many unnecessary hours under the bonnet. Mind you, two of my MiL's cars were Yugos...
So I agree with previous posters, there is a general lack of interest in routine car maintenance, and I don't think it's necessarily an age-related thing.
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"Mind you, two of my MiL's cars were Yugos.."
I think thats grounds for divorce.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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"Mind you, two of my MiL's cars were Yugos.." I think thats grounds for divorce. ------------------------------ TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
well ive given my wife some tat to run about in over the years but even i would have drawn the line at bringing hugo the yugo home and said 'here you are dear aint she a beut' ;-)
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Hi
The problem I see with a lot of posts and information about youth is 'opinion'. We as humans must try to respect peoples views and what they believe in. If they buy a car for fashion status, let it be.
In general, I don't think youth are any better or worse than they used to be. A lot seems to be about their upbringing, their school and friends.
At the end of the day, we live life to do what we enjoy to do, and it seems it is a lot easier to do it now, for example, we earn more, holidays are cheap, clubbing is cheap etc, etc. And in the 'olden days', people did the same.
For example, my dad had a car for showing off when he was young, and now he has one for reliability e.g. a toyota. We change through our lives, our priorities change, our interests change and all in all this is good. I suppose just appreciate the fact we all have freedom to do what we want, and everyone can do whatever they want. And this is fine as long as it doesn't harm anyone ( inc. oneself) and is legal.
There are however, lots of issues with youth. But they were always were (for example drugs, problem people etc etc). One just needs to understand it is their first attempt at life, in doing things without their family. Of course, they will make mistakes just like me and everyone in the world, but we learn from them and life is too short to dwell on them. Just to look at them in a positive light and develop!
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