Ford Van Door Sill

Why I don't want a new car

A recent article in ‘Popular Mechanics’, a venerable and rather eccentric American gadget magazine dealt with the supposed merits of the modern automobile.

Forget what the classic motor brigade says, the author insisted. Old cars were rubbish. They were slow, crashed a lot, were likely to kill you when they did and came with few of the creature comforts that we now take for granted.

I am not sure. Of course modern cars are safer and faster than cars made 40 years ago. But something is missing. Despite huge technological leaps, for the most part cars have become dull, overblown and lack engineering and design flair. Here are the ways – and the possible reasons – why the modern car is not as good as it ought to be.

As recently as the 1990s most family cars weighed about one tonne and fitted easily in a standard parking bay. A decade earlier even ‘big’ cars like Ford Granadas and Vauxhall Carltons could be parked and manoevered in old-style multi-storey lots with ease. But their modern equivalents – the huge, clunking SUVs that often weight two tonnes or more and that are still inexplicably fashionable simply do not fit in this country. Big cars are not only unwieldy, the take up more space (adding to congestion) and use more fuel – and lastly they cause more damage when they hit another vehicle.

Thanks to new roll-over crash regulations, the bits of metal that connect your car’s roof to the rest of the body have had to be made stronger in recent years. That is fine, but sadly the response of most manufacturers has not been clever engineering and materials, but simply making them thicker. This reduces visibility – dramatically in many cases, making it far more likely that you will crash or hit a pedestrian/cyclist in the first place. Getting in an old car – even one made as recently as the 1990s – is a reminder of how light and airy cars used to be, and how well one could see out of them.

Before about 1980, all cars, posh and cheap, rusted. Some were worse than others – the Germans were starting to get the problem licked even as Alfa Romeo and Lancia were releasing cars so poorly protected that a few were dangerously corroded when they were still in the showrooms.

A flurry of bad publicity put paid to all that – for awhile. Car makers started using better paints, better steels and proper rust-inhibitors in the nooks and crannies that trap moisture and salt. A few even went the whole hog and galvanised their cars – hats off here to Audi and Porsche.

The New Ford E Series Wagon Launches The ... - Threshold Choir

The Ford E Series Wagon is a specialty vehicle that meets buyers specific needs. Think Ford E Series Wagon when you need the best. The Econoline cargo van or E-Series cargo van has been the best-selling full-size van since 1980. Only minor changes have occurred since the Econoline’s launch, the first occurred in 1997 with major motor and interior updates, the other in 2008 when the Econoline received a radical new grille, steering, and suspension improvements. With an 8, 11, twelve and the ever-popular 15 passenger options the Ford E Series Wagon can meet any of your business needs. The Ford Econoline is available in E-150, E-250, and E-350 capabilities. The base E-150 is only sold in the standard length, while the E-250 and the E-350 Super Duty are available in both the regular and extended models. The base Econoline is bare but can be adapted to fit any drivers needs and features a pair of swinging cargo doors that can be replaced with an optional minivan-type sliding unit if needed. There are 4 different engine styles available, the E-150 and E-250 come standard with a 4.6L Triton V8 225hp engine. The E-350 Super Duty comes standard with a 5.4L Triton V8 255hp engine, optional 6.8L V10 305hp motor or a 6.0L V8 235hp Power Stroke diesel engine as needed.

Standard Catalog of Light-Duty Ford Trucks 1905-2002

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