> Everytime I see a MG or Triumph go by, I always tell myself I should
> get one. But every time I read the British Car List, hearing about the
> problems, and everytime I look at my Jag leaking fluid in the garage,
> my enthusiasm gets dampened.
Not to mention your garage floor... :-)
> Damn British cars! why can't they make them more reliable? I don't mind
> if a car breaks down once a month, but my experience is that British cars
> always have something wrong with them, even if you rebuild the whole car!
It's just possible that you're not meant to own British cars, Roger.
You have to find a comfortable level of "wrong" that you can live with;
if you can't find a level that's comfortable, well, that's why Toyota
and Nissan have been so successful in the market that the British
invented and used to own. If the mere idea of a "comfortable level of
'wrong'" makes your head come to a point, well, that's why they've sold
over 250,000 Miatas in about three years.
For most of us, little niggling things don't make us curse the cars.
Yes, there's always going to be something non-concours about any
British car that gets driven. There's wear, oxidation, heat cycling,
vibration, countless ways that time and entropy have their way with the
parts on *any* car, particularly on a car that's 20+ years old. Some
failures can be ignored (oh, it's just THAT). Some failures require
attention. Most failures can be, if not avoided altogether, then at
least forestalled by becoming an expert on the car you have. But
becoming an expert means a lot more than memorizing the 0-60 times,
JD Powers index, and Consumer Reports listing on a car. Becoming
an expert hurts. Not everyone thinks it's worth it, and that's a
personal decision that no one can impose on you.
For me, I think owning a British car has been of tremendous psychological
value for several reasons. First of all, it's taught me not to have
unreasonable expectations. Second, it's taught me that patience and
rational thought will solve more problems than yelling, pitching a fit,
cursing and throwing tools across the garage. And third, and perhaps
most important, it's taught me about responsibility. That's a hard
lesson, and one I probably can't begin to outline here. You learn
responsibility, in my experience anyway, by sitting in a car that won't
start because of something you did wrong, and by driving a car that runs
solely because you were the one to set it right. You can't learn
responsibility by writing checks. You learn it by walking along the
side of a deserted highway, by letting hot oil drip into your hair,
by finding out that spilling gasoline into an open cut doesn't hurt
near as badly as you'd expect it would.
When a British car works, it works because of the sheer determination,
craftiness, study, sweat, and insuperable will of its owner. The
ego gratification that comes from being able to make these things go
is a powerful drug for people who are susceptible to it. Not everyone is.
I think people on both sides of this great divide view those on the
other side as being slightly deficient in some way. And I think both
sides are probably right.
> Even normally reliable American parts, once you put it into a British
> car, it's going to start acting up!
Could be worse. Could be Bosch.
> Maybe the Brits and the Japanese should get together; have the Brits
> design the car, then have the Japanese build it. How many of you would
> like to own a Triumph TR8 or a Jag XJ6 that requires no repair?
I have one, something midway between a GT6 and an E Type coupe. It's
a nice car, I love to drive it, it's a great commuter and it was fun
on the twisty mountain roads last Saturday when I was doing the photo
shoot for the Day Before The Britcars Meet Tour. It's a joy to
drive, with good power, precise handling, and lots of comfort features
that keep me relaxed when it's 100 degrees out and I'm stuck in a
traffic jam.
But I recently sat down with my girls and read them The Velveteen
Rabbit. And I was slightly saddened to realize that no matter how
nice the Zed Ex is to drive, it'll never be *real*.
British cars absorb character from their owners. They therefore
require people with character to spare.
--Scott "Or maybe it's just people who ARE characters..." Fisher
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