All this reminds me so much of psychometric tests I endured through the '70's
and 80's at the hands of a very highly paid 'executive' who at regular six
month intervals, flew the Atlantic to test theories from Human Resources on a
large group of cynical European employees, made up of Germans, Frenchmen,
Swedes and Brits. We were all asked the same question (among many others) and
it was - "Which do you prefer, Mozart or boiled cabbage?" Apparently there was
a correct answer but I never discovered what it was!
So I'm wondering what we are trying to achieve here with all this stuff about
Honda?
Over the last ten years, I've owned a Daihatsu, a Toyota and a Datsun. Yes, I
know that Datsun went up-market and called itself Nissan - but Datsun appeals
more to me because it's such a ghastly word - and rather like the car I owned
by the same name. Even so, these oriental offerings were utterly reliable,
never failed to perform, never broke down and were utterly boring and
completely predictable in every way.
Conversely (and perhaps like many of you) I've owned Triumphs, an MG, an
Austin Healey. I've driven Fiats, Mercs, BMW's, Renaults, Ovlovs and countless
others over the years of the same era as my two current 'old' cars and my
much-revered Fergie tractor. What ALL of them had in abundance was something
no Jap or Euro box of today can offer or will ever offer - and it can be
summarised in one word. Character.
Apart from the Daihatsu, Toyota and Datsun, they rattled, broke down, required
care to drive, did strange things without warning, had idiosyncracies that
varied from one car to the next and even within model - and not one of them
was the same. I loved them then, I love them now - and for only one reason.
Their character.
And yes, my Triumphs both have computerised 'Engine Management' systems in the
form of Microsoft Excel which tells me how much they're costing me to keep and
run. In this regard, Excel is driven by something called Windows that when
compared to Joe Lucas' products, causes me more problems and frustrations than
any Brit car electrical system ever could.
So isn't comparing a TR6 to a Honda Si (whatever it may be?) rather like
comparing Mozart to boiled cabbage? In this case, Mozart must surely be the
older car - ergo, the cabbage is the modern car, regardless of its origins.
Bland, uninteresting, reliable, requires a degree in nuclear physics to change
the plugs - and they all look the same. I guess that 30 years from now, people
will be arguing the merits of Windows95/98/2000/X whatever - over the older
versions of MS-DOS - and to what effect?
Jonmac
/// triumphs@autox.team.net mailing list
/// or try http://www.team.net/cgi-bin/majorcool
/// Archives at http://www.team.net/archive
|