With Lovert Mafukure
The Old and The Modern What’s Better?
Newer cars seem to be more favourable in many ways than old cars. They are favourable for a few reasons; they are safer, more comfortable, more efficient and less of a stress to drive. The major question is, are newer car really the better of the two? Do they really prove better than old in the long run? That is the bone of contention.
Modern cars have improved suspension systems and therefore offer a more comfortable ride than older cars. It’s a big plus because with modern cars you do not even feel the road you are driving on. They offer better safety ratings than older cars but this is arguable and depends on the type of cars in question. Some modern cars are worse than old cars when it comes to road handling. However, comfort is nothing, some old cars like the Citroen DS and GS redefined automotive suspension technology with hydro-pneumatic suspension for example. This technology like a lot of people say was way ahead of its time and these cars were stable and more comfortable than some modern cars.
With the improvement of suspension systems, it means cars can go faster without discomfort for passengers. Older cars tend to be less stable perhaps due to age and older technology. This older technology however, still proves more reliable than newer technology. In African countries, it only makes sense for people to choose cost effective solutions to their problems. Modern cars are not at all cost effective. They are more expensive to maintain, more expensive spares and there are more spares in new cars than older cars could ever have.
Fuel injection and engine management systems may be the best things that ever happened in automotive history. Cars have become more efficient, they use less fuel unlike decades past where carburettors defined motoring. Carburettors were deemed to be wasteful but their simplicity is what makes them popular even today.
Safety is one big issue that manufacturers have always tried to tackle over the years. Newer cars seem safer than older cars because they have improved technology like airbags. Passenger safety is top priority for car manufacturers now and even though cars are made with lighter metals. The passenger cabin is made to be safer than that of old cars.
Old cars on the other hand are a charm. I love the simplicity of the old cars that has been overtaken by modern cars. Modern cars have become efficient and a lot of trickery has been put in computer chips to control a lot of things. All that trickery means the car as we know it has become more efficient and works as perfectly as it should . . . until it breaks down.
Modern cars are all computerised and that means fault finding has become easier through the use of diagnostic machines. However, when a modern car breaks down, it can be because of a small sensor that is so vital that without it, a car will not move an inch, let alone start over. That’s the plague with modern cars, they have become too complicated and too expensive to maintain and fix. Without the machinery, it’s near impossible to detect a problem with modern cars.
With all the trickery hidden in engine control units, cars have improved on efficiency but they have not improved on durability. Modern cars prove over time to be a problem to fix when compared to older cars. For example, a modern car with a failing camshaft sensor will need you to pump out $100 00 to replace the sensor and that is after you pay for diagnostics and labour. Older cars do not need all that, just a quick setting on timing and voila, you are home and dry.
The simplicity of fixing an old car goes beyond imagination. If a Nissan Sunny Box will not start, its the simple things to check, is there fuel, is there spark and is there enough air? Chances are, checking these basic things will solve your problem. A modern Nissan Sunny on the other hand has a host of sensors and will need more technically advanced means of rectifying the same problem.
Another thing that bugs me about modern cars is the way they have so many parts on them and everything is neatly and tightly packed up under the bonnet. One simple thing will need you to remove a million other parts just to get to a silly small sensor. Its like they connived to make the cars so complicated so that people are not able to do any DIY jobs on the cars.
Technology has seen a major shift in the way transmissions are built. Over the years we have seen the introduction of CV transmissions for example and they have proven that they are not as durable as the old faithful manual or automatic transmission.
So, If I had to choose between the old and the modern, because of simplicity I’d choose the old. There is no needless gadgetry in older cars, these days one has to study a 7 series BMW user manual just to be able to drive it. Driving aids like traction control, hill assist, brake assist, park assist etc come standard in modern cars, its like they are making them for people who can’t drive! What’s left is to get a car that drives itself . . . oh wait Google is making one! Now where is the fun in that?
Fun is going full flat on that accelerator pedal and hearing the carburettor suck all the oxygen, fun is letting the clutch go and getting some wheel-spin not this traction control . . . boring stuff. Fun is changing gears, it’s the feeling you get from all that mechanical interaction between gears and synchros. However, newer cars are a breeze to drive, they are safer, faster and more efficient but they are a pain to repair. It’s a tough choice . . . Till next time — happy motoring
Feedback: lovert10@gmail.com www.facebook. com/automartzimbabwe