These automobiles may not have the modern-day bells and whistles but are much more capable in many other ways.
BHPian anjan_c2007 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
We have discussed our 15-plus-year-old cars’ and bikes’ fitness, the newer draconian and destructive fitness/reregistration norms, how long you wish to retain your older automobiles and a host of other topics on these issues in many threads.
This thread seeks your votes on the number of such “differently abled” cars and bikes you own as a part of your collection. These automobiles treasured by most of us are definitely differently abled, because they may not have the modern-day bells and whistles, but are much more capable in many other ways as compared to the newbies.
Vintages (50 years plus as per our “intelligent” Babus) are excluded please, as these go under a totally different category.
For instance, in Germany 30 plus-year-olds are accorded the status of “young timers”. Most Western nations categorise 30-plus-year-old automobiles as historic/classic and their governments take adequate measures to safeguard their survival. The owners are equally enthusiastic as reaching the age of 30 in a Western country is rare, given the fact that they scrap their automobiles within a decade, if not more.
We have provided options to vote for up to 10 such automobiles that you could own. If it’s 10 plus, please vote for them as ten plus and also describe them in the text through your post.
To begin with, I own three two-wheelers and one car in the 15-49 year bracket and all these are with me since new. These shall remain with me forever.
Here’s what GTO had to say on the matter:
Own a Jeep that’s 26 years old now (Mahindra Classic). Is a beauty to look at, gorgeous to drive (if you adore simplicity), but a privilege to own only if you have the extra parking space + extra time for repairs. The utility is zero, taken out purely for pleasure drives.
Here’s what BHPian Reinhard had to say on the matter:
Ah! Sweet thread.
So I have a Bajaj Super’99 (with the ICC CWC’99 “Official Carrier of the Indian Cricket Fan” sticker on the front) that was our first-ever vehicle in the house. Of course, bought by dad. And we maintain it in-house ourselves completely. Still works as it did on day 1. That was the only USP of these contraptions anyway. Just won’t ever die.
And then – there’s my own Bajaj Caliber115 (Hoodibaba) bought in 2003. Again maintained DIY & is now dad’s primary ride as the Super is pretty much kept as a hobby, and isn’t street legal per se as we haven’t bothered updating the registration for it. Gives back aches to both of us.
Feel sad that it’s just 2 wheelers. Hopefully, the current cars will eventually make an entry in this old-timer list.
Here’s what BHPian Jeroen had to say on the matter:
I own, drive, maintain and fix four of these 15+-year-old cars.
- 1982 Mercedes W123 200
- 1986 Alfa Romeo Spider
- 1998 Jeep Cherokee XJ Sport
- 2002 Jaguar XJR (X308)
As I am about to retire officially, I have no company car anymore. We do still have my wife’s 2015 Ford Fiesta.
So I use my car for all my driving these days. The combined mileage per year for these four cars is about 20-24000 kilometres.
Last year I did about 8000 km in the Alfa Spider. It really depends on how much driving I have abroad. This year we have two major road trips planned already. To our usual place in France with our fellow Spider friends. Spanner mate Pete and I have also just booked a trip to Scotland in September for some serious touring in our respective Spiders.
Next month my wife and I will travel to the UK for a couple of days touring. Of course, the Jaguar is the perfect car for this. We have three trips to Germany planned. Two in the Jaguar and one in the Mercedes.
All these planned trips will easily account for more than half of my total annual mileage.
Here in the Netherlands in contrast to most EU countries, the “classic car” age is fourth years. The difference is not having to pay any road tax anymore. Classic car insurance can usually be obtained for anything upwards of 15 years.
I don’t think it is entirely correct to think that in Western countries a lot of cars get scrapped within ten years. In most European countries the average age of regular cars is well over ten years. That’s an average so some will be younger and some considerably older. My sister drives a 17-year-old Toyota.
Also, in many cases, cars don’t get scrapped, but exported to other EU countries and also to North African countries!
Here’s what BHPian GForceEnjoyer had to say on the matter:
Nice thread. We own a 2006 Ford Fiesta 1.6 SXI (re-registered it in Hyderabad to protect it from the 15-year rule in Delhi-NCR) which will turn 17 years old this year. The biggest badge of honour I can give to it is for its ability to stay fresh after all these years. The biggest thing it has that I often find missing in cars of the same segment today is its ability to make even the most boring commutes interesting (without any fancy gadgets whatsoever, purely with its powertrain and dynamics), while still being very practical.
The beautifully weighted hydraulic power steering and perfectly tuned suspension let it absorb bumps well enough while taking full care of high-speed stability, for example. These are things you can enjoy even on the commute to work!
When you do get the chance to have some fun, the engine willingly comes to life and propels you forward surprisingly quickly and even treats you to an absolutely brilliant sound while it’s at it. One of the best-sounding four-cylinder engines I’ve heard, another one of the car’s “different” abilities! Even though I’ll only be a passenger for the next few years, I can still enjoy this car.
As for utility, it’s got you covered! It’s a comfortable sedan (unless you have long legs and have been banished to the rear seat, as I can tell you from experience) with a sizable and practical boot. For a car this old, it holds its own astoundingly well even today. This is by far the longest we have kept a car since the Fiesta is absolutely a keeper and still puts a smile on my face every time.
Keyword: Owning multiple 15+ year old cars and bikes: Experiences shared