When cars Weren't Refrigerators

I used to work in a Citroen garage. I liked the cars and was "silly" enough to own two, a GS and a BX GTi. The latter I enjoyed since it was what a GTi should be. It had problems though as I found out on 01/01/00 while going to watch the sun rise on the new millenium from the east facing hills of South Island in NZ (about as early as you can get). The pressure seal for the power steering went busrting the boot and dumping a green splash on the road. gone was the suspension, brakes and power steering. Being an experienced Citroen user, I had spare fluid, that did not last long.

I "drove" it to a campsite where some friends were staying, using hand brake and low speed (racing car suspension ride).

I had to bypass the power steering to get the vehicle off the ground and brakes, using engine oil (boy am I glad they changed the oil compatability) to drive the 60km home.

A great start to the new millenium.

Dude,

The new Millenium started on 01/01/2001. You were one year too early. That's why you had problems... No wonder you own French cars

Titi-the-rabbit.

The central hydraulic system sort of "makes sense." You can imagine an engineer thinking, "Well if we have a hydraulic pump for steering, then why not use it to fully power the brakes, eliminating a vacuum booster, and why not use it to adjust suspension height, level the ride, etc. C'est si bon!" Bon, until there is a central failure -- and then the car becomes a real handful to drive.

But still, I had a great time in the SM and and a DS that I owned at about the same time. The DS had "citromatic," a four speed manual with automatic clutching. Worked very well, and yet another way in which Citroens were unique to a fault.

Tell us more Grampa! Tell us about the olden days before the telephone and when wooly mammoths were pooping outside your house! Pllleeeasse?

Hee-heee. I kid. I'm right there with you. But I think the times are a-changing. I do like that of late some auto manufacturers are "breaking the mold" with bold styling, etc. But sadly for the most part the artistic trend seems to me to lean more toward "weird" rather than "wild". Still...could be worse.

I remember my dad and grandfather talking about 32 Fords having plenty of power, and that there was little need for the then (50's, 60's) modern conveniences and level of power. Then, it seemed strange to think of driving something with the performance of a Model T... but I drove air-cooled VWs for years, and liked them.

When I bought the SM, it was just before Honda came out with the Accord, a pretty refined little car for its time. I bought an accord for $3600, and was able to pay full retail (instead of over retail) because I knew the dealer! (The SM was $7500 used, and $13,000 new.) On 76 hp, the Accord performed very well. My current Accord (the cheapest one available when I bought in on 2004) has only a few less hp from its 4 cylinder engine than the SM did from its 6. Top speeds are very close, as is acceleration. I like my current Honda, but no more than I liked my first one, of less than half the hp and only slightly more than half the weight.

I'm turning into my dad.

But sadly for the most part the artistic trend seems to me to lean more toward "weird" rather than "wild".

I agree. Lots of cluttered, busy designs. But still some standouts... and some cars that are very good looking that might not get the credit they deserve because they are common -- like the Corvette.