Why Sim Loves Old Cars

Back in the day, when I changed company demonstrators every time the washer fluid ran out, the Motor Industry had a defined hierarchy. Cheap cars were basic, and the more expensive they got the more toys there were.

You also knew where you stood with a brand. Volvos were square, rugged and dependable. Fords were cheap, engineered to a budget. French cars lasted 3 years before they self-destructed. BMW’s were sporty prestige for the up-comers and Mercs were for when you had made it and needed some comfort in your life. There was the brand you could afford and then the one you aspired to drive.

There were also the truly aspirational brands. Porsche was just about attainable if you really worked at career progression, but brands like Rolls Royce, Ferrari or Bristol were for guys and girls that aced life, and they were rare, even in Central London!

In my scrabble to drive the everyday car of my dreams I didn’t move up the food chain in dealerships, but switched brands from Renault to VW and finally BMW. My Clio Grande was upgraded to a Golf GTi and finally an M3.

I always had an interest in the history of the motorcar and the brands that built them, so wanting to own a ‘past hit’ alongside a new BMW company car seemed to be quite a cool concept to me, even when most owners were retired old boys reliving their yester-years.

It also gave me the chance to own something that was truly aspirational, because an ‘86 Carrera was 8 grand, an Series 2 E-Type 15 grand and a Ferrari Mondial was in the early 20’s. They were all attainable on a good, but not stellar wage.

I slowly fell in love with driving older cars. They calmed me down, it was more difficult to drive and talk on the phone (that used to be OK kids!) and needed a gentle hand to actually get you to your destination.

After nearly 15 years of driving nothing but classics, recently I have had the occasion to drive a modern car. It wasn’t an aspirational one, in my mind, but nevertheless it was furnished with toys like a computer display to rival NASA mission control, heated seats, stop-start gizmo and countless other things. It was fast, economical, brakes were fantastic, ride was firm and went round the M40 roundabout like it was on rails. I have to say I really liked it. Not enough to shell out nearly a year’s salary on a family car, but I liked it.

I was beginning to consider that, actually, the time had come for me to stop trying to be different. The roads are crowded, I’m getting old and being able to listen to four million DAB stations may now be higher on my list of priorities. Is it time that I should drive a modern, safe, highly depreciating car with a more pretentious name than all of the Beckham children put together?

Thankfully our guys had just finished a mechanical recommission on a 3.2 Carrera and it needed some shakedown miles putting on it. I headed out into the Autumn sunshine for a blast through the Cotswolds to visit a client and all thoughts of a new car evaporated. You see, back in the day I wanted to drive a Porsche for status, but as a much older and wiser man now it is not about the brand, or wanting to be seen to be better than I am.

What I love is the way that older cars communicate to you. The slight tug of the steering wheel on an uneven surface, the faint whiff of hot metal and mineral based fluids, the different noises that come from the drive train. These are all things that have been engineered out of every modern car. Yes, modern cars are better, just not better for me. You see, I am at peace with the fact that I am an analog man, who likes old cars, stereo that needs a cabinet, printed magazines and books to fill my shelf. It is just a shame they don’t cost what they used to!