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Modern Cars [and some perspective]

glemon

Yoda
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Used to intimidate me a bit. Just did a valve adjustment on my wife's 2007 Honda Fit. YouTube has instructional videos for everything, and that certainly helps a lot.
IMG_20191214_100856424.jpg

Anyway, the fit is about the same age (and twice as many miles) as my first car when I bought it, a 1967 Sprite.
Don't get me wrong, I love old sports cars, then and now, but the Honda has needed, other than consumables, brakes, tires, fluids, a few bulbs, only one suspension bushing and one idler pulley in the 13 years we have owned it. No rust on the body, no rusted on bolts. The Sprite had some of both.

So I guess there is such a thing as progress. That being said, I could access the valves on the Sprite in about 5 minutes, the Honda took nearly an hour to get in. Had to remove the intake manifold, intake plenum, battery, and various other hoses and electronics.

The rockers themselves have the same kind of slotted bolt and locknut adjustment as an old LBC. Pretty easy once you got in. Despite the complexity, things are well engineered, while access is an issue for some things, fit is precise and it only goes on one way and that is the right way. A contrast to getting the gland nut seal right on an old SU carb, which is a bit more of a trial and error art.

Sort of a long, rambling post, to sum up, not really harder or easier, but the challenges are different.
 
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Ah ... but which is the more fun to drive?

:driving:

On an interstate in summer or the dead of winter?

Or a winding road in spring?

Different horses for different courses.

Well done on the FIT - anything under the hood of any of our dailies still intimidates me (except the washer fluid)
 
My grand daughter had a Honda Fit until a lady T-boned it. She loved that car.
 
Oh, the old ones are more fun to drive, and more fun to work on too. Also much more reliable than urban myth would rate them at, but they do require a little more attention to be happy.
 
I agree with the above, I have often driven forty+ year old cars as dailies without any issue. They do need more upkeep but the ease of working on one easily offsets the hassle of doing anything on a new car.
 
Just think...when you get rid of that Honda, you can tell folks "I had a fit..."

Seriously...who think of these names, anyway?
 
Just think...when you get rid of that Honda, you can tell folks "I had a fit..."

Seriously...who think of these names, anyway?

I don't know I for one am very glad I finally got a Soul! :grin:
 
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