Are there any older cars out there, I mean MGBs or Alfa Romeo Giulias etc? The only older cars I have seen when I have been visiting are Minis.
I would love to have a MG or Alfa Giulia/Spider when I move there next year.
Maybe they are out there. Lucky if you can find them. You will be damn lucky if you can find parts and shop to support these type of cars.
In 6 years here, I’ve never seen an MG or an Alfa Romeo. I have a 1986 Benz. Parts and service are not hard to find, but expensive as hell due to import taxes, often 2 - 3 times the cost of the same part in the US.
Old stuff is crap, and shows you are poor. Nothing but the latest 2 week old Porsche Cayenne turbo will do for the trip to the supermarket!
No comment!
Oh oh oh what a funny comment. If i do not have any idea about some topics it could be helpful to just shut up, otherwise people might figure about the real capability of my brain.
But sorry Marku, i also did not see any MG’s or Alfa’s here on Taiwan. Just saw some older Datsun (now someone for sure does not understand anymore) which were in very good shape and Ford Escort. How ever seems in general very diificult to find older cars which are still usable.
What is your ride back home???
Thank you for noticing. Oh, wait, that was a sarcastic dismissal was it? Sorry, my brain is too small to operate on that level. You’ll have to try harder.
My idea is that most Taiwanese do not hold old cars in any kind of esteem at all. Cars very rarely get driven or maintained properly here, and they work mostly as a status symbol: the newer the better, and the more expensive the better, even if the most they are ever used for is a shopping trip.
the standard of maintenance and the level of care and expertise at even the best dealer’s shops is risible, and the price of parts for old cars is astronomical or they are simply unobtainable. Old cars die much faster too with the very high humidity and the bad driving around you that sees even most ten year old cars dinged into submission, rusted into failure, and tossed into the scrap heap .
LOL!
Here in Nepal I am bored silly with a Land Rover Defender…only good thing about it is that other cars bounce off it! My last job was in Albania where I had a VW Touareg as a work car and Toyota Hilux Surf as private vehicle - yet again it wasn’t the best place to have an older car (lack of maintenance, driving skills, road standards etc). But prior to that…!!..I had a 1964 Chevy Malibu SS and a modified Alfa Giulia Super. I’ve tended to fluctuate between wasting my money on 60s and 70s Alfas and Lancias, and American iron.
Discussed extensively here.
http://www.forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?f=75&t=94165&hilit=classic+cars
[quote=“urodacus”]
My idea is that most Taiwanese do not hold old cars in any kind of esteem at all. Cars very rarely get driven or maintained properly here, and they work mostly as a status symbol: the newer the better, and the more expensive the better, even if the most they are ever used for is a shopping trip.
the standard of maintenance and the level of care and expertise at even the best dealer’s shops is risible, and the price of parts for old cars is astronomical or they are simply unobtainable. Old cars die much faster too with the very high humidity and the bad driving around you that sees even most ten year old cars dinged into submission, rusted into failure, and tossed into the scrap heap .[/quote]
While some the above points provide some rational basis for the Taiwanese downer on old cars (Though being Scottish, I can’t really take “rusted into failure” as a serious threat here. Maybe if I grew up in Saudi Arabia. Everything is relative) I think its basically culturally determined, and thus impervious to logic (See, I DO understand Taiwanese culture).
Taiwanese are ALWAYS telling me:-
“You must to-changee your very-too-old-car. It must to-cost you much money to-broken”.
I explain that this makes no sense:-
“No, because I couldn’t sell the car for much , so it makes sense to keep it going as long as possible. Its what we call a sunk-cost. If it needs an expensive fix I can bao-fei it, but its a waste of money to do it before I have to.”
[I throw that “sunk cost” bit in cos lots of them are doing/have done some kind of bizniz bullshit courses at University]
They recoil briefly as my heavy-caliber logic impacts their impenetrable cultural shields, then they come back at me with a brilliant counter-argument:-
“Yes, but you must to-changee your very-too-old-car. It must to-cost you much money to-broken”.
A while ago I had an exhaust fitted by the uncle of one of my students, and he was adamant that I should buy a newer car for 20-25K off him. Of course there was a commercial interest there, but he was supported by all the Taiwanese who got to hear about it. This of course makes even less sense, since any 20-25K newer car is at least as (and probably much more) likely to have issues as/than my 25-year old Skywing, but the relative newness was a sufficient argument for them.
They’re apparently the same about houses, which is why so many nice old buildings get demolished and replaced with shiny-tiled concrete-eyesore crap.
Its a Taiwanese-culture-thing, and thus fucked-up.
How ever Urodacus, in my opinion there was no need to blame other people’s hobbies. It’s not about buying something new, everyone can do that. But to built or modify your own car is something not everyone can do, independend from the money you make or what kind of cars you like. You would wonder about the face of that Cayenne Turbo driver after he got blown off by a 30 year old Ford Escort for example…you are very welcome to try it
I am not knocking other people’s hobbies at all. Hell, I collect and restore old racing bicycles (not many at one time though), and I have a pristine 1981 Ducati that I have rebuilt and repainted waiting for me back in Australia.
I am just saying that the market for and the appreciation of old cars in Taiwan is way, way smaller than you want, for reasons that I have given. Appreciation for ANYTHING old in Taiwan is basically zip, not just cars. It’s a country that values new and expensive above all, hence the fascination with the latest LV handbag whilst living in a shipping container that many people have.
For me, besides loving my car, the question is not whether the repair cost is higher than the value of the car, but the cost of buying a new car.
Yes understand and you are right, appreciation for older cars is here none excisting, what a petty. Before coming to Taiwan lived many years in China and there it is already that way, but not as extreme as here.
Your bike is back in Australia waiting for you and my car in Germany, and when going back to Germany for holidays around christmas is no weather to drive a car without heating system or any interieur besides racing equipment and open carburetors, shit shit shit…
[quote=“urodacus”]I am not knocking other people’s hobbies at all. Hell, I collect and restore old racing bicycles (not many at one time though), and I have a pristine 1981 Ducati that I have rebuilt and repainted waiting for me back in Australia.
I am just saying that the market for and the appreciation of old cars in Taiwan is way, way smaller than you want, for reasons that I have given. Appreciation for ANYTHING old in Taiwan is basically zip, not just cars. It’s a country that values new and expensive above all, hence the fascination with the latest LV handbag whilst living in a shipping container that many people have.[/quote]
“hence the fascination with the latest LV handbag whilst living in a new shipping container that many people have.”
No problem. Happy to help out
“Not knocking other people’s hobbies” - yep, well said…but then i just can’t resist commenting that last time I was over and was collected by a friend in his FATHER’S Hummer in the centre of Taipei, well…it was vaguely amusing for about 5 minutes but then thoughts of “why would a guy knocking around 60 years old want to buy a Hummer in the centre of taipei”…hmmmm…each to their own, but give me a 1960s Alfa Giulia anyday!
Taiwanese are to “glitz or substance” crazy to want Classic Cars like the rest of the world. They basically “don’t get it”. A Classic 911 Porsche or M B has much more status and class but then they also don’t get boating. Taiwan, the worlds biggest island with “no sailboats”. Their is a lot that Taiwan can do to join the rest of the world.
May I say I’d rather drive a Porsche Pepper than some ancient Italian crap which used to break down all 5 meters even in out-of-the-factory mint condition?
No? Okay… never mind…
Parts for Benz are expensive because its a Benz, but some components are produced in Taiwan that are far superior to the ones Benz produce themselves. This is especially so in the case of suspension components. Many Benz models as well as BMW suffer very early suspension issues due to inferior design materials.
I actually work within a BMW/Merc specialist centre, and we have extensive knowledge and resources in these areas.
Alfas? Well there were few imported to begin with and because of their poor build quality and high prices many cars have long been scrapped. I have once come across an Alfa repair guy here. He had a few Alfa Suds he was fixing up for customers.
Overall there is a very strong classic vehicle presence in Taipei, but due to a combination of factors including lack of spare parts, licensing issues, harsh weather conditions and insurance costs and lack of coverage, many of these cars don’t see the light of day.
Over the years I have met many a classic car or motorcycle collector, and yet hardly any of these vehicles are ever taken out.
Yes it is beyond commonsense alright, you can’t even fit down down a lot of the alleyways and parking?!?