22-01-2015, 01:47 PM
(This post was last modified: 22-01-2015, 01:48 PM by Paul Baldwin.)
It is a shame, they make a lot of sense in the right circumstances. Not as good on fuel as your modern equivalent but they are cheap to tax, classic insurance available, reliable and good in slippery condition and even off road as long you don't need to cover terrain that needs too much ground clearance. I love the way that 4x4 is engaged instantly at the push of a button on top of the gear knob. As soon as it starts to spin the button is immediately to hand.
Scooby's were fully loaded with toys when they first came over here. We had a 1986 turbo auto estate, it had self levelling suspension, an option to raise the ride height for off road that lowered itself back down automatically once you hit a certain road speed, automatic 4x4 that cut it when it sensed wheel-spin, 4x4 that engaged when you turned the wipers on, all round leccy windows, headlamp washers, etc, etc and a 1.8 turbo that went like heck at the time and sounded great when you gave the boxer some stick
Years ahead of the competition in many respects but they certainly didn't take rad salt in the UK into account when they built them 
The manual estates made awesome tow cars too, they would pull silly weights in first gear in low box if you needed them to. Even they had a hill start function. Clutch down up a hill, apply the brake, then lift your foot off the brake and it would stay exactly where it was. Simply give it a bit of throttle raise the clutch and off to go. I could never understand why this wasn't fitted to every car?
Scooby's were fully loaded with toys when they first came over here. We had a 1986 turbo auto estate, it had self levelling suspension, an option to raise the ride height for off road that lowered itself back down automatically once you hit a certain road speed, automatic 4x4 that cut it when it sensed wheel-spin, 4x4 that engaged when you turned the wipers on, all round leccy windows, headlamp washers, etc, etc and a 1.8 turbo that went like heck at the time and sounded great when you gave the boxer some stick
Years ahead of the competition in many respects but they certainly didn't take rad salt in the UK into account when they built them The manual estates made awesome tow cars too, they would pull silly weights in first gear in low box if you needed them to. Even they had a hill start function. Clutch down up a hill, apply the brake, then lift your foot off the brake and it would stay exactly where it was. Simply give it a bit of throttle raise the clutch and off to go. I could never understand why this wasn't fitted to every car?