I've often seen the berlingo cited as the real modern day 2cv and there's a lot to support that idea, from the fact it's shape appears to be dictated by practicality and not fashion (they look like disability vehicles FFS) to the versatility of the design, it can be a van or a car etc.The berlingo is just a modern car though, it's got the same over complex engines and electronics that other cars have and it can't be fixed by any old farmer when it breaks down. To truly be a people's car like the 2cv it must be easily fixed and cheap to run, yes, it might be economical but take it to a dealer because it needs a service and you've been raped for £500. Motor manufacturers would be mental to throw money away by making cars that Pierre le garigiste can mend with his halfords spammer set and some basic tools. They make so much money in after sales nowadays they wouldn't be mad enough to do it in the UK or the western world.

I make you right on this and the last post, unfortunately that 10 year old Jag will cause the MOT tester to issue you with an open season ticket for the local independant repairers to Arse rape you without the humanity of Lubricant.
Unless you are real lucky and buy a goodun the pain will come sooner or later. and its time to suck it up or say Bye bye as your luxobarge goes up on the Hyab.
On the bright side the price of Mixed metals is still quite strong.

Less and less stuff is fixable these days, there seems to be more built in obsolesance into everything.

The point I'm making is that nowadays you can buy perfectly decent used cars for next to nothing that are comfortable, quiet and reliable. Buying a new car isn't cheap, and even if its only, say, £3995 you can still buy ten decent cars for that money which will most likely last a year each. That's what we've been doing and it's working out fine (except when I crash them). My other halves W plate 106 was £200 and has lasted for four years with barely any maintenance, our 406, bought for £495 was absolutely perfect and if I hadn't smashed it up it'd probably still be going, my partner van was £100 and has lasted a year with no money spent on it at all. If I'd gone and bought the cheapest and most basic new car I could find I would be paying at least £6k for it and when it went wrong it'd be too expensive to throw it away and I would have to pay a dealer to fix the bastard.

What I'm getting at, is that there's too many decent used cars for no money at all kicking about to make a real poverty model worthwhile, regardless of warranty or whatever. In fact, come to think of it, my 2cv has been the most costly car to run compared to modern cars we've had.

I enjoyed the RedBull stratos live jump yesterday, it pleases me greatly that as a species we still try to reach further, higher, faster than ever before and there are still people out there who can put aside the risk of death to prove something or achieve something the human race has still never done before.

However, I can't help but think it would have been livened up a bit with some Looney Toons style sound and visual effects, so as soon as he stepped off the platform he hung in mid air or continued to run before looking down to earth, showing a sad face to the camera then plummeting from his capsule as we hear a swannee whistle sound effect, then in case he ploughed headlong into the ground I would have liked to have seen an anvil land on top of him, or maybe a piano. Perhaps road runner could arrive on the scene, say 'meep meep' then leave as speedily as he arrived. And instead of RedBull it would have been better sponsored by Acme.

Couldn't agree more!!

Now imagine the first 30 seconds of this with Looney Toons effects!

lucky i dont keep the 2cv in the garage at home anymore, as in about half an hour the sea will come into it !!

106 is parked outside, so thatll be a pile of rust by the next mot

That made me laugh an unbelievable amount...!

Random questions:

1. Did 2CVs ever have ID-tags on their chassis?

2. How feasible would it be to make a fibreglass body shell for a 2CV? How much would it cost to make the mouldings?

1: Yes.

2: perfectly feasible, and how long is a piece of string? You could probably do it yourself in the garage for something like £7-800 in materials, I would think. I've made a few glass fibre moulds for lamp posts which we then have cast in aluminium. It's a time consuming and messy process, but not a particularly difficult one. An entire shell in one piece would be tricky, and I should think impractical, but you could certainly achieve something with some cunning and thought as to the structure and how it related to external appearance, trying to make it strong, make all the strength-giving box sections of a steel shell etc...

Why can't Jools Holland just stand still when talking to camera?