Classic Car Buyer Magazine No.212 No More Taxed & Tested Back Issue

This week, our Cars of the Decade feature on page 26 covers models that were on sale in UK showrooms during the ’Eighties, the decade that saw
the mighty British Leyland empire morph into Austin Rover, before then being rebranded as the Rover Group in 1989. Over the last three weeks we’ve featured cars from the ’Fifties, ’Sixties and ’Seventies and all the classics covered in these articles have been the editorial team’s personal choices and are by no means the definitive candidates for any of the decades covered. Some of you may think that ’Eighties cars are far too young to be considered classics, but if we apply the same parameters as
used by the specialist insurers, ‘classic’ status can be applied to a car after 25 years. This means cars built in the opening years of the final decade of the Twentieth Century will soon be heading towards classic status! It’s scary to think that early ’Nineties cars will be considered classics in a
year’s time, but as the population matures, cars relished by budding
enthusiasts today will become the cherished vehicles of tomorrow.
Before anyone fires off an email telling me that the Achilles’ heel
of modern cars will be complex auto electronics, it’s worth recalling
a recent experience I had with my 11-year old Mercedes-Benz when the engine management light remained on after the car ran low on diesel. A quick trip to an independent garage in Derby (MAB Motors, 01332 299471) soon had the problem sorted as the mechanic that looks after
my car is a Mercedes-trained technician and has access to all the ‘official’ diagnostic equipment. As franchised dealers dump ‘old fashioned’ diagnostic equipment and tools, independent garages will gladly take it off their hands so they can work on more complex cars. A prime example of how specialists have adapted to repairing vehicle electronics was
demonstrated when the electronic instrument cluster on my MkI Audi
TT developed a serious fault.