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Bitumen Boy
Joined: 26 Jan 2012
Posts: 1763
Location: Above the snow line in old Monmouthshire
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 Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 11:14 pm Post subject: Does anyone know..? |
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Just curious, but does anyone know what would have been the last new car that had the option of a radio/cassette from new rather than the now ubiquitous radio/CD, and what year that might have been? My boring modern - 2001 Corsa - has a cassette unit that still works well, but wouldn't have thought them to be available much beyond then. I did manage to buy a new aftermarket radio/cassette for a car in about 2003, but it didn't last long and couldn't get another when it failed so I had to start recording my own CDs, which is a faff and not as good for in car use as a nice chunky cassette IMO. Progress, humbug...  |
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peter scott
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 7219
Location: Edinburgh
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| Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 11:31 pm Post subject: |
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I tend to agree about the "progress" from cassettes to CDs but the progress to MP3s is mammoth.
Peter
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1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon |
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Penman
Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 4880
Location: Swindon, Wilts.
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| Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 12:43 am Post subject: |
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Hi
My 2000 "Y" V40 has a double height set and has a Radio/Casstte/CD set up, I suspect that that will be typical of whatever turns out to be the last with a Casstte.
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D4B
Joined: 28 Dec 2010
Posts: 2083
Location: Hampshire UK
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| Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 7:11 am Post subject: |
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A 2015 Citroen Picasso I drove recently didn't even have the CD player, all MP3 equipped now, so that rules me out  |
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ukdave2002
Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 4277
Location: South Cheshire
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| Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 8:45 am Post subject: |
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The last modern I had with a cassette player was an early 90' Astra GTE, that was replaced with a BMW 325 in 94 it had a CD multi changer. I think it was all CD' s until 2007 when the 6 series had a IPod interface although I think it did have a built in CD player but I would have always used the IPod. Current modern has an Ipod interface, memory card slot, usb slot and a built in hard drive to transfer stuff to, I still only use the IPod interface.
I used to fix audio stuff for a living, cassette players in cars were never brilliant as humidity and temperature changes causing condensation in both the unit and the tapes could play havoc with the tape mechanics, tapes would stick and unravel, media would transfer off the tape on to the pinch rollers, drive belts would slip meaning wobbly music
The quality of tapes varied massively, the best came from Japan, there was a budget tape manufacturer based in Wales, their tapes (audio & video) were appalling, chunks of media would peel off for no apparent reason  we used their tapes when I worked for a VHS manufacturer to test our product in the "worse" conditions ......
All tapes deteriorate, the media gets worn, the tapes stretch, unlike a video tape there is no sync written to an audio tape; when an audio tape stretches it effectivly gets played too slowly...
Dave |
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geonot
Joined: 23 Sep 2008
Posts: 53
Location: edinburgh
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| Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 9:23 am Post subject: |
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My Brother-in-law has a 2001 Subaru Impreza WRX with a factory fitted Cassette Player.
My 2015 Citroen doesn’t even have a CD player. |
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Bitumen Boy
Joined: 26 Jan 2012
Posts: 1763
Location: Above the snow line in old Monmouthshire
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| Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 10:12 am Post subject: |
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| ukdave2002 wrote: | | ...cassette players in cars were never brilliant... |
Brilliant, generally not. Acceptable for normal use, normally yes, at least in my experience.
| ukdave2002 wrote: | | ...as humidity and temperature changes causing condensation in both the unit and the tapes could play havoc with the tape mechanics, tapes would stick and unravel, media would transfer off the tape on to the pinch rollers, drive belts would slip meaning wobbly music |
All part of the fun, surely? TBH whenever I had problems like that then the machines were getting on for knackered anyway.
| ukdave2002 wrote: | | The quality of tapes varied massively, the best came from Japan... |
Agreed. It was generally worth spending a little more on blanks as it worked out cheaper in the long run.
| ukdave2002 wrote: | All tapes deteriorate, the media gets worn, the tapes stretch, unlike a video tape there is no sync written to an audio tape; when an audio tape stretches it effectivly gets played too slowly...
Dave |
But the great thing was the ease of copying. I had "masters" of favourite tapes stored in a drawer and would simply run off a fresh copy when the ones in the cars failed. The blanks were cheap enough to treat them as disposable. Now I can burn a new CD from the computer but it's just not the same, I don't find it as easy and several of my favourite mixes have tracks lopped off because a CD won't hold as much music as a C90 cassette, and some brands - or even batches - of blank CDs won't work in the car player at all. And, having been playing with them for a few years, I don't believe that home-burnt CDs are all that durable either, most don't seem to last all that long before they refuse to play.
These days I would probably go for something with a USB slot, but I daresay they will have gone the way of the dodo by the time I get round to doing something about the unit that's currently in the Herald. For a long time I couldn't afford to buy a new one, now I could afford one but might as well leave the money in the bank for how often it would get used... |
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Peter_L
Joined: 10 Apr 2008
Posts: 2680
Location: New Brunswick. Canada.
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 12:20 am Post subject: |
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Do our readers remember the days when one would pass broken cassettes laying along the road, yards of tape blowing in the wind.
I never threw anything out of a moving vehicle, except a MIL, but she deserved it, but do remember the slow drone when the tape would start to get tangled. |
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mikeC
Joined: 31 Jul 2009
Posts: 1811
Location: Market Warsop, Nottinghamshire
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 9:55 am Post subject: |
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| peterwpg wrote: | Do our readers remember the days when one would pass broken cassettes laying along the road, yards of tape blowing in the wind.
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It still happens round here; saw my last one perhaps six months ago. |
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Bitumen Boy
Joined: 26 Jan 2012
Posts: 1763
Location: Above the snow line in old Monmouthshire
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 3:14 pm Post subject: |
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| peterwpg wrote: | Do our readers remember the days when one would pass broken cassettes laying along the road, yards of tape blowing in the wind.
I never threw anything out of a moving vehicle, except a MIL, but she deserved it, but do remember the slow drone when the tape would start to get tangled. |
Yes, you don't often see that these days. I remember around junction 13 on the M5 always seemed to be a hotspot for it, once off the m/way there were thorn hedges either side of the road that were festooned with the stuff. Still, not to worry as the litterbugs have found plenty of new toys to carry on with... |
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Ronniej
Joined: 02 Dec 2008
Posts: 239
Location: Blackwood, by Lanark, Scotland
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| Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2016 10:08 am Post subject: |
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I am surprised no one has mentioned the 8 track cassette.
I fitted one in my Corsair in the late '60s.
The cassettes were very bulky when compared to the Phillips cassette so it wasn't convenient to have many in the car.
They often had to change tracks mid way through and this caused an irritating pause and click. |
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Ellis
Joined: 07 Mar 2011
Posts: 1386
Location: Betws y Coed, North Wales
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| Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2016 11:40 pm Post subject: |
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My 2005 Ford Ranger pick up, recently sold, had a Ford Radio Cassette unit fitted as standard from new.
The last eight track cartridge I saw was in a 1975 Daimler Double Six back in 1983. The sound quality was far better than a cassette player.
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Starting Handle Expert
1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
1962 Land Rover Series 2a 88"
2002 BMW M3 E46 Cabriolet |
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norustplease
Joined: 11 Apr 2011
Posts: 826
Location: Lancashire
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| Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2016 11:58 am Post subject: |
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My wife was shopping for a new car recently and CD players seem to be disappearing wholesale. Radios are either Bluetooth or have a socket to plug your MP3 into. She , having a selection of music CD's that she likes to drive to, was not impressed.
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1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV |
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ukdave2002
Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 4277
Location: South Cheshire
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| Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2016 12:15 pm Post subject: |
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| norustplease wrote: | | My wife was shopping for a new car recently and CD players seem to be disappearing wholesale. Radios are either Bluetooth or have a socket to plug your MP3 into. She , having a selection of music CD's that she likes to drive to, was not impressed. |
just copy the cd's to a memory card or cheap MP3 player, she can now have the equivalent of 100's of cd's in the car. I'm sure most dealers would do it for you to close the sale  |
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