On this weekend my wife and I drove with her new car to some friends in the southern part of Styria. There we had lots of fun with our friends and an unexpected meeting with an other convertible. My wife's car is a Mazda MX-5 RF 2023 and the car of her friend's father is a Puch Haflinger from the early 1960's. It is a former military vehicle of the Austrian Armed Forces and is treated by him as a jewel. Performance comparison: Mazda vs Puch Haflinger 1050 kg vs 600 kg 184 HP vs 22 HP 2 wheel drive vs four wheel drive with 2 locks modern 4-cylinder engine with 2 liter displacement vs air-cooled 2-cylinder boxer engine with 643 ccm fuel consumption: ~7-7,5 l/100 km vs 13-35 l/100 km Vmax: 220 vs 54 km/h Actual commercial value of the Puch Haflinger: €30.000..-!!! In the following some impressions:
@Dawsy : For the Haflinger you must be a tough guy, but you can go every where by car. Nearly nothing will stop you! For the Mazda you should not be taller then 185 cm!
I must admit the Haflinger has a certain charm although I wouldn't want to tour Europe in it! While camping at Loch Lomond a few years back I was talking to a guy who turned up in a 1940's Willys Jeep that looked brand new. He bought it some years previous, complete but "in need of work", for next to nothing and completely rebuilt it. It had all the "extras", military radio, jerry cans, axe, shovel etc. First thing that came to mind when I saw it was the MASH TV series from the 1970's. Similar examples of the same vintage in similar condition can go for £40k+.
@Pegscraper : You're right! Those old military vehicles are nearly "weighted in gold". I have a friend who owns a brand new looking Willy's Jeep from 1942. He was offered €45.000.- from an unknown guy who came across during his handmade car wash.
Look here: https://heritagemuseumsandgardens.org/hmg/1942-willys-jeep/ The price on the 16th July 1941 for the first 16.000 pieces was $738,74 each!!!
