"good pickup"...what does this mean exactly?

[joko]

i know it refers to the speed and ease at which the car moves off from stationary

this has been said to me numerous times when referring to my old banger...people seem very surprised about it an say it isbetter than their newer better car

why is this? what does it mean in terms of the car mechanics? that the engine is good or something?

just curious, the car is now to be scrapped because of other probs...and i have noticed that my new car, that has been kept in great condition has quite bad 'pickup' compared to the old one...

thanks

[Iggle Piggle]

what car is it? petrol or diesel and what engine size?
I was told by a mechanic my car had good pickup. I asked him what he meant and he said he was surprised at how swift and smooth it was, he was expecting the engine to be lumpy and slow.
A good full service always helps, I did my own servicing at the time and used to clean the spark plugs and change the oil/filter and air filter every 3000 miles.

[joko]

thanks, thats even weirder becasue this car was a real old banger and was rarely serviced