What do you miss about classic cars or cars of the past?

[Craig Irwin]

On 8/30/2018 at 10:10 PM, Lizard Racing said:

 Colors were more than black, white or gray.

50 shades of grey is more than a girl porn book title, it describes the  new car dealers lots!  I'm old enough to remember the 50's Easter egg colors, and miss them. Going to an old car show today is a visual treat  styling and color wise. 

[MrObsessive]

14 minutes ago, Craig Irwin said:

Yes! I really miss 2 door cars, if you want one today your choice is the Challenger, Mustang or Camaro. Way out of the price range of most buyers, and not the most practicable family cars, besides being to low for us old farts to get in and out of. And what ever happened to station wagons?

Actually of the three cars, I found my Challenger to be the least cramped/claustrophic. The new Camaro, I don't care for the way low roof, and the small windows. The Mustang I found to be 'narrow' inside despite its size on the outside. According to the motoring press (and my insurance company), the Challenger is actually considered a full size car due to its dimensions. Comparisons are made to the Camaro and Mustang because of its looks and performance.

I don't consider myself an 'old fart' (yet), but my Challenger is pretty easy to get in and out of. No crouching down to get in, and no straining your knees to get out of doing severe knee bends! Yeah, I'm a single guy with no wife or kids, so unless you've got another more practical car for family duty, they aren't that practical.

Station wagons? Don't get me started on those! I TRULY miss those wagons as I'm not a fan of the whole SUV/CUV thing at all 'cept for a very few. I hated when Chrysler cut short the life of the Magnum in a few years, only to come out with yet another Crossover-------I can't think of the name of it now it was so anonymous to me. I'm just not crazy about vehicles that sit up so high with their high center of gravity.

More often than not, when there's severe winter weather here in PA, what's the first vehicle I see on the road with wheels up and roof down??

An SUV/CUV.....................'nuff said.

[SfanGoch]

47 minutes ago, Craig Irwin said:

And what ever happened to station wagons?

Like Mammoth herds which were isolated on islands after the last Ice Age, they became victims of dwarfism and evolved into minivans and CUV's.

[Rider]

Many of the SUV's have looked very similar over the past 10yrs. It's as if they have all come from the same stamping dies with some minor tweaks here and there. My sister in-law has a work vehicle which one of the mid sized GM product SUV's. One day while driving up to her house I noticed her neighbour across the street had the 'same' vehicle, the colour was almost identical, the wheels were different, then I noticed the grill, it was a Mercedes. The BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH body lines were almost identical, the rear side windows were pretty much identical. Ya have to wonder, where did all the unique to a manufacture styling go, seems now it's just the grill and tail lights and lift gate that differentiate one maker from another. So sad, just another example of capitalism trying to make money as fast as possible, which is driving up the cost of everything. In a world of disposable everything supply and demand isn't driving the price, seem return on investment is, also known as pure greed. I digress. New cars blow. 

 

 

[slusher]

I was having trouble getting in and out my 2005 Sebring because of the size of the doors. So I bought a program Dodge Carivan. I needed the room. My son is tall and it's not easy stuffing him in the back of a 4 door car and I did not want a truck or SUV...

[slusher]

5 hours ago, mchook said:

I miss that you could lean on a car without the fear of denting it, the style, or lack of, being able to work on them but most of all the exhaust smell. I know it's weird but if I could can that smell I would. I know it's bad for everyone & the environment but I LOVE that smell. I go to my fathers house every weekend & we work on his old cars. He's been buying & selling antique cars forever so I've learned alot over the years about bringing an old car back to life. Here are just a few he has right now. The 79 Ranchero is the newest old car he owns, There's more but I don't have pics of them all.

I can't blame I love looking and messing with old vehicles...

[SfanGoch]

21 minutes ago, MrObsessive said:

I don't care for the way low roof, and the small windows.

Low roof? Aw c'mon. Rik Smits, who is 7'4'' tall, owned and drove two Superbirds. That car (54" at the roof) is only one inch taller than the Camaro (53"). Didn't bother him none.  

 

[MrObsessive]

1 hour ago, SfanGoch said:

Low roof? Aw c'mon. Rik Smits, who is 7'4'' tall, owned and drove two Superbirds. That car (54" at the roof) is only one inch taller than the Camaro (53"). Didn't bother him none. 

That car Joe doesn't have the high beltline like that Camaro which adds to the claustrophobia!

I can almost betcha he had reeeeaaal long seat tracks in that Superbird! He's real tall like my Great Grandfather who was seven foot. He never drove though so fitting in a car was never an issue for him!

[Jon Cole]

4 hours ago, Craig Irwin said:

50 shades of grey is more than a girl porn book title, it describes the  new car dealers lots!  I'm old enough to remember the 50's Easter egg colors, and miss them. Going to an old car show today is a visual treat  styling and color wise. 

Craig wins the internet for today.  I have made the "50 Shades... 2018 color chip chart" comparison as well. Cars of the late 50's, and on through the 70's had chrome, had color; had a style that cannot be matched by todays techno mechanical aero blobs. 

[Lizard Racing]

Isn't it interesting (weird) that the cars some of us grew up with are now "classics" or "antiques"?

There is a TV commercial where a grandpa is showing his granddaughter his Bronco. No blue tooth, touch screen or power windows. She eventually thought it was cool.

[Craig Irwin]

Does anyone else find it funny that in the effort to make cars more crash worthy they made cars harder to drive without crashing them? There is a reason for all of the backup sensors, rear view cameras and lane change radar warnings on new cars, you can't see out of the darn things.

 

[metalhead]

Being able to actually take a hit and keep on going. These days, a small fender bender shuts the vehicle down on most occasions. I know, safety and all that good stuff, but you don't see many new model cars that you can rip most of the front end off and still being able to drive it. 

[peteski]

On 8/31/2018 at 7:47 PM, Rider said:

I miss seeing the huge luxury cars that went away in late '70's. Lincoln MarkV's were 19'3" long, the front fenders were close to 7'.

 

On 8/31/2018 at 8:54 PM, slusher said:

I had a 77 Thunderbird best driving car I ever owned. Bought it in 84. Plenty of Room...black looked just like the Internet picture..

Yes, that Lincoln Mk. V is one of my favorite cars too.  I love the sleek and angular lines and the long hood/short back proportions. I saw one this weekend at https://www.cruisingdowntown.com/ . It was sort of salmon color.  My 1985 Eldorado is few feet shorter, but still has the same look.   I showed it at the Cruising Downtown and heard lots of positive comments and reminiscing from the public.

I also owned a '77 T-bird (cream/brown) for few years.  It was a pretty car and a very comfy ride.  Again, long hood/short truck proportions. Makes the car look good and sleek.

Edited September 4, 2018 by peteski

[Chuck Most]

Nothing, once I get into a modern car. 

[Lovefordgalaxie]

I miss nothing, as I daily my Galaxie. Just came back from a 1500 km trip, and no problems. The car has a V8, points, condenser, a 4 barrel carburetor, bias ply tires (that I import from Coker and pay a lot for, as I hate radial tires), a great power steering, power brakes, A/C, 3 on the three, a drinks gasoline like mad. 

When I travel, I take a spark plug wire, one spark plug, basic tools, spare belts, a spare set of points, one spare condenser, and one fuel pump. Never had to call anyone for help, or a tow. 

I wouldn't daily drive a new car even if I were paid big bucks to do so. They are all ugly, look alike, and have computers for everything.   

 

[fumi]

I really don't understand the hate on back up cameras around here.  The fact is you will never be able to see what is lurking in the area below the trunk line with your rear view mirror no matter how careful and attentive you claim you are, be it a dog or a cat or a kid running out just as you are backing up your car.  It just makes sense to have that extra visibility there.

As for "interesting" colours on new cars, they are always great when someone else own them.  People loved my lime green Fiesta.  Yet no one wanted it when I was trading for a new car.  Dealers flat out refused to take it.  I was lucky enough to have a friend taking it off my hands just as I was about to give up.

And you know what cars look the same?  Take out any GM catalogs of the same model year from the 60's and 70's.  The cars all look the same.  They are practically the same car with a different grille.

[Pete J.]

2 hours ago, fumi said:

I really don't understand the hate on back up cameras around here.  The fact is you will never be able to see what is lurking in the area below the trunk line with your rear view mirror no matter how careful and attentive you claim you are, be it a dog or a cat or a kid running out just as you are backing up your car.  It just makes sense to have that extra visibility there.

 

I have to agree with you.  My daily driver is a 93 MR 2.  Backing out of a parking space can be exciting especially if there is a huge pickup or SUV on either side.  I have to back up 3/4 of the way out to see anyone coming.  Annoys the heck out of me when someone starts blowing their horn 'cause I can't see them.  Wife's Lexus has the camera and cross traffic plus pedestrian proximity warning.  Backing out of a space is far less stressful when next to the current class of behemoth pickups and SUVs that seem to be all the rage.  

[iamsuperdan]

On 31/08/2018 at 6:54 PM, slusher said:

I had a 77 Thunderbird best driving car I ever owned. Bought it in 84. Plenty of Room...black looked just like the Internet picture..

My first car was a 78 Thunderbird. Brown on brown, vinyl roof, 400ci V8. Ahh, back when gas was 30cents/liter.

[iamsuperdan]

On 01/09/2018 at 2:25 PM, Craig Irwin said:

50 shades of grey is more than a girl porn book title, it describes the  new car dealers lots!  I'm old enough to remember the 50's Easter egg colors, and miss them. Going to an old car show today is a visual treat  styling and color wise. 

Not all hope is lost. Look at the available colours for the new Volkswagen Golf R. There are 35 different colours available. Yes, there are greys and silvers, but at least half, if not more are wild colours. Viper Green, Raspberry Red, Jazz Blue, Cliff Green, 91 Blue, Sarantos Turquoise, Traffic Purple, TNT Orange, Magma Orange, Curry Yellow, Ginster Yellow, Tehcno Blue, Violet Touch. It goes on.

Too bad very few will ever order those. 

[slusher]

1 hour ago, iamsuperdan said:

My first car was a 78 Thunderbird. Brown on brown, vinyl roof, 400ci V8. Ahh, back when gas was 30cents/liter.

No more then what I received for it in trade I wish I would have parked it at my mothers carport. Many of us wish we could do over some things...

[Craig Irwin]

1 hour ago, iamsuperdan said:

Not all hope is lost. Look at the available colours for the new Volkswagen Golf R. There are 35 different colours available. Yes, there are greys and silvers, but at least half, if not more are wild colours. Viper Green, Raspberry Red, Jazz Blue, Cliff Green, 91 Blue, Sarantos Turquoise, Traffic Purple, TNT Orange, Magma Orange, Curry Yellow, Ginster Yellow, Tehcno Blue, Violet Touch. It goes on.

Too bad very few will ever order those. 

Sadly most people can't afford to keep a VW running. Maybe the color choice thing will turn around.

[Rob Hall]

4 minutes ago, Craig Irwin said:

Sadly most people can't afford to keep a VW running. Maybe the color choice thing will turn around.

Well, the Golf R is a $40k model, so...

[Craig Irwin]

Just now, Rob Hall said:

Well, the Golf R is a $40k model, so...

It's not the down stroke, VW's are expensive to service, and unfortunately they require a lot of it.

 

[Rob Hall]

1 minute ago, Craig Irwin said:

It's not the down stroke, VW's are expensive to service, and unfortunately they require a lot of it.

 

That's what I've heard from friends w/ VWs...I know from my own experience w/ BMWs and Mercedes that German cars can be expensive to maintain..   Jeeps can be that way also, but I'm used to it.. 

[MrObsessive]

9 hours ago, fumi said:

And you know what cars look the same?  Take out any GM catalogs of the same model year from the 60's and 70's.  The cars all look the same.  They are practically the same car with a different grille.

More so the '70's but certainly not in the '60's. I was a kid in the '60's and I could tell which cars were what WITHOUT looking at the name plate. That was as early as the age of six or seven. Each division had its own styling cues, and one could certainly close their eyes as even the starters and engines had their own unique sounds. Those finned '50's cars were some of the first cars I remember seeing when I first knew what a car was, and as I got older, I could certainly tell the difference between ALL makes that were made back then.

Into the '70's the car industry fell victim to the Safety Nazis whims, and that might have been the start of the 'homogenization' being that things started to look similar. Nevertheless, one could still tell which car was what, and didn't have to guess at what was coming at them.

I guess it all depends on what era one was born as to what they're going to be familiar with. My Dad was born in 1933. He could tell all of those '30's and '40's cars apart with no trouble at all, while to me they all appeared the same. Same I guess could be said of today's cars. 'Car kids' I'm sure can tell today's cars from each other, and may think that the cars from yesteryear all look the same.

It's all a matter of perspective.