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

[Pete J.]

Honestly, not much!  Time erases pain and I think all of us remember those old cars as being far better than they actually were.  Less expensive?  Cheap is more like it.  30,000 miles and it was time to go get a new one.  5 years tops and they were ready for the scrap heap.  Up keep?  You had to know how to set points in the middle of nowhere, when they went out of adjustment.  Set them to the thickness of a matchbook cover would get you back to town.  Kept a pair of nylons in the trunk.  Could be used to replace a fan belt and get you home.  Most of us carried tool kits in the trunk.  I remember changing a wheel bearing on the side of the road.  Had a box with cans oil, antifreeze and Bardale radiator sealant  for emergencies.  Tires? Heck if you got 3,000 miles out of a set you were doing great.  I remember the first set of Michelins I go on my Mustang.  I was stunned that they lasted 10,000 miles.  In that era, you needed to make sure you had a good spare at all times.  

Yup, they were fun, but I was young and they could be had cheap because they were worn out.  Yup, you could fix them but then you didn't have a choice.  Now a car can go 30,000 between major services.  A new set of Michelins are guaranteed to go 45,000 to 60,000 miles.  100,000 miles on a set spark plugs.    I remember Volvo ads bragging that the average life expectancy of their cars was 10 years.  I now keep my cars an average of 15 years and my current daily driver is 25 years old and dependable at it was new.  No, cars are not what they once were and I for one am thankful for that.

[Dann Tier]

4 hours ago, Russell C said:

As my current (31 year old) daily driver is a bit on the low side compared to the plethora of taller SUV / crossover things roaming around now, I miss how the old cars did not have HID headlights that could just as easily double as aircraft landing lights. I can't remember a night within the last five or more years when I didn't have to flip my rear view mirror into the "save yourself from the brights" position at all.

I agree 100%!!  makes me think about putting another 50" LED light bar on the back side of my roofrack to flick-on, and "return the favor"....

[OldTrucker]

8 hours ago, Pete J. said:

Honestly, not much!  Time erases pain and I think all of us remember those old cars as being far better than they actually were.  Less expensive?  Cheap is more like it.  30,000 miles and it was time to go get a new one.  5 years tops and they were ready for the scrap heap.  Up keep?  You had to know how to set points in the middle of nowhere, when they went out of adjustment.  Set them to the thickness of a matchbook cover would get you back to town.  Kept a pair of nylons in the trunk.  Could be used to replace a fan belt and get you home.  Most of us carried tool kits in the trunk.  I remember changing a wheel bearing on the side of the road.  Had a box with cans oil, antifreeze and Bardale radiator sealant  for emergencies.  Tires? Heck if you got 3,000 miles out of a set you were doing great.  I remember the first set of Michelins I go on my Mustang.  I was stunned that they lasted 10,000 miles.  In that era, you needed to make sure you had a good spare at all times.  

Yup, they were fun, but I was young and they could be had cheap because they were worn out.  Yup, you could fix them but then you didn't have a choice.  Now a car can go 30,000 between major services.  A new set of Michelins are guaranteed to go 45,000 to 60,000 miles.  100,000 miles on a set spark plugs.    I remember Volvo ads bragging that the average life expectancy of their cars was 10 years.  I now keep my cars an average of 15 years and my current daily driver is 25 years old and dependable at it was new.  No, cars are not what they once were and I for one am thankful for that.

WOW your family must have been rough on cars!

Growing up all we ever had were old used cars and never had that much trouble with any and most were over 100,000 miles when we got them and would put another 50,000+ before trading them off or handing them off to a relative who would put another few years driving into them! Never more than normal maintainence had to be done to any of them!

Tune up, new points and plugs and if properly done maybe one readjustment (filed) between tuneups and never an issue!

Grandpa put well over 20,000 on the old Sears Gaurdsman bias ply tires (he always bought "blems" to save money!) and that was all he ran until he finally bought his 73 Nove brad new and between him and grandma after he [passed the car had over 260,000 miles and still ran good but rust had finally got the floors!

Same with me. I only bought one car new and someone stole it so I never bought another new car.

I never had any big problems with any of the 50's thru early 70's cars that we bought and drove. Not until the late 70's and up and then the headaches began. The more "sophisticated things were build the more problems they seemed to have!

Our current car (2006 HHR) I spend a couple thousand on at the dealer trying to keep the dang "check engine" light shut off. Guess what???? THEY CAN'T FIX IT!!! I wasted all that money for something they finally said they could not figure out even with calls to the GM trouble shooters!!!

They said sorry but nothing we can do and no you can't get a refund for all the parts we over charged you for that you didn't need!

Sorry but I don't remember the old cars being better I KNOW THEY WERE!

The reason no one carries a tool box anymore is because not many would even know where to begin to make a repair (thanks to lack of trade courses in high schools these days) and even those of us that could can't on these new cars that were purposely designed to make it so we can't!

 

Edited August 29, 2018 by OldTrucker

[Oldcarfan27]

23 hours ago, 89AKurt said:

 

Kurt, you know why this is "Classic"?

Because it doesn't look like what's being driven on the road today and still looks great!

I think people admire a person who keeps an old car on the road and drives it like it was intended.

Keep it going, it IS a Classic!

[Pete J.]

1 hour ago, OldTrucker said:

WOW your family must have been rough on cars!

Growing up all we ever had were old used cars and never had that much trouble with any and most were over 100,000 miles when we got them and would put another 50,000+ before trading them off or handing them off to a relative who would put another few years driving into them! Never more than normal maintainence had to be done to any of them!

Tune up, new points and plugs and if properly done maybe one readjustment (filed) between tuneups and never an issue!

Grandpa put well over 20,000 on the old Sears Gaurdsman bias ply tires (he always bought "blems" to save money!) and that was all he ran until he finally bought his 73 Nove brad new and between him and grandma after he [passed the car had over 260,000 miles and still ran good but rust had finally got the floors!

Same with me. I only bought one car new and someone stole it so I never bought another new car.

I never had any big problems with any of the 50's thru early 70's cars that we bought and drove. Not until the late 70's and up and then the headaches began. The more "sophisticated things were build the more problems they seemed to have!

Our current car (2006 HHR) I spend a couple thousand on at the dealer trying to keep the dang "check engine" light shut off. Guess what???? THEY CAN'T FIX IT!!! I wasted all that money for something they finally said they could not figure out even with calls to the GM trouble shooters!!!

They said sorry but nothing we can do and no you can't get a refund for all the parts we over charged you for that you didn't need!

Sorry but I don't remember the old cars being better I KNOW THEY WERE!

The reason no one carries a tool box anymore is because not many would even know where to begin to make a repair (thanks to lack of trade courses in high schools these days) and even those of us that could can't on these new cars that were purposely designed to make it so we can't!

 

Yea, we probably were hard on cars.  We lived in western Nebraska and had 5 miles of gravel roads to drive on to get to pavement.  The roads were rough and rutted during the summer and you could see the dust cloud kicked up by a car passing and all that went into the air cleaners.  The winter roads were even rougher as the fall mud froze into really contorted shapes.  The suspensions took a beating and the bouncing loosened up everything.  The old cars squeaked and rattled.  The gravel peeled the paint off the underside of the car but luckily it was a dry climate so rust was slow to form.  Exhaust systems would go first with the sandblasting they took on a daily basis and Detroit made them out of mild steel so the rust took them pretty quickly.   Tires also took a beating on those roads, so yea, cars had a rough life.

  I also remember when I lived in northern Michigan when I was in the Air  Force.  The rust was a killer of cars.  People had old beaters for the winter and saved their "good" car for the summer.  I remember that Ziebart had a booming business there.  Drilled holes in the panels and sprayed a waxie gunk inside to reduce rust.  Also undercoated the frame with a black tar.  That is because car makers didn't have the electrostatic rust dip that they do on the new cars.  Also the old lacquer paints just didn't stand up to weather the way the new urethanes do.  Sun burned paint was the norm on the road.  

I love seeing the old cars of my youth.  Every manufacture had it's own look and were quite easily spotted.  Much more chrome and other external adornment.  The interiors were downright garish.  I really enjoy going to car shows and seeing well cared for or restored cars of the 50's through the 70"s, but to own one as a daily driver, NO THANKS.  I'll take my modern car.  

Edited August 29, 2018 by Pete J.

[89AKurt]

2 hours ago, Oldcarfan27 said:

Kurt, you know why this is "Classic"?

Because it doesn't look like what's being driven on the road today and still looks great!

I think people admire a person who keeps an old car on the road and drives it like it was intended.

Keep it going, it IS a Classic!

Yea, I'm a classic too.    For now, my pickup purrs along very well (knock on wood).

[Ramfins59]

As has been said, I miss the style that cars had, especially back in the 50's with all that chrome.   Back in the late 90's when I was driving my '59 Dodge Coronet (my daily driver) people at work would be amazed that I drove the car every day.  They'd ask "What if something breaks down?"  My answer was  "I'll fix it."

[Oldcarfan27]

2 hours ago, 89AKurt said:

Yea, I'm a classic too.    For now, my pickup purrs along very well (knock on wood).

Oh really? But do YOU still look better than anything else on the road? LOL

[kitbash1]

Todays cars have no soul. Cars ftom the 50's and 60's have soul. Back then you knew what was a Ford, Buick Chevy or Oldsmobile. They had curves and fins, big V8's and came in a multitude of colours and you could get them in two tone paint jobs as well. I submit for your approval, my 1955 Oldsmobile super 88 2Dr Coupe. Bettie ( I named her after Bettie Page ).

[Ramfins59]

That's a great looking Olds Doug.  I rebuilt an American Metal diecast of this car that looks like your car except it's a convertible.

[Darren B]

To me I  can not see anyone in 2045 restoring a Prius!! Most of the new stuff sucks, but I blame the government getting into the business due to the epa. Needing unrealistic mileage and smog equipment (that really does not help when the real polluters never get their vehicles checked!!! They have to make them out of plastic and foam. It is insane. Just look at the cars after the mid and early 80's that is when the over all looks went really bad......

[Southern Fried]

New, 1961.   "Old" 2008.... One of the "shoulda' kept ones....

[Oldcarfan27]

1 hour ago, Darren B said:

To me I  can not see anyone in 2045 restoring a Prius!!

Then again, I would've never thought I'd see the day when folks restore 70s Corollas and Pacers. But here we are.

[Deathgoblin]

Bench seats so I've got room for my buffalo butt without a center console and having actual interior room.  I'd rather not have a center arm rest or center storage if it meant I had more "wiggle room"

[Bucky]

Here's one I don't hafta miss:

1968 Imperial Crown....5000 pounds of Detroit iron....350 HP 440 V-8....1 of 474 built....been a part of the family since 1998.

Power windows, power seats, power locks, power steering, power brakes, power top, tilt and telescope steering wheel......and NO cup holders!!

[Oldcarfan27]

1 hour ago, Bucky said:

....5000 pounds of Detroit iron....

Funny, even with all the plastic and lightweight materials used in modern cars, an average Suburban or Escalade still hits this tonnage. 

A Dodge Challenger or Charger still comes close (at 4400 lbs)

And a Camaro or Mustang still tips the scales near 2 tons

No wonder the manufacturers have such a hard time trying to meet EPA mileage standards. Even with all of the cheaper, recycled materials, they still haven't gotten rid of the FAT!

[PatW]

The only thing I miss about the older cars, is that we could work on them ourselves rather than pay £95 per hour labour costs at the dealerships!

[Pete J.]

7 hours ago, Darren B said:

To me I  can not see anyone in 2045 restoring a Prius!! 

No, I can't either, but I can see someone putting a WRX Sti through a rehab, or perhaps a Camaro or Corvette.  Not every car is deserving of being carried forward.  You don't see a lot loving restorations of Pintos, Mavericks or Valiants.  There are unloved cars from every era.  Don't judge all, by one.  There are a lot of great, exciting cars out there that will have a cult following in 2045.

[peteski]

20 minutes ago, Pete J. said:

No, I can't either, but I can see someone putting a WRX Sti through a rehab, or perhaps a Camaro or Corvette.  Not every car is deserving of being carried forward.  You don't see a lot loving restorations of Pintos, Mavericks or Valiants.  There are unloved cars from every era.  Don't judge all, by one.  There are a lot of great, exciting cars out there that will have a cult following in 2045.

Come on guys, lets get real here. The way the technology is advancing, by 2045 everybody will be into virtual reality (similar to the holodeck on the U.S.S. Enterprise in the Star Trek TNG).  Nobody will want to get their hands dirty messing around with some ancient automobile carcass.   If there still are any gearheds left, they will work on virtual vehicles in their holographic simulation of a garage or a racetrack. The young generation even now is not all that thrilled with driving or even owning a vehicle.  Driving to them is a huge distraction taking them away from their communicators, and actually owing a vehicle is too complicated and too expensive.

Then there is the infrastructure. By 2045 all the vehicles (cars. trucks and personal transport pods) will be all electric, self-driving, and all the roadways will have been by then adapted specifically to those vehicles.  They will all be traveling most efficient way, and the most efficient speed.  Old manually-controlled and gas-powered cars will not be allowed into the autonomous vehicle collective on the roadways.  I'm glad that I will likely not be around to witness all of this in person.

Going back to the past, I actually prefer seeing those unloved vehicles restored and exhibited at car shows. If I see bunch of '57 Chevys, '60s Vettes and G nicely restored Gremlin, Pinto Wagon, or a Pacer, guess which cars I will walk by, and which will stop and look at?  Yes, the unloved ones because in this day to me they are rare and unique. Chevys and Vettes are dime-a-dozen at any car show.  When I attend cruises in my 1985 Caddy Eldorado Biarritz (yes, it is 33 years old already), my car is most often the only one like at the cruise. My Caddy it is 33 years old now, which is the same age as a 1957 Chevy was in 1990, but it is not considered a classic vehicle. Probably will never be either. But I don't care.

Edited August 30, 2018 by peteski

[MrObsessive]

I did forget another things that drives me absolutely crazy about today's cars. I can't stand to see that stupid 'donut' of a spare on a car instead of an actual spare tire. I know why they do it..........to save space and weight. But for goodness sake--if they would STYLE the car so that it would have an acceptable spare, then there'd be no need for the dumb donut in the first place huh??

That brings me to another point about things I miss. A nice, BIG expansive trunk! Say what you will about the Challenger, but that is a nice size trunk it has, and two or more people can pack very well for a nice getaway weekend, and not be cramped or have their stuff all smashed up. Of course, despite its size my car has that woefully dumb donut too.

Is this part of the reason people have migrated to trucks and SUV's? Or are they now afflicted with that dumbness??

[espo]

The donut spare tires doesn't bother me like it used to. We have far better quality tires today and flats aren't as common as they once were. I still get a kick out of seeing cars on the side of the road with one or more donuts on and at least one of them flat. I have to agree on the trunk size issue. We have a Charger and you could stash bodies in the trunk. We went to northern Michigan for a week with another couple. We retuned with 5 cases of wine and luggage for four all in the trunk, no problem. My wife's Avenger has a trunk much larger than you would think a car that size would have. As many others have pointed out, the cars today do not seem to have a soul and I think that is sad. I have always thought of an automobile as something other than an appliance to transport you from point A to point B. The cars prior to say the '80's had unique personalities about them. You knew what you were looking at from 50 yards away. They made sounds and had smells that were theirs alone. Today with far to few exceptions were driving a vehicle that looks like a wet bar of soap in the shower. They have little bitty engines that are often straining to keep up with traffic. The only cars that dealer stock are more shades of gray than the book, or white or black, take your pick since they're all equipped the same.    

[Oldcarfan27]

6 hours ago, peteski said:

Then there is the infrastructure. By 2045 all the vehicles (cars. trucks and personal transport pods) will be all electric, self-driving, and all the roadways will have been by then adapted specifically to those vehicles.  They will all be traveling most efficient way, and the most efficient speed.  Old manually-controlled and gas-powered cars will not be allowed into the autonomous vehicle collective on the roadways. 

Yeah, and back in 1985, they thought we'd be driving flying cars by 2015!

Where's Doc Emmett Brown when you need him?

[Pete J.]

Donut tires? New cars?  The "space saver" spare has been around for a long time, like about 50 year or so.  First car I owned with one was my '74 911.  In fact I still own the little compressor that was included to blow it up.  It was a little 12 volt german compressor that plugged into the cigarette lighter.  It has come in very handy more than once. 

[Rob Hall]

It seems in general you don't see space saver tires w/ SUVs...my '00 Jeep had a full size spare on a 16 inch wheel, my '14 Jeep has a full size spare on a 20 inch wheel.   My '00 Caddy DTS and '11 Caddy STS had space savers IIRC though..

[MrObsessive]

1 hour ago, Pete J. said:

Donut tires? New cars?  The "space saver" spare has been around for a long time, like about 50 year or so.  First car I owned with one was my '74 911.  In fact I still own the little compressor that was included to blow it up.  It was a little 12 volt german compressor that plugged into the cigarette lighter.  It has come in very handy more than once. 

Oh I'm sure of that. My '69 AMX originally equipped came with a space saver spare, and may have been one of the first cars to do so with the intro of the AMX/Javelins in '68. I just hate how the styling across the board has dictated what they put in a car and what they won't. Too many cars have the back ends and deck lids so high up that they want to put a back up camera in cars now as standard. IIRC, isn't that a mandate for cars in a few years?

How 'bout making the cars so that they're not so hard to see out of in the first place! Someone mentioned about the high beltlines in cars these days. That may be more of a safety thing than anything else. With the proliferation of trucks and SUV's, regular car styling seems to me had to go that way for better side impact protection?

Some cars look OK with that and some don't. The smaller the car, the more ungainly it appears.

Edited August 30, 2018 by MrObsessive