Old cars

[JamesVincent]

In these days of modern, fuel injected, air conditioned, new car smell vehicles there's a lot to like. But there is several things I miss from old vehicles.

1. Vent windows. I really miss vent windows. Whether it was to get some air or to smoke without rolling the window down they were invaluable, even if they were easier to break in to.

2. Kick panel vents. You know, the ones near the floor that, when opened, blew fresh air right up your.... leg. Nothing better, except maybe vent windows.

3. Usable ashtray. Back in 2001, when I bought one of my work vans, I had to pay extra for the "smokers package", $35 extra to be precise. The "package" consisted of a cigarette lighter and a cup ashtray that sat down in one of your cup holders. So I lose a cup holder to get an ashtray? I could have gone to AutoZone and bought the same thing for $5.

4. INSIDE ROOM. I have yet to be in a "modern" car, or truck for that matter, that I really feel like I have all the room I need. Really sad thing is I test drove a Civic Del Sol when they first came out. It had a stick shift and, with the seat all the way back, I could barely push the clutch to the floor and had plenty of headroom. Why they can accomplish that in a two seat sportscar but not in a luxury car is beyond me. I think that was the last car I have driven that I felt really comfortable in.

5. Engine compartment. I remember working on some of my old cars, sitting on the fender, feet on the suspension, or the frame rail, changing spark plugs. The amount of room to move around in an engine compartment was unreal. Not anymore. I love my Montana to death but I refuse to do a tune-up on it, have to pay someone else to do it. Why? Because it is a front wheel drive V-6 with multi port fuel injection. To get to the rear spark plugs you have to dis-assemble the intakes and then reach your hand across the top of the engine and feel where the plugs are. Without taking the intakes apart you have about enough space to slip a book through, a very small book.

6. Last, but not least, trunks. I had a '77 Ford LTD with a 400 big block in it. Not only did that car have tons of interior room (all of my kids were in car seats at the time. All three car seats fit across the back seat with inches in between each one and still weren't pressed against the side), tons of room in the engine compartment, even with the big block, you could hide 10 bodies in the trunk, 12 if they were small. And if you didn't check the spare tire well (remember them?) you might lose one. It was the ultimate in Illuminati conveyance vehicles. You could lose small things, like people, without ever knowing they were there in that car. I could probably have almost fit a Smart car in that trunk. And it STILL got decent gas mileage.

So, WTH? I thought we were moving forward. Did we sacrifice all the good things we had to be "modern" and "hip"? I've been contemplating getting a new car. Problem is, I can't find one that I can be comfortable with. I know I'll be replacing my truck first but I would actually like something to drive around with the kids, get good gas mileage, and still fit all of us and supplies for vacation. And, outside of another mini-van, I just don't see it.

[LaVidaRoja]

I had a friend exclaim that the back seat of my Saturn Aura was larger than the rear seat of his Porsche SUV! The trunk, however, is smaller than the one on my 2001 Saturn L. Still roomy, but can't fit in 2 sets of golf clubs and 2 suitcases for a road trip.

[Arthur Rubin]

I've noticed special anomalies, also (smaller on the inside than on the outside). Although we haven't bought a new car this millennium, the trunk of a 1998 (or perhaps a little earlier) Crown Victoria had less usable space than a 1997 Geo Prizm. (It appeared that the Crown Vic spare tire was inside the body of the trunk rather than along the floor, leaving only a 6 inch vertical gap. I could be wrong about what was running into the trunk, though.) In other words, although a few bodies might fit in the Crown Vic trunk, a wheelchair would not; while two wheelchairs could be placed in the Prizm truck. (To be fair, a wheelchair would easily fold into the floor area in the back seat of a Crown Vic, so that it wouldn't affect passenger capacity if the passenger were legless or a contortionist. I apologize for any bad taste in that last sentence.)

I suppose it all depends on what or who you're trying to transport.

I agree with you about the window vents, although I don't remember the kick floor vents. And I'm afraid my wife and I are sensitive to smoke, so that the absence of an ashtray or cigarette lighter is not a serious concern.

[Pottapaug1938]

My first car was a 1975 Honda Civic CVCC. I am 6'6"; so many people were amazed that I could fit inside it; but it was, as the salesman said, designed from the inside out, so I had plenty of room. I also chose the model with a trunk; and while it wasn't a huge one, it was big for a subcompact car.

I replaced the Civic with a Ford Escort in 1981. To check out the Escorts, I went to an auto show in Boston, and climbed all through it. When I got out, about half a dozen people were watching me; and one said "if it's big enough for you, it's big enough for us."

[JamesVincent]

Then you are taller then me. I am 6'1" tall but I am somewhere around 25" across my shoulders so side to side space is really important to me. Even in my Montana I actually get claustrophobic if the window isn't down since my shoulder is right against the window. And, quite frankly, the older I get, especially with all the damage done to my legs, the less I want to have to unfold myself from a vehicle to get out.

[Judge Roy Bean]

One thing I do miss from the era of giant-car comfort were seats you could slide across to get in or out on either side.

What I don't miss are carburetors, chokes, distributors, rotors and points. I still own a timing light and remember how to use them but am grateful for fuel injection and electronic ignition systems.

[Mr. Mephistopheles]

One thing I do miss from the era of giant-car comfort were seats you could slide across to get in or out on either side.

What I don't miss are carburetors, chokes, distributors, rotors and points. I still own a timing light and remember how to use them but am grateful for fuel injection and electronic ignition systems.

I have a timing light AND a dwell meter. I also own a couple of old trucks and a tractor that have points and condenser distributors. As an aside, my father tells the story of being worried when electronic ignition first came into use because they wouldn't be able to repair the ignition out on the road without carrying relatively expensive components. It was only worrisome until they figured out the electronic ignition very rarely caused problems.

[Olsenfin]

I LOVE my VW Jetta. It's well engineered, steers beautifully, and the heated front seats are so awesomely comfortable that I can drive for hours, even with a bad back that is painful every single day (the HydroCodone helps a lot, but doesn't eliminate the pain). The trunk is much larger than it looks at first glance, even without putting down the rear seats.

[JamesVincent]

I LOVE my VW Jetta. It's well engineered, steers beautifully, and the heated front seats are so awesomely comfortable that I can drive for hours, even with a bad back that is painful every single day (the HydroCodone helps a lot, but doesn't eliminate the pain). The trunk is much larger than it looks at first glance, even without putting down the rear seats.

Buddy of mine had one of the first Jetta TDIs and I liked it but later, when his kids got bigger, he had the same issues. Just not enough room for a family.