These cars may not be perfect but they sure are way better than cars used to be in almost every way, with a few exceptions: you can't sit on them and you have to pay close attention where you jack them up.
I had cars in the 70's and 80's that would:
crank a long time before starting
rust out for no reason (84 Tbird in So Cal.)
have trim parts fall off
engines that went 100K tops if you were lucky and careful
transmissions that would last maybe 70K before rebuild
12/15 miles per gallon
5/16 - 3/8" gap between doors and fenders
no airbags
shoulder harnesses that had to be clipped onto the headliner above window when not in use and had to be manually paired with waist belt
A/C that needed yearly maintenance
exhaust systems that rusted out regularly
speedometers with bouncy needles
crappy radios that played these things that had moving tape in them, crappy speakers
plenty of cheap plastic parts
crappy tires (radials were a luxury)
drum brakes in the rear, older cars all around
crappy suspensions that required regular lube jobs
none of the creature features (nav, phone, heated seats, etc)
carburetors (vapor lock) to mix your fuel and air together
distributor caps that could get water in them, spark plug wires that could arc or burn on your exhaust, one coil for all eight cylinders
wouldn't run good (or at all) at high altitudes unless you leaned out the carb by hand
no cruise control, only luxury cars had that and it wasn't very reliable (early 70's)
you turned a knob that moved the rear view mirror to dim it
you had to turn on the headlights manually when it got dark
you had to stick this metal thing in a hole on your door to unlock it, forget it on a dark night (there's a good joke in here somewhere)
windshield wipers that were either on or off and had 2 or 3 speeds only
made lots of smog
always dripping something on the driveway
your chest would absorb the steering column in a bad accident
I loved my 72 Charger but cars from those days did have their shortcomings compared to cars nowadays.
I agree, they are a lot better these days in every way. I grew up in the 70's driving 60's cars.
Those cars form the 60's had constant maint. and repair issues and if you made it to 70 or 80 thousand without a valve job you were lucky. And if you think that's bad, cars from the 30's and 40's required different types of maint. nearly every thousand miles!
Yes, I know there are exceptions but for the most part, it's all true.
I would have to agree with you. I certainly am nostalgic and appreciate the older cars. But given the choice between a 1970 hemi Challenger and a modern one, not considering market value, I would choose the modern one. People are nostalgic about old computers and will pay hundreds of thousands for an original Apple but you can't surf the modern internet with it. Carburetors have gone the way of the Dodo bird. I have no problems working on modern cars. I constantly hear the excuse you can't work on modern cars. Sure you can, just need the proper tools. I still have an 87 Dodge truck I bought new with the 360 V8 and 4 bbl. I have no problem getting it started but only I can get it started. Then I have to baby sit it for several minutes until it warms up. My Cherokee has a remote start. 15 years old now but in 0 deg temps it will crank three times and fire up while I'm standing on the warm side of the window. The Challenger gets 25 mpg while climbing the hills to the mountains at 80+ mph and it takes those winding roads with ease while I listen to tunes that sound better than any home theater system. At one time I owned several motorcycles. Some classic, some modern. When I went out to the garage to hop on and go for a ride I always wound up jumping on my modern BMW. Ultimately it ran better, handled better, was more reliable and was faster. Oh well, fun really is in the seat of the pants.
I don't think you missed a thing with what was wrong with those cars, had at least one of every U.S. car made.
Good thing about it was when it was done it was done, and fun to finally finish it. One way or the other.
The one good thing about the old cars.If something want wrong you had a change to fix it.Now if your new car check engine light comes on it could be a dumb gas cap not tight.So there is good and bad about new cars.If you sit on a new car you will put a dent on your car the old cars you can sit or even stand and not put a dent on them.
Truth on some of the electronics. But nowadays tuning is much easier to perfect with EFI and electronics. Also, modern cars and crumple zones I think are one of the greatest inventions of the post Vietnam era. Things dent easier, but you won't be killed like you were in those classics. I can't remember which video it was, but they demonstrated by having a 1950s-1960s era car crash into a modern one.
Oh, man. The cruise in my '75 Monte Carlo worked... on average. If you set it for 60 mph, it would drift down to 50, then WOT up to 70, drift back down to 50, repeat.
Don't forget the primitive emission controls that gave us those incredible 140-HP V8's. Remember air injection and cherry-red exhaust manifolds?
If you were in a late 1950s or early 6os caddy with a new challenger you would lose they are made of steel not plastic.Even with these new airbags in are cars.
Yep, those are two of the biggest issues that people probably don't think about in terms of classic/antique cars and trucks. The engines at least didn't last very long by today's standards in american cars. A mercedes engine of the same era could go 300+k miles. (My aunt has one that is over 300k from 1986).
Transmissions were more hit and miss. Some would last, and others wouldn't.
However I don't remember a lot of plastic going into cars until the 70's. My '57 Fairlane (owned in the 80's) had a vinyl covered steel dashboard.
Also, until recently some cars still used drum brakes in the rear, since 80% of braking is done by the front wheels, it is still considered acceptable on econo boxes.
And yes, it's true, they were easier to work on, but you had to work on them a lot more often. My Ex-father in-law had a C3 Vette, he loved it when it would run, which wasn't often. It was always breaking down.
What you lose on modern cars is the raw and immediate power. With all the nannies and torque management going on, you don't get that feeling of raw American Muscle as much as you used to. It's still there, but it's muted by a thick layer of nannies that manufacturers use to help keep the car running longer and going further and put less stress on under-engineered parts.
I have a question, Just where do you put a floor jack and stands under this car? Can you jack them up in the rear by the pumpkin? and front by the "K" member, if they even have such a thing.... Never mind saw a thread on it......
While I whole-heartedly agree that modern cars are, far and above, better to drive and with less maintenance. Having said that, I find it amusing that some of the posters are talking about their experiences in the 80's and 90's when the late 60's and early 70's cars were already 15-20 yrs. old. Those cars were not new. They were used and abused. It seems odd to me, that bemoaning havng to put a key in a door lock, or manually changing the dim on a rear view mirror was such a hassle. I don't recall it ever really was that much of a big deal. It was normal, as every car had those items. My first car didn't have AC and I never knew what I was missing. Rolled the windows doen (with a hand crank) and went on my way, wind in my hair. When those cars were new, they were not all that bad, when compared to their counterparts. Would you compare a 30's Model T to a 70 Charger? Of course not. That was a 40 year difference. Guess what? It is a 40 yr difference between those 70's beasts and our current cars. I would expect technology to have doubled or tripled to make cars better to drive and safer. I agree, I would much rather be driving a new model Challenger than a 70's version, on a daily basis. One thing newer cars do not have, as a whole, is styling and panache. JMHO
I wouldnt say cars today dont have any styling (though I would have probably said that about 10-12 years ago.) Lots of sexy cars out there right now.
One thing people forget is, not every car in the late 60's and 70's was a muscle/performance car. Those are the ones people decided to keep and collect. Your 69' Chevelle was not gonna stand out that much in a sea of other 60's cars at the time. They do now...because they're just that much different.
I've had cars from 5 different decades...and I think my 2014 R/T is acout the perfect amount of modern but doesnt get too far away from being a fun drivers car.
One thing I definitely do miss about the olders ones is the thicker sheet metal though. Just cant replicate that.
Here's a few more for the list...
1. Sun visors that would drop down when you hit a small bump..... :frown:
2. Door lock "thingie" that would dig into your arm while driving. However, these had a positive as well because you could grab them with a coat hanger when you locked your keys in the car.
3. Locking your keys in the car !!
4. Having to lean over to unlock a door when a passenger is waiting to get in.
5. Bumper jacks
6. New anti-freeze required every Fall (I lived in New England)
7. Leaky brake calipers