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I was obsessed with the muscle cars of the 60s as a teenager in the 1970s. I have lots of fond memories of cars of that era, but today's cars are so much better in every way. Today's cars are much quicker and faster in a straight line. Handling, braking, safety, NVH, reliability, ease of maintenance, etc., etc. are in a whole different league.
Still, car culture has been dying a long slow death and they'll be nobody waxing nostalgically about today's cars 40 or 50 years from now.
I actually feel a little sad when I see a gathering of old muscle cars. I used to adore them, but the sad fact is the I have a 4 year old friggin' Ford Taurus that will destroy 99% of them in drag race.
That is part of their charm. Simple, easy to work on and modify.
Nope. I've owned plenty of 60s/70s cars, as well as dozens of newer ones. Modern cars are much, much easier to work and respond to modifications better. No comparison.
Nope. I've owned plenty of 60s/70s cars, as well as dozens of newer ones. Modern cars are much, much easier to work and respond to modifications better. No comparison.
New cars definitely perform and handle way better, but hands down the classics looked cooler, had character and sense of charm.
Not to mention real metal chrome door handles, real chrome bumpers, and thicker sheet metal that resist dents and dings much easier than today’s composite/thin gauge metal. They just felt like “REAL†cars back then.
Nope. I've owned plenty of 60s/70s cars, as well as dozens of newer ones. Modern cars are much, much easier to work and respond to modifications better. No comparison.
Are you serious? You really think a modern car/engine is easier to work on than this one ('69 Dodge Coronet R/T with 440 engine)?
Are you serious? You really think a modern car/engine is easier to work on than this one ('69 Dodge Coronet R/T with 440 engine)?
Yes. I've worked on old 440 Mopars and many newer cars. Example: Something as simple as adding headers to old car requires extensive fiddling with carburetor jets, ignition timing, etc., to get it to run correctly. A modern car requires a simple PCM reflash. Tuning on old car is always a compromise because it's static. The closed loop injection system on newer cars adjusts to changing conditions with no human intervention, and therefore runs closer to optimal at all times. Taking advantage of high octane fuel requires ignition timing changes (remember those advance curve kits?) and distributor disassembly on an old car. Simple PCM flash on a new car. One of my current cars picked up 65hp and dropped .8 seconds in the 1/4 mile with a $400 canned tune and 10 minutes of my time. A camshaft change on an OHC car doesn't require removing the intake manifold or draining the coolant. I could go on, but I think you get the point.
classics of my time occurred during the 90s. This is when the Japanese really put a dent on the market. When some of these vehicle made the top 10 most stolen cars list, you know it has to be a good car.
so , my picks: 1995, Acura legend, MB e500, Mazda Miata, Cadillac Brougham/impala ss , BMWs 740i.
1995 was a very good year .
LOL. A 1995 Impala SS is barely quicker than a modern minivan and will get beat by a plethora of 4 cylinder cars. 1995 was NOT a good year. In fact, even in the context of the time, the SS wasn't particularly good. Not picking on the SS, but it could barely hang with the original 1989 Taurus SHO. Same with the E500.
The 1960's and 1970's were obviously where the muscle cars and all the true fans of muscle cars came from and were born from, it was that generation that spawned the word, the bought these vehicles in the hundreds of thousands per year, that spawned a decades long rivalry between two makers' cars.
The 2000's and 2010's have shown what modern technology can do to a muscle car. I think we've seen the full fledged revival and to a large extent, enthusiasm is back and nearly as strong as the first time. The muscle cars of today are not only much faster, but have excellent handling characteristics as well, all while being safer, more fuel efficient, and more comfortable.
There are SO many different models of the cars out there. The Mustang has at least 5 or more packaged between all their cars. The base v6, the GT, the GT track pac, the Boss 302, the GT350, the GT500, and I probably missed a few others. The Camaro has the base V6, the SS, the 1LE, the ZL1, and in 2014 the Z28. Then you have the Charger and Challenger and their 3 forms as well.
Do you think the cars from this generation will be sought after prized collector cars 30-40 years from now, worth even more than the old and rare muscle cars from the 1960's? Seeing the price tag on the ZL1, Z28, and GT500 I think those cars will be worth a LOT more in the future, they won't be made forever, a limited time when technology was advancing quickly and fuel remained relatively cheap.
Older cars were SO much simpler to work on, you didn't have to worry about emissions, safety parts, airbags, crash test ratings, etc, they were lighter, and cheaper to modify. New school cars are safer, cleaner, but much more complicated to work on, making tasks that might have been simple 40 years ago rather complex nowadays.
Anyways, which generation do you prefer?
While I am indeed of that generation who could problem solve any glitch any car provided.. Today.. One REQUIRES DATA/Computerized diagnosis...
Any difficulties I have ever had with my 1994 vehicle was usually nothing more than a fuse that got dislodged.. causing issues with panel lights and lock shutdowns.. and oye vey.. sudden Beeps beeps out of the blue when there was ZERO reason!!
Sorry, but I do miss things that one can access.. When everything is undercover.. HOW does a driver deal with issues?? Instead.. STRANDED.. need digital access to call for help.. and of course open to be victimized for predators taking advantage...
Ohhhh, I sure wish for the OLD DAYS!! That basic auto-mechanics got you where you needed to go.. and yep maybe repairs.. but at least you had a way to get there!! LOL.. Conspiracy by Auto-Corporates and the like!! LOL
ETA~~ Back in theOLD Days.. we could at least "Gerry-Rig" things to get somewhere.. BUT now one is left STRANDED!!How is that helpful?? much less SAFE?
Middle market appliance sedans in 2018 have more horsepower than many 1960's "muscle cars". They're far more reliable. They're much safer. Braking distances have improved dramatically. I know what I'd rather have as my daily driver. That's different from somebody looking for a garage queen or a project car.
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