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1973 Opel station wagon. Probably the most fun car I've owned. A small 4 cylinder, but ran like a banshee. A buddy had a '74 and we used to race. Usually a tie.
a friend of mine use to own a honda 600 coupe. we had a blast driving that car around. 600cc two cylinder motorcycle engine, four speed trans, and a turning radius small enough to make a proper U turn on a residential street WITHOUT touching the curbs. normal keep up with traffic with that car basically meant driving flat out most of the time, and still getting 40mpg. and this was back in the early 80s.
the problem with modern cars though is they have no soul. they have become just a piece of machinery used to get you to one place from another.
lets take a 65 GT350 mustang, and compare it to a 2015 GT350 mustang. the new mustang is faster, gets better fuel economy, handles better, brakes better, is quicker, rides better, etc. etc. etc. but there in lies the problem. you are disconnected with the new GT350, where as with the old one you had to be on top of the car all the time. you had to be in control, you were connected to the road and to the car. you had to actually drive the car, not just operate it.
and with the new mustang, you didnt have all the noises impinging on your stereo, you senses were not assaulted all the time. and that was part of the fun of driving the old cars.
I will take reliability and ease of use over all the neato stuff.
lets take a 65 GT350 mustang, and compare it to a 2015 GT350 mustang. the new mustang is faster, gets better fuel economy, handles better, brakes better, is quicker, rides better, etc. etc. etc. but there in lies the problem. you are disconnected with the new GT350, where as with the old one you had to be on top of the car all the time. you had to be in control, you were connected to the road and to the car. you had to actually drive the car, not just operate it.
and with the new mustang, you didnt have all the noises impinging on your stereo, you senses were not assaulted all the time. and that was part of the fun of driving the old cars.
Talking with a younger coworker about the slow era of cars. I agreed with him that today’s cars are much faster and better cornering than majority of the cars of the mid 70s to mid 80s. What he couldn’t understand was my explanation about driving excitement. The driver could feel the car and road through the steering wheel, he could feel accurately the pressure on the pedals; gas, brake, & clutch. Though low on power, we could use every one of those horses to push the car to the limits of the suspension. That’s one of the reasons why cars like GTI, Si, Corolla GT-S, and other similar cars were considered to be so fun even though their early models were less than 100 hp. Today’s cars are built to meet fuel economy regulations. Instead of direct shaft steering or hydraulic power steering we have electric steering. Suspension tech is made to isolate the cabin from the road thus reducing the feedback further. I’ve heard and read that engineers are getting better at re-establishing driver feedback through these electric controls.
I had a 1984 Buick Skyhawk coupe with 2.0L 4 cylinder with OHV and about 80something horsepower and a 4 speed manual transmission. Sure it was slow in straightline acceleration but it was a fun car to push to the limits of the car and my limited driving skills. My 2015 Hyundai Elantra has 145 HP 1.8L and 6 speed auto transmission. Tires are larger and thicker than what was on that Buick. It’s faster in a straightline than the Buick. But it doesn’t feel as fun to push it hard.
Have any of you experienced such intangibles? Any of today’s economy level cars reaching this level of driver feedback?
In general, I prefer the technology of today's cars including the power, braking, handling, adjustable suspension, super fast shifting automatics, safety and convenience so I largely don't miss cars of old.
I currently drive a Charger Hellcat with 707 HP, giant brembo brakes that stop on a dime, awesome ZF 8 speed automatic, adjustable suspension, gorgeous sound, etc. I will say, I do miss the lightness, steering feel and tossability of my first car....a manual 1978 Honda Accord with 68HP and weighed 1800 lbs.
One thing I'm not crazy about today is electric steering....I know about it's benefits but I miss the feel of a good mechanical linkage which fortunately, my Charger Hellcat has.
Me and you both, all a car has ever been to me, is a means to get from A to B, hopefully with someone else driving it.
If all else failed, and I HAD to drive, I didn’t want to be messed around with three pedals and a stick shift, just get in, start the engine, engage D for drive, and stroke the gas.
Feel the tyres, or tires in the U.S., drumming on the road, shifting down before a bend, accelerating out of the bend, gimme a break, what am I, 16?
If others love to drive, then good luck, do so in safety, me, I’ll sweet talk my wife into getting behind the wheel, or I’ll walk to the nearest main road, and hail a cab if I’m not going far.
There are times when I can’t get out of it, usually when “she” holds a metaphorical gun to my head.
This is normally in France, with her car, coming up behind an 18 wheeler, when you’re driving on the right, in a RHD car, makes you a tad uneasy when you you try see around the truck, to overtake.
Interstate 15 between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. We drove over the Monday before Thanksgiving. I pace traffic and we were going 95 in traffic. An SUV flew past us in the left lane. If they weren't going at least 115-120 I'd be surprised. Who knows how fast they drive when traffic isn't heavy.
Funny you say that I love driving the downhill into Primm Im normally going 120, and all the cars around me are going at least 100 as well it's so freaking fun I get addicted. That's a non stop downhill.
Not everybody is excited by the same things. To some taking a nap on the passenger seat is more exciting than driving a car, but to a lot of us driving is a lot of fun. Sometimes it may be driving in a twisty road, shifting manually, or just driving fast, and so on. Then there are some who enjoy the view, and not the driving. In other words, one is having control of the vehicle while to another, and for whaler reason, just riding in the vehicle.
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