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I can tell you, as someone who worked on my own cars as I grew up, the cars of today surpass the cars of the mid 70's through the 80's by far and away. Probably the darkest years of the American automotive industry, they were at a loss to improve production efficiency, gas mileage, quality, durability, engineering, that was when the Japanese got their foothold on the North American market. They were doing everything they could to get weight off the car, experimenting with lighter alloys, all in an effort to increase mileage. The mid 70's was also when unleaded gas came on the scene and the mfgs. tried a lot of retrofitting to adapt existing engines so they wouldn't have to redesign, the first easiest thing they did, drop the compression ratio, now the engines ran poorly and they were under powered. In the 80's they began adding technology, some successful, some not, so it was a painful learning curve.
Cars today, as far as engineering and comfort, reliability, technology, fantastic! These are 21st century cars, they make my old 1964 VW Beetle look like a pull cart. But... I agree with many other old timers, they lack distinctive character, buy one or another, you're just buying a name plate. In the 50's and 60's you could tell a Ford was a Ford, a Chevy was a Chevy, if nothing else Ford had a corporate look as did GM, and Chrysler, they were recognizable.
I've had a bunch of cars from the 90s and 2 from the 2000s. The 2000s cars are far better, and brand new cars are even better. In every way... They are more reliable, more efficient, safer, more structurally sound, and quieter inside.
I had a BMW 3 series E36 and the door panels kept falling off. They were held on by PLASTIC CLIPS. And that is a luxury car.
I can tell you, as someone who worked on my own cars as I grew up, the cars of today surpass the cars of the mid 70's through the 80's by far and away. Probably the darkest years of the American automotive industry, they were at a loss to improve production efficiency, gas mileage, quality, durability, engineering, that was when the Japanese got their foothold on the North American market. They were doing everything they could to get weight off the car, experimenting with lighter alloys, all in an effort to increase mileage. The mid 70's was also when unleaded gas came on the scene and the mfgs. tried a lot of retrofitting to adapt existing engines so they wouldn't have to redesign, the first easiest thing they did, drop the compression ratio, now the engines ran poorly and they were under powered. In the 80's they began adding technology, some successful, some not, so it was a painful learning curve.
Cars today, as far as engineering and comfort, reliability, technology, fantastic! These are 21st century cars, they make my old 1964 VW Beetle look like a pull cart. But... I agree with many other old timers, they lack distinctive character, buy one or another, you're just buying a name plate. In the 50's and 60's you could tell a Ford was a Ford, a Chevy was a Chevy, if nothing else Ford had a corporate look as did GM, and Chrysler, they were recognizable.
I don't find any of today's cars comfortable. Almost all of them have those firm, hard seats. Many also have a firm ride. Of course, you will find a big difference comparing a '64 Beetle (one of the most primitive cars of the era) with a modern car. However, I have rode in and owned '60s cars that have a very impressive ride and comfort and even ease of handling.
There were actually some 1970s American cars which were quite well-built and reliable. Cadillac and Lincoln, for example. In fact, the '70s Lincoln were, overall, more reliable than the '60s examples. The full-sized '70s Ford, Mercury, Chevy, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Buick all had good reliability and longevity. The full-sized '70s Mopars did not have a good reliability record; the '60s Mopars did better.
Newer cars are wonderful in comparison. Better everything. Rust, handling, brakes, reliability, safety, traction, efficiency....it's no contest.
Cars compared to now are awful in many of the things I mentioned above. AWFUL. And it reminds me of an issue I have with many muscle car fans and folks even from the 90's who gripe about today's cars. They are just wrong. Cars are better now.
You hit the brakes in a '69 Camaro, you MIGHT stop somewhere in the vicinity of where you want to be. You challenge the slalom cones in a '70 Barracuda, you'll hit them all and get carsick in the process. Want to take a cross-country road trip in a '57 Chevy? Not without carb spray, fan belts, and 20 quarts of oil. And $2000 worth of gas for the 9 MPG gas mileage you get. You need none of that for a 2015 car of virtually any make or model.
Hit a tree in a '68 Mustang Fastback? God help you. And do you think your 1966 Lincoln Continental will go 200,000 miles without a complete engine overhaul and major tranny work, and a boatload of Bondo for the tons of rust? No way. But almost every car made now will do that, no problem. Virtually all of them. Could you imagine Lincoln in 1966 offering a bumper to bumper 6 year/100,000 mile warranty like car companies do now? No, and there's a reason for that.
That said, all of the above cars are unique specimens that reflect who we were once, and they are sharp looking and unique. THATS the appeal, along with a big-block engine, nostalgia for the good old days, and the do-it-yourself fixability (fixing old cars are like fixing a riding mower in comparison to today's computerized machines). But NOT all US cars from 1915 to 1973 were cool, pretty, stunning, or even unique. Not every older car is a '57 Chevy or '62 Corvette. Just the car-show tried and true that we can all name. But even those cars had a TON of problems, compared to now.
NO contest. But yeah, '58 Corvette vs. 2015 Camry, yeah, I get it (yes, I hate all the plastic, too). But put a '58 Vette against a 2015 Vette, or a 1990 Vette vs. a 2015 Vette? NO contest, looks aside (and I love an older Vette's looks) . 2015 is a FAR better car overall. I love muscle cars, but some muscle car guys have their head in the sand with a whole lotta denial way too often.
In short, cars have gotten better as time goes by. Not always better looking.....but better. I know you said 80s/90s/2000s.....but its no contest at all for any era. Cars have gotten BETTER. And I'm old enough to back this up.
I don't really find cars to be cool, since they're all the same. But with cars from the 70s compared to the 80s, 90s and 2000s, they're not the same.
You mean NEW cars are all the same? I'm confused. And what's "not the same"?
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