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OK, what I want in my transportation:
1) NO PLASTICS (they break and are not too strong) very tough to find replacements after 10 yrs
2) No electronics
3) No A/C (not needed in my climate)
4) Crank windows (I expect this thing to last 50 yrs, not 5)
5) Rubber mats / no carpet. Powerwash clean jobs (to get rid of winter manure)
...
99) No SPARK PLUGS!! or ignition system ! (prefer ability to 'push start' if needed when in the boonies)
Can't seem to find ANY of these items in 2018 offerings
My grandparents' 1994 Lincoln Town Car's windows worked fine even when the car was 21 years old. As did the rest of the car until it got totaled on January 29, 2015. The '94 Town Car had plenty of electronics that weren't as reliable as today's electronics, and yet they were still fine even when the car was as old as an adult.
I used to have a 1979 Chevy C-10 pickup that I bought back in 1984. It had no radio, no AC, no power brakes, no power steering but it did have the old column shifter (3 speed). I drove that thing for 8 years and it was decently reliable. I don't think that trucks even come that basic any more, but it was sold as work truck, IIRC.
If they are so great why are there so many recalls?
Because it took a few years after the publication of 'Unsafe at Any Speed' in 1965 before Congress would pass substantial laws governing car safety and freedom from material defect. In 1970, Ford was still allowed to make Pintos that pretty easily caught fire in rear end collisions.
Now we know more about good safety and also have more complex systems. I've had a vehicle recalled for a software update that would actually improve fuel economy without impacting performance, and I'm not sure who would complain about that.
1970 was the greatest year for classic muscle cars, and the styling of muscle cars from the 1960s and early 1970s is far better than what they have out now.
As far as the cars that 98% of us were buying, 1970 vehicles were nothing special. They were safer, more reliable, more comfortable, and easier to live with than, say, 1960 vehicles but less safe, less reliable, less comfortable, and harder to live with than, say, 1980 vehicles.
As for "the greatest year ever for cars", that would be the current year.
That was probably the high water mark for muscle cars, because insurance premiums began taking a toll on that vehicle segment. The subsequent oil crisis also took them down as well. Emission control equipment also began strangling the output of these engines in the early 1970s.
In their place, came the personal luxury coupe - cars like the Monte Carlo, and epitomized by the Continental Mark III, IV, etc. They didn't "go" as much (how could they - given the reduced horsepower of the powerplants at the time) but they did show. Even cars with a performance heritage such as the Pontiac Grand Prix and even the Dodge Charger went more plush as opposed to performance.
It depends when you're born, 70s car have character until the 80s when the big 3 just kept making big heavy unreliable jacuzzis while Japan started making small quick and reliable cars. I think the 80s-90s was the best gen for cars because the advent of Turbo and AWD. When Audi came out with Turbo+AWD to motorsports they destroyed the competition. It was an unfair advantage. Between the 80s-90s US automakes had the worst products against foreign competition. It allowed the Japanese to establish their reputation that still resonate today. GM + Ford are no longer competing against Japanese in compacts and mid-size sedans, they haven't since the 80s.
Lol the Japanese were making cars out of what appears to be compressed rust that just disintegrated in states with road salt. Why do you think Datsun changed its name to Nissan?
Hint: It wasn't because Datsun had a great reputation for high quality long lasting vehicles.
Because it took a few years after the publication of 'Unsafe at Any Speed' in 1965 before Congress would pass substantial laws governing car safety and freedom from material defect. In 1970, Ford was still allowed to make Pintos that pretty easily caught fire in rear end collisions.
Now we know more about good safety and also have more complex systems. I've had a vehicle recalled for a software update that would actually improve fuel economy without impacting performance, and I'm not sure who would complain about that.
I was referring to new cars. They sure have a lot of recalls considering they are supposed to be "vastly superior" to classic cars.
1970 was the greatest year for classic muscle cars, and the styling of muscle cars from the 1960s and early 1970s is far better than what they have out now.
As far as the cars that 98% of us were buying, 1970 vehicles were nothing special. They were safer, more reliable, more comfortable, and easier to live with than, say, 1960 vehicles but less safe, less reliable, less comfortable, and harder to live with than, say, 1980 vehicles.
As for "the greatest year ever for cars", that would be the current year.
1980 vehicles were more comfortable than 1970 vehicles? What do you base that on?
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fleet
1980 vehicles were more comfortable than 1970 vehicles? What do you base that on?
55mph speed limit (remember?) (a lot faster than the "Victory 35 mph" of WWII era)
85 mph MAX allowed on vehicle speedo dial. (much easier to bury! +/- (since engines were detuned due to emissions))
You were camped in that seat for HOURS, barely moving!
n 1998, the U.S. Transportation Research Board footnoted an estimate that the 1974 National Maximum Speed Limit (NMSL) reduced fuel consumption by 0.2 to 1.0 percent
Because it took a few years after the publication of 'Unsafe at Any Speed' in 1965 before Congress would pass substantial laws governing car safety and freedom from material defect. In 1970, Ford was still allowed to make Pintos that pretty easily caught fire in rear end collisions.
The Pinto issue is greatly exaggerated due to a couple of high-profile lawsuits. A writer for Rutgers Law review did a retrospective study showing that during a certain period of the Pinto's production, the Pinto accounted for 1.9% of the vehicles on the road and also 1.9% of the vehicles involved in a fatal accident accompanied by some fire. Which suggests that the likelihood of the Pinto to catch fire in an accident was no worse than average. In terms of all types of accidents leading to fatalities the Pinto was actually above average. Measured in terms of driver deaths per million it was safer than several models produced today.
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