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A friend of mine just bought a new car and was suprised when the engine died on the way out of the dealers lot. He was definitely not used to driving a Prius.
I miss running boards, {sniff}. Beer tastes better downed while sitting on a running board shooting the breeze than anywhere else.
I don't miss gambling on breaking bones when crank starting.
I do miss the "fly" window - real cheap air conditioning.
I applaud seat belts and all air bags. Structural steel in door panels for protection, and crumple zones for same. I am not a fan of halogen headlights.
I do like the reliability. I have found that every new car I buy lasts longer with less maintenance and has fewer defects than the one before it.
ABS brakes have saved me a few times in the winter. I am always amazed that I can slam on the brakes and steer on ice and snow to avoid a moron. Traction control is so-so in my opinion. Sometimes it helps, but other times I end up turning it off because it seems to get confused and won't let the car move at all. Maybe I'm missing something there.
Remember the rhyme written in year books of yesteryear?
When you get married and buy a Ford... save me a seat on the Running Board
Wow you guys must be older than me. I remember them but not in the romantic way your poem suggests. There are so many little things that have improved safety. The little thing you flip on the rear view mirror to keep you from being blinded by headlights behind you. On newer cars that happens automatically.
Cars are more reliable and safer these days. Even grandma's Altima posts 0-60 times that were respectable in the 60s an 70s.
But, dear Lord, are they dull.
Over at Jalopnik: Obsessed With The Cult Of Cars, they have a feature called "Down on the Street' which is about cars that one of the writers finds parked on the streets in Alameda. They've featured everything from pre-war American steel to pick-up trucks from the days when they were real trucks to malaise-era Detroit iron and the first waves of Japanese imports. There was a sense of fun and personality in those cars that is sorely lacking in today's cars.
Today's cars are better than older cars in the same way that oatmeal is better than bacon. It'll keep you going longer, but it just doesn't have much flavor.
If you want performance it cost now days. But the old polluting cars of the past are just that a thing of the past. Even rods mostly have newer engines controlled by electronics to pass inspection test. In some states you can get a permit but it is costly.
I just went down to the garage to take a look at my old Oldsmobile and I've come to the conclusion you guys are right... they are making them better today...
Who would have thought in a 100 short years the auotmoble would have change so much?
Anyway... this isn't my Father's Oldsmobile... it's mine
I just went down to the garage to take a look at my old Oldsmobile and I've come to the conclusion you guys are right... they are making them better today...
Who would have thought in a 100 short years the auotmoble would have change so much?
Anyway... this isn't my Father's Oldsmobile... it's mine
How well will that roof protect you in a rollover?
Roof... I don't even have a steering wheel
PBS ran a special last year about the first transcontinental coast to coast road trip and it was very interesting because of the number of original photos they were able to show...
Somewhere between San Francisco and New York a newspaper report said the driver and mechanic had skin turned to leather for months of exposure...
I miss the sound of a 4-barrel. I liked my old Duster. It had its own personality, and would let you know if it needed something, but it would always get you home. You could lean on the car or even sit on the hood without a thought. You could hit potholes without destroying a rim, and if you hit a deer you might have to buy a grille, but at least it wouldn't total the car.
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