What do you miss?

curtis73 wrote: Simplicity. If you broke down on the road it had to be fuel, air, or spark.

My friend has a Jeep Commander that is three years old (fresh out of warranty). It doesn't start all the time. It does most of the time, but about once a week now he'll have to get it towed to the dealer who won't find anything wrong with it.

I'm only 22, and I miss real music The E36 M3 they put out nowadays is GARBAGE. ALL OF IT.

HiTempguy wrote: I'm only 22, and I miss real music The E36 M3 they put out nowadays is GARBAGE. ALL OF IT.

Garbage you say?

I miss hidden fuel doors. Car companies used to find creative ways to hide where you put the fuel ( my favorite was behind the rear license plate) Now they just put a boring round or square door on the side. New cars lack style and personality.

I miss squirming around on surface of the sun hot vinyl seats and getting stabbed by the metal wire poking out from the bead.

Simplicity sums it up for me. I don't like the excess gadgetry on newer cars (example: my mom's 2008 RAV4 has a button the steering wheel that activates some kind of cell phone link. I constantly press that button when turning if I don't specifically avoid it. It's got a lady telling me to "DIAL" or something like that.)

I could fix almost anything on my old VW Beetle with a book called "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Fixing Your VW" and 30 minutes. That was sweet.

ppddppdd wrote: Hah, I was thinking the other day that I really like the look of my Miata with the antenna up. Too bad I never use the radio in that car.

Although not really car-related..I think I miss radio. Real radio, with local DJs and different music formats, instead of all the "lowest common denominator" crap around now. Seems like no matter where you go these days, every place has the same six radio stations (playing what seems like the same 15 songs over-and-over), just like they have the same fast-food and "big box" stores.

As far as cars go, I miss the simplicity like most everyone else. Less electric "luxury" stuff means less stuff to break, as well. (and a lighter curb weight)

I miss car designed by stylist's, engineers and enthusiasts. Not bean counters and gov't nanny's. I also miss pushrods and motors the point the right direction under the hood, NOT BERKLEYING SIDEWAYS!!

friedgreencorrado wrote:

ppddppdd wrote: Hah, I was thinking the other day that I really like the look of my Miata with the antenna up. Too bad I never use the radio in that car.

Although not really car-related..I think I miss radio. Real radio, with local DJs and different music formats, instead of all the "lowest common denominator" crap around now. Seems like no matter where you go these days, every place has the same six radio stations (playing what seems like the same 15 songs over-and-over), just like they have the same fast-food and "big box" stores. As far as cars go, I miss the simplicity like most everyone else. Less electric "luxury" stuff means less stuff to break, as well. (and a lighter curb weight)

heh, to add:

I made a call in to the Classic Rock station here to request "Come Tumblin'", didn't know what I was talking about. But they'll play the berkeley out of "We're an America Band" and "Locomotion" all right.

What I miss? A good body on chassis station wagon like the G-Body of the late 70s to mid 80s. A simple car in layout and design in my opinion.

Pop up headlights.

Plymoths and Pontiacs

AquaHusky wrote: heh, to add: I made a call in to the Classic Rock station here to request "Come Tumblin'", didn't know what I was talking about. But they'll play the berkeley out of "We're an America Band" and "Locomotion" all right.

ROFL! I once described a corporate "classic rock" station to my daughter as "..the right bands, but the wrong songs.."

I'll stick another quarter in the GRM jukebox for ya..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7IfABOh59E

It was surprising just how much I liked the simplicity of my 95 (base) Miata when I got it. The ONLY option on the car is power steering. (kinda wish it had been ABS instead, yeah I know, but I have learned to like ABS)

dosnt have a power antenna, nor power door locks, nor power seats, nor a bunch of widgets and do-dads.

I have to admit that I learned to really hate them after having my E30. I hated when I had something and it didnt work. So I was always fixing this and that. I spent too much damn time trying to get the washer fluid sensor to work. Dont get me started on the damn power windows. Thankfully I gave up from word one on getting the cruise control to work.

Being in the middle of replacing the engine (with only intermittent weekends to work on it)...

I miss driving my dang Miata!

Things we miss though.. How about Dashboards made of wood and metal? Not cheap plastics or whatever crap merely covered up in (often crappy) leather, but quality materials put together with craftsmanship.

Components on cars made to last a lifetime, not just till the warranty ends.

Apexcarver wrote: Things we miss though.. How about Dashboards made of wood and metal? Not cheap plastics or whatever crap merely covered up in (often crappy) leather, but quality materials put together with craftsmanship.

I'm not certain of wood/metal dashboards, but I will take my cheap plastic dashboard over whatever they used that would split.

I miss cars that actually require the driver to DRIVE THE CAR. Anyone who knows me knows I'm all for safety. Airbags, ABS, traction control, etc…are all wonderful things.

But "lane departure warning systems" to tell you you're drifting lanes because you're too busy texting while eating your lunch?!?! Adaptive cruise control so that you can let the car figure out how far away you should be from the car in front of you (then blame the car when you rear end someone). Cars that park themselves because you get too confused which way to turn the wheel when the car is going backwards?!?! Here's a novel idea…put down your cell phone, your latte, your lap dog, your makeup. Stop playing with the MyTouch system...or is it TouchMyself? Pay attention to the road, go to drivers ed and drive the carfor E36 M3's sake!

TucoRamirez wrote: I miss squirming around on surface of the sun hot vinyl seats and getting stabbed by the metal wire poking out from the bead.

When did that go away? The *"leather" seats in my 2500HD can fry your backside even with tinted UV glass. I could go for some decent cross-stitched cloth like they used to put in old Rabbits myself.

*a leather-like substance that looks and feels like actual cow parts but cracks and burns your ass like 70's vinyl.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: *a leather-like substance that looks and feels like actual cow parts but cracks and burns your ass like 70's vinyl.

That's all gm leather besides in Caddies

All metal radiators. The plastic ones seem to be ticking time bombs, and when they go off, you can't put them back together. Metal ones can usually be patched up with a blowtorch and some solder if anything goes wrong.

Rear wheel drive in pretty much everything, not just specialty cars.

Another vote for vent wing windows, too. What really puzzles me is why the front quarter windows have shown up on several newer cars (Eclipse, SX4, etc) - and they don't even open! Seriously, is the aerodynamic penalty of the hinge that bad?

MadScientistMatt wrote: All metal radiators. The plastic ones seem to be ticking time bombs, and when they go off, you can't put them back together. Metal ones can usually be patched up with a blowtorch and some solder if anything goes wrong. Rear wheel drive in pretty much everything, not just specialty cars. Another vote for vent wing windows, too. What really puzzles me is why the front quarter windows have shown up on several newer cars (Eclipse, SX4, etc) - and they don't even open! Seriously, is the aerodynamic penalty of the hinge that bad?

+1 for metal radiators.

I also miss rear pop-out windows.

IMO, every window that cant roll down should either be a pop out or vent window.

failboat wrote: IMO, every window that cant roll down should either be a pop out or vent window.

Agreed. I would love it if the rear windows in my XJ and Durango were vent windows.

mrhappy wrote:

HiTempguy wrote: I'm only 22, and I miss real music The E36 M3 they put out nowadays is GARBAGE. ALL OF IT.

Garbage you say?

There are much better pictures of Shirley Manson.

mrhappy wrote:

HiTempguy wrote: I'm only 22, and I miss real music The E36 M3 they put out nowadays is GARBAGE. ALL OF IT.

Garbage you say?

And to high temp guy - Depending on what you like, there is some good new music out there. But you'll never hear it on a radio station. You have to really search for it.

I find it interesting that you use a picture to describe music. That's what's wrong with music now. How you look is more important than how you sound. Although I have to say that I get nothing from the way that woman looks.

In reply to SyntheticBlinkerFluid:

Cheap gas, leaded gas, bias ply tires, straight axles, loose girls, 8 tracks, vent windows (although my Mustang and two trucks have them), metal dashboards, car doors that sound solid when you close them, carburetors, distributors, good music, barracudas, bell bottoms, boots with cleats, hip hugger pants on girls that actually had nicely shaped bodies instead of beer bellys, drive in theatres, Wendy, Melissa, Joyce, Andrea, etc....

In reply to bravenrace:

If you saw my picture above, that is a MUCH better looking picture of Shirley Manson who is the lead singer of the band Garbage.

I miss cars that don't have anything listed in this thread: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/jeep-commander-help/37285/page1/

over complacating a simple key????

Edit : I see the mention of this thread above.. lol