Things I miss the most from cars and trucks back in the day. Vent windows. Crank windows. Dimmer switch on the floorboard. Full size spares. Cigarette lighter and ash trays. Manual transmissions. AND, most important, vehicles that could be worked on without the use of a computer.
When I was a kid we had a station wagon and instead of a rear viewing seat we had two seats in the back that were directly across from one on either side of the car, they also could collapse down. I thought it was so cool it was like two Sofas in a living room facing one another, well miniature sofas! In big teal Pontiac!
I’m surprised you can still buy them. Virtually gone in Canada now. Which, frankly, is a good thing. Fun yes, but ultimately a terrible waste of effort
I learned on a "three on the tree" car. It's been 30 years since I drove one but can still do the movements. I hated getting stopped on a hill because managing the clutch and the gas to not roll backwards was a skill that took awhile to master.
I actually preferred the manual crank windows. With electric windows, if you want to just crack open the window just a bit, you have to be pretty quick with the switch. Hold the switch down a split second too long and the window wants to go down all the way. Plus, alll of the additional switches and motors used to roll down your window just add to the things that can go wrong. The main thing I miss about older cars is the ability to work on it yourself with just a handful of basic tools.
Window motors are easier to replace than crank regulators at least. You're probably pushing the button too hard -- there's a detent between manual and auto-down.
On one of my classic cars, I put in power windows in the back, and mounted teh switches in the centre console. This way (car has no AC) I can open the rear windows with ease, and the two fronts crank down by hand.
You can tell who never owned an older Jeep...I got my first XJ..and its manual windows, and they are the most unreliable, complicated, cable driven pos Ive worked on. Electric would be way easier and more durable. Now Fords and GMs? Yeah, those never break.
Automatic is more costly and you often have to choose a stronger motor for that package. I tried it and I'm not impressed. But with more E-cars it will find its way to Europe.
@@hyperspaced0 When that American said "no one wants it any more", he meant he personally hasn't seen it in a while, and has never seen any cars outside the USA.
@@harrybriscoe7948 The automatic engine shutoff system when you stop. The system that automatically stops the car if you enter the wrong lane. The body panels that cost a fortune to replace in the event of a collision.
I was in a tour group of Greece in 1994. We reached Corinth and listened to the tour guide speaking on the area. One member of our tour, asked the tour guide, in all sincerity, if this is where Corinthian Leather originated from. We couldn’t stop laughing. The power of Ricardo Montalban and Chrysler advertising
Having gears rather than an automatic is still the norm in many European countries. Some cheaper cars still have wind-down passenger windows. The new cars don't have any spare, not even a smaller doughnut wheel. They have what looks like a spray can which you use to reinflate the type or you press the button in the car which calls roadside assistance. This is in my 10mth old car.
Hope like hell you never need it either. The "Slime" that it comes with is only good for small nail holes, assuming you can get the nail out. And there is no jack.I hit a 1/2" bolt in a gas station in a small town in Florida at 12 am on a Sunday. It was a rental so I assumed it had the donut. Nope. Had to leave the car in the gas station parking and walk over a half mile to a hotel with all our belongings and a 4 year old. There was no roadside assistance available until the next day and all they could do was tow the car.
I purposely bought a separate tire and wheel so I have a full-size spare. It fits in the wheel well, without the insert used to organize the jack and other tools. When I lived in Colorado, during the winter I carried two full-sized spares equipped with snow chains. It was easier to change the tires instead of trying to put snow chains on the tires on my car. I don’t know how it would work with all-wheel drive.
I took a friend whose license had expired for renewal yesterday. Her license had expired long enough ago that she had to take a road test. The examiner not only had never done a test in a manual (my six-speed Crosstrek), but she also had never seen or even heard of a stick shift. My friend had to explain operation of the shifter and clutch to the examiner. She drove expertly, and passed easily.
The best part of the old radio was the way you knew how to work it with your eyes on the road. Left knob for on/off/volume and right for tuning. With some of the aftermarket radios and even new car radios you need to pull over and find the operator's manual to figure how to work them.
@@incog99skd11 hey I got a new Spark about a month ago, they left the radio on and the first time I drove it home I almost got in an accident trying to figure out how to turn it off!! Looks like we both got ours from the same Chevy dealership lol 😆
I have driven my kids' vehicles at times. I make sure that the entire computer mounted in the dashboard is turned off before I even leave. I know I can't deal with all that technology while in motion!
The donut spare tire or some cars don’t even come with a spare is a real disservice to the user. It forces the driver to immediately stop wherever he or she is going and find a place to repair the flat . Back in the old days you would simply put on the full sized spare and just keep going on your way and not have to do anything for a few days or at least until you got to your final destination.
Yup, I blew a tire on the way to the airport to drop off an old GF and within 10 minutes, we were back on the road. Full size spare too. Back when cars came with most of the tools you needed to fix them with... Including pliers and wrenches lol.
Oh my goodness the memories! I used to flip the ashtray open and closed when I was in the back seat and drive my parents crazy. Now I am 64 years and have to do something different to make them crazy. Mom insists on setting all clocks five minutes fast so she will be on time, which makes me crazy! We still can't make the car clock the correct time.
I am 51 and the clock in my car is exactly eight minutes fast. My husband's car is either "correctly" set or a minute slow and he HATES when I reset his clock (HAHAHAHAHA)
Hood ornaments were used to help you keep those big land barge cars in the lane you were supposed to be in. The ornament would be on the line of the edge of the road from your line of sight
Those hood ornaments were stationary at one time until the safety commission ordered they be put on a bend backward mechanism to prevent injuries, as they had been doing. People took pride in taking them from cars as trophies. The more expensive the car, the bigger chance you had of yours being stolen.
Todays cars are behemoths, far bigger than 1980s cars. My 1980 Camaro is small compared to these new land barges. Shame you can't buy a small car in America anymore.
I'm still driving a stick shift. A '98 Honda Civic. I purchased my first car many years ago from a coworker. It was a stick, and I had no idea how to drive it. She took me out to a big empty parking lot, gave me about 10 minutes of instruction, and left me to practice. I was pretty comfortable in a couple hours.
I still miss the stomp switch for the high beams. it always seemed so much safer than having to shift your hand on the steering wheel to get to the switch on the steering column.
I remember all of these things (I have been driving since 1975). I learned how to drive a manual transmission when my dad bought me a manual transmission car after I learned on an automatic. Took me about an hour. My first car didn't have a radio or cigarette lighter at all; I had to buy and install them. The only thing I really miss from this list is the full-sized spare.
Ah, the high-beam switch. I remember when they first started moving it to the turn signal lever. You could always tell if you were behind a driver who had just gotten a new car with the high-beam switch on the turn signal, because whenever they dimmed their lights they also turned on the left turn signal. Every single time.
The joke at the time was: How did the student from X University (for us it was always Auburn) wreck his new car? He got his foot hung in the steering wheel trying to dim the headlights.
Honestly, I think the high beam switch on the floor was a whole lot easier to operate than in the column. Every so often my left foot does wander over to the left. I don’t understand the reason for removing it as mine never had a bit of trouble with dirt, etc.
@@sandybruce9092 Only because you've never had to replace one that looked like it was a hundred years old due to all the rust from water sitting around it on the floor. You must have lived in CA at the time.
In Europe, at least on Fiat and their derivatives, you'd have a whole stalk branch dedicated to low/high. A lot of the time, new drivers would flash high when turning right.
I was born in 1985, but this has me feeling so nostalgic and sentimental for all the cars I rode in as a child and early teen. Especially the Change in the Ash Tray and the Way Way Back!
@@alexanderfo3886 The first few times I flew were back when you could still smoke on airplanes. I can also remember when people used to be able to smoke in grocery stores.
I was a 70's kid, born in 1967 so I'm a bit older. Back in the 70's ashtrays in some cars were MASSIVE! My Dad's old Lincoln Mark IV had a gigantic ashtray, and BOY THEY FILLED IT! It make me ill as a kid, but like a fool I thought it was cool at 16. By 19 I was smoking myself. STUPID STUPID STUPID! Here's why. My Dad died of Lung cancer at 63. My Mom died of emphysema at 61. Now at 52 I was diagnosed with emphysema. I quit but smoking destroyed my health! And those Vaping E-cigs are NOT SAFE EITHER! I've seen a few newer cars that have eliminated the ashtrays completely. But I know for a fact that if someone wants a cigarette 🚬 they'll smoke with or without an ashtray. Sad but true.
@@EdsterIII It's true that the missing ashtrays don't mean there is no smoking happening. I've seen smokers' cars produced some years ago where all the cup holders are used as ashtrays, or the stubs are thrown out of the window on the street.
This made me feel even better about my 1950 and 1955 Studebakers with three on the tree, cigarette lighters, crank windows and wide whitewall tires. A little piece of heaven.
they were weird looking. but not as weird as what I called "turtles".. yeah Hudson's remember those? I think the side windows were about 5" tall. Literally sweat boxes here in FL back in the 50's before vehicles had air.
I saw an old Rambler in the grocery store parking lot the other day. I almost wept. I hadn't seen a Rambler since I bought a used one in 1978. It was my first car and I loved it. The power, the comfort, the roominess, and yes, the crank windows.
In the 70’s when I got my first job I used my Mom’s car when I had to close. It didn’t have automatic transmission. Then, my boyfriend had a 3 speed manual. He tried to teach me while I would either pop the clutch or burn out from an intersection. He left the car with me one weekend while both of our families went camping. I had to use it for work. I got up at 5 am and drove the car around when the roads were deserted. No one in the car yelling at me if I did it wrong. I learned that weekend. My stepdad always had to have these big Lincoln Town cars. It had a big hood ornament. One morning he gets in the car and starts pulling out of the garage. The hood ornament had got caught under the lip of a table saw. As he backed out he was pulling the saw with him. Then, the saw bumped a tall cupboard. The cupboard fell on the hood and all the stuff in the cupboard fell on the car hood. A Clark Griswold moment. 😂
The local Cadillac dealer had to remove the hood ornaments from the cars because teenagers were stealing the ornaments in the nighttime and using them as necklaces. This was in the 1980s when Cadillac cars had the Cadillac crests as standup ornaments.
The first "car" I ever bought from a dealer was an '82 Jeep CJ7 with a 4-speed. I didn't know how to drive stick at all, but wanted to learn so badly I bought it anyway. My boyfriend taught me how to drive it on the way home. Still own two vehicles with manual transmissions - a 5-speed and a 6-speed.
I've taught a handful of ex gfs and friend's sisters how to drive manual. The trick is - do it in a durable old car in a parking lot first. Also, there's no need to yell - hell I remember my gf in high school took my 1991 Excel over a curb (and continued climbing it), beaching it on an island. I had given her too many instructions at once (downshift, use a turn signal, turn on the wipers) and she did all the small things but forgot to stop steering. She bent the rim and all the air came out of the wheel, so after calming her down and getting her to free it off the island, I was like, "do you want to learn how to put on a spare?" Honestly, what would have been the point of yelling? An alignment was $20, and I managed to save the rim (but not the tire) and a used tire was $20. The lessons continued in a more durable Hyundai Pony, I even managed to get her to do powerslides. :D
@@the_kombinator You are a gem. I'm glad I learned on a 4-speed with a truck clutch (my boyfriend's 5-speed Mitsubishi was a finely-engineered pill). Yes, an empty parking lot is ideal - we used low traffic side streets, and I agree - too many instructions at once is not the best idea for a stick noob. Of course now I can radio/phone/turn/downshift multi-task (not that I'm admitting it), but it takes a little while to develop the muscle memory for the coordination needed. Kudos to you for the tire lesson as well. One of the best things to learn (along with changing your own oil).
The manual transmission is not yet obsolete or unwanted. While it appears to be on life-support, they still exist in new cars. I bought a 6 speed manual 2021 model willingly and enthusiastically (and cheaper than an automatic) knowing it will almost certainly be my last. I hope to keep this car for the remainder of my driving days. I wish manual windows could be found on a car too. All these overpriced "needs" make cars thousands of dollars more expensive which is fine if willing and able to pay for it all but many people can't or should not. Overall a nostalgic look back for those of us old enough to have grown up in cars with these features.
Some base model pickups still have crank windows. We looked at a brand new Crew Cab F-150 with crank windows last year. I like crank windows on a 2-door, on a 4-door I'd rather have power windows. The main reason I bought a new Bronco was I could get a Stick shift though.
I agree! An example are mandatory backup cameras. wanna make something mandatory it should be dashcams. yeah if a cam is watching YOUR driving practices perhaps YOU would actually learn how to DRIVE! I drive a 2000, F350 7.3 powerstroke with the manual tranny. I've never driven an auto that I've owned. My power doorlocks no longer work but fortunately my power windows still do! yep the more motors you got controlling things the more things that can break. But fortunately these new $50k plastic vehicles will last maybe until they're paid off. Maybe.
I remember cars that had the gas filler hidden behind a taillight. :) If you weren't aware of this feature, you could look for a LONG time before being able to fill up a customer's car with gas (this was in the days of full-service, whippersnappers!).
@@pickmeaname When I worked at a gas station in 1970, we'd check the oil and, if the customer wanted, the transmission fluid. When Corvairs came in, it almost ALWAYS resulted in the sale of a quart of oil. Except for this one older couple, who I swear would top off their oil before coming in for gas and just enjoy watching me being disappointed when I checked the dip-stick.
Person insisted I drive a car with stick shift. Told them Idk how. They needed a clutch after I drove it. Whoops 🙆 I don't like manual, had a couple, nothing but extra work driving and costly to fix.
My brother and I would sit facing backwards in the car at the drive- in or somehere else and make faces or fake yawning at others to watch their reactions. Sadly, my 2018 Toyota has no CD or cassete player! (Horrors!). Guess when I drive back to the East Coast from So Cal I’ll just have to remember the good old 50’s when you had to search for a local radio station every 50 miles or so! Ha. I know there is Sirius radio and others, but having a collection of favorite music or books or language/educational optionals on CD is something I already miss.
Manual transmissions are still the most common type in Europe, like 90%. Quite the opposite in the US. A manual will last the life of the car if driven properly, with maybe only a clutch replacement.
In the late 90's I bought a 75 chev 1/2 ton pick up with a 3 in a tree. It was fun watching passengers grab the dash and brace them self's when I changed from 1st to 2nd thinking I was throwing it into park when driving. I remember one of my grandads cars that used to throw the cigarette lighter onto the floor after heating up, you had to be quick if using it
Likewise on my Falcon in the late 80s, but the most outrageous (and about two dozen examples were built...really!) was that1970 Buick Estate Wagon, trimmed like a deuce-and-a-quarter grille and four fender portholes and wood-grain decals on the side, but with the column shift stick behind that honkin'-big 455-four-barrel-high-compression engine. That was fun.
I learned to drive a stick shift in a Volkswagen Beetle in the ‘70s. Years later, I taught my son to drive a stick shift in a mid-80s Ford Escort. I owned many cars with crank windows and no air conditioning. I am old so I remember the days when the notable options for a car included “radio, heater and whitewall tires..” And don’t forget the 8-track player and c b radio.
Hah my first car as a teenager that I could legally drive was a 1987 Ford Escort with a 4spd manual. I had had a decade of experience on country / back roads with manuals before, and my dad was surprised how much I remembered. My dad's lesson to me at 16 was like 20 minutes in a parking lot, then out on the roads. No issues.
Yep! Our old Rambler station wagon (circa 1971-73) had crank windows and no air. THAT feature was an expensive " extra" luxury, that alot of folks just couldn't afford back then. The Chevy in which l learned how to drive was the same. How we got through those Summers on those long Sunday drives and road trips is almost inconceiveable to me, although Summer's heat and humidity back then wasn't nearly as atrocious and life-threatening as it is today.
Same here. Our family "learner" car was a 68 Bug. Went through my 2 older brothers before it got to me. Hated that car up until the very last time I drove it. Coming home from work on the freeway, blew a piston clean out of the engine through the bonnet. That car still managed to limp along for 5 more miles to my home, where it promptly spit out every last remaining bit of oil in it on to my dads freshly paved driveway. After that, I loved that car for getting me home. ...(Replaced it with a 1970 Ford Torino with a 351 Cleveland...now THERE'S a car I wish I still owned!)
Anybody remember the cowl vent, some referred to them as floor vents. I guess they were dropped when a/c became more popular. I’m 75 and wish the cowl vents were still incorporated as well as highbeam light on the floor and the small vent window on the front doors and brung back the horn ring
@@sandybruce9092 I live in Florida and only use the AC in my pickup truck for my dog. And usually have my window open on my side . I don't care how hot or humid it is ,I like the fresh air compared to the AC running.
I was 16 with a 57 Chevy 210 wagon ands the 1st time I needed gas I pulled into the station and just stared at the back the car. Ten minutes or so went by when the kid who worked at that Gulf station walked out to my car, opened the tail light and walked back into the office without ever saying a word. Pure class. Wish I'd have had the chance to repay the favor.
Not knowing Where to put GAS in my car basically kept my girlfriend from stealing my car in high school when she and her friends skipped class. Really it was weird because we didn’t have self service gas stations then ( ( 1970 ) .
I currently own an 03 tacoma. It's a 5 spd manual. It also has crank windows, an ashtray with cigarette lighter, cd player, 1 regular key to unlock it from outside n to start it up. It actually came with tape deck n cd player but that died few years so replaced with aftermarket. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE my ol simple truck!😍👍
I love my simple car too. Same features. Don't want a new car at all! I drive a 2008 Hyundai Accent, such a good car. Had a flat today though. Made me want a full size spare.
yep. my 2000 F350 has the 6 speed manual.. single key for everything. this truck has a steering wheel lock as well. only way to steal this thing is 1) need to know how to drive a stick 2) need the key.
Most of my cars still have these features. The newest one has four cigarette lighters/ashtrays and a radio/ cassette/ CD player. Talk about a bonus… My first car was a ‘ 64 Nova V-8 with a three on the tree. Pretty good burnouts when you dumped the clutch
My first "legal" car was a 64 Nova 283/2 speed power glide with under dash frigidaire A/C got it up to 120 mph in just over a quarter mile on I80 that was 1971 damn I miss that car
Great stuff! Thank you for bringing up these memories. As to hood ornaments? I think it had more to do with car washes than pedestrian safety. With the increase in the number of car washing stations and their automated cleaning brushes and wipers, car owners were finding their hood ornaments getting stuck in the brushes or ripped right off their vehicles. Over the years, car manufacturers have responded to that by making their car exteriors ever smoother with fewer protrusions that can get caught or damaged as you drive your vehicle through a car wash. Windshield wipers, radio antennas, and door handles - among others - all have joined the hood ornaments in becoming more blended with the car's body and less likely to be damaged as you clean your car.
Hood ornaments also became collectible. Thieves would pry them off, damaging the finish. For a time some manufacturers like Mercedes put theirs on cable springs so they would flex, but cutting the cable was easy with a set of wire cutters. Or so I am told….
So many iconic accessories that are now obsolete. You nailed the essence of this video! Well done, as always!! The one thing that precedes me is the bigger hood ornaments. I remember my Dad's 70's Lincoln Mark IV having the Lincoln logo for the ornament, also his 70's Cadillac had the classic Cadillac logo as well. If I remember correctly those hood ornaments were stolen quite often by kids who'd then sell them to junk dealers, or others who "needed" them. I say needed because one group probably stole it, and another group probably sold it back to them? As you mentioned with stereos, theft was rampant in the 70's, 80's and 90's. Especially the late 80's and 90's. I had about 4 or 5 stereos, equalizers, amplifiers, and speakers stolen from my cars. My 1974 Firebird was the worst. I had an Alpine💿CD💿player, a 500 watt Yamaha Amplifier, and a set of MTX Terminator box speakers. One huge box, two 15" woofers, two 7.5" midrange, and two 3" tweeters. It was a amazing stereo system. Even my Mom loved it. BUT she blew my Midrange speakers listening to Mötley Crüe's cover of Elvis Presley's Jailhouse Rock! I remember when she got home. She came inside, a foreboding look of grief on her face. UH-OH, what's up? She said I'm sorry but somethings wrong with your stereo. Ugh! We went out to the car. I started the car and YEP, LOL, she blew the midrange speaker. The speakers had a lifetime warranty so no biggie. She was afraid I'd be mad? Nah. But when I got the speakers back after they were repaired, LOL the receipt said due to owner's excessive volume and use. I showed that to my Mom and said YOU, I'M WATCHING YOU! and laughed my butt off. I even did the two fingers to the eyes then at her motion. Then I gave her a huge hug and said it was fine, go jam some more! And she DID! Again these are some great memories except for the theft and stealing!
40 lat tamu kolega corki kradl takie ozdoby w cadillacach jedna dal mojej corce..Do dzis wisi na drzwiach pokoju mojej corki Ona mieszka w innym miejscu ale ozdoba zostala.......
I learned on a stick and used my Cig lighter all the time. ( I do not smoke anymore, gave that nasty habit yo 25 years ago) My boat had four ashtrays , it was a white 76 Ford Galaxy 500. With red seats🤣. I remember the leather ( plastic) seats in my dads black Chrysler New Yorker with , you guessed it RED interior. Boy do I remember those wind up windows ! My Galaxy 500 had the high beam switch on the floor on the left side it used to go clink clink real loud 😅. My outboard Pioneer supertuner radio was the thing to have back then. Honda still provides a full size spare. My Honda Accord has a full size spar tire, not many companies do that any more. As always thank you for these great videos !
Wonderful! My ol '90 Civic Wagon had a full size spare capacity. Took The Flying Tiger on more forest service and designated 4x4 trails than SUVs and Jeeps on the road, I'd mutter to myself proudly, and it wasn't even the 4x4 version! That little thing was a big beast 💪🚗💛🛡️
I remember my first car when I was 16 in 1982. It was a black El Camino with slotted mag wheels and headers with cherry bombs. It had an aftermarket 8 track player. The previous owner left an 8 track of The Essential Jimi Hendrix Experience . I was hooked and bought the 2 record set!
When you mentioned that people who don't smoke used the ashtray for change, I laughed because it's so true! I had forgotten about that. Just recently, I was talking to somebody about the two keys that cars used to have. I remember those days so well!
Parents had a 73' Cadillac El Dorado, white with a black landau top and black/white interior. The hood ornament was so damn big, Flava Flav was like..."Damn!!!!" Loved that car. Back in the 70's they knew how to pimp out a ride straight from the factory 🙂
SAME! Why are the best options taken away? I have a stick shift and don't want a automatic. I would love to have the lighter and ash tray back, non smokers use for change so why take away the much needed storage? The lighters heck who doesn't want the quick ability to have fire when needed? I know I do! Huge trunk space a thing in the past that shouldn't be. I wish more cars were wagons I owned one and I loved it and it was so easy to get the kids in and out of.
@@fashionforwardmom Aren’t SUVs wagons that are built on truck chassis? That’s all I see anymore are SUVs. I wish more modern cars were sedans! And as for storing change can’t you use the cup holders? You can start a fire with an electric car (whether you want to or not!) 🫤
@@glennso47 There are very few actual SUVs anymore. Most are just tall unibody sedans. Explorers, Tahoes, Suburbans are truck based (and the new Full Size Bronco). Just about everything else is just a tall car.
I was born in 92, but I grew up with cars from the 70’s and 80’s. The way back reverse seat especially was something I loved as a kid and miss. Especially when I bought a 95 Accord Wagon a few years ago: I was so disappointed to see it had no 3rd row. Great video
I don't know why the back reverse seats disappeared, they were a great feature, I've got a 7 seat Toyota Verso in the UK now, they all face forward but there is no more room in the 3rd row than the ones I remember in our Station Wagon in Australia in the 70's.
They’re terrible ngl. They take so much effort to use they basically can’t be used while driving. My dads stick shift from the 90s has them and with all the shifting and driving you can’t be having to muscle a crankshaft from the 1900s and stay safely in the lane
I had several stick shifts in the day, but a knee problems ended those days. One thing I don’t miss is manual windows. Took a while to remember the high beams weren’t on the floor. I miss the fuel filler behind the rear plate, didn’t matter which side the pump was on.
My parents had a '75 Plymouth that had the fill tube in the back...under the nameplate between the taillights, NOT under the license plate (which was in the center of the bumper). Numerous attendants were confused because almost all the other center-fill cars had it behind the license plate. I can vividly recall my dad watching them in the rearview mirror and having to roll down the window to tell them where it was. Of course this became a non-issue once more and more gas stations became self-service.
true. but I prefer the filler on the left.,, one of the things I looked for. 80yo here still drive the stick. no knee problems but a serious hip problem. People that ride with me can't believe how smoothly I shift. well after 65 years of doing it you get pretty good at it! yeah they put their cokes up on my dash while I'm driving.
I miss that, too. All my family's cars were that way growing up in the '70s. The first one that was on the column MAY have been my mom's '81 5th Avenue (I may be wrong; that was a long time ago). My very first car was an old family car, a '75 Gran Fury; it had the floor switch. Now with the dimmer switch on the column, there is too much to do with your hands. That, and different vehicles are set up differently! At least on the floor, all vehicles were alike.
I had a couple of older trucks that had the starter on the floor next to the gas pedal. You would turn the key on, hold your heel on the gas pedal and use the toe of your shoe to contort your foot and hit the start button. Those older trucks had a manual choke you had to fool with when you were starting them.
I had a 69 F-250 with a manual choke. Let my little sister borrow it when I was on a trip. She couldn't figure out how to start it and my Mom had to show her how.
I miss window crank handles! Really hate the automatic open button. Yes, I remember Three on the Tree--my stepdad had a car with that feature and when a neighbor borrowed the car he trashed it because he didn't know how to shift; dad never got over that. Also really liked the high beam button on the floor--easy to use. Car radios: anyone else remember that the radio had to "heat up" before it would play?
I wish I had the crank handle windows back. What worries me is, what if you have to get out through the window, but the accident you just had ended up shorting our the electric windows?
@@miriambucholtz9315 Exactly! I keep a center punch escape hammer in my car because there are so many bridges where I live that the idea of ending up over the edge and underwater is a horror.
I remember vividly checking any car I was driving (owned, borrowed, or rented) for the location of the gas cap, to prevent what I called the "Texsco Two-Step" pulling to the pump and realizing that the filler was on the other side, then having to pull away and come back in the other direction or to the other side. I have had friends who worked at stations tell me that some people would have to try two or three times before they matched the right sidde of the car to the right pump. Now there is a little picture of a pump on your gas gauge to tell youu what side the filller line is on.
I wish all vehicles had either center-fill gas tanks (like some vehicles from the '70s; I know this would be problematic for pickups and SUVs) or they all were on the same damn side. There is nothing more infuriating than to be in a right-fill vehicle and everyone else at the pumps is in a left-fill vehicle. You either have to wait off to the side for an opening (that someone may swoop in and take) or back up against someone already there and wait for them to leave. 🤷♂️🙄
right. if it wasn't on the left I didn't purchase the vehicle. For safety reasons I want that filler on the drivers side. Never know. I never left the vehicle while it was filling either. be aware of wtf is going on around you, people.
My first car had a column shifter. No column shifters anymore but to this day I still drive a stick shift. Love the little triangular window that you manually pushed open after you unlatched it. (Open this little window and it drew the cigarette smoke out very well also good for flicking your ashes as they would be sucked out. The button on the floor for high beams was cool also.
Speaking of old sound systems in cars, before the 8 track tape, record players were available for vehicles. And also before the 8 track tape, it was the 4 track tape. For a while, tape decks known as a 48 was available, which played both 4 track and 8 track tapes.
Was looking for this comment! I also remember the under dash 4/8 track players. I have a 70 Challenger with an AM/8 track, you could have an AM/FM, AM/8 track, but not all 3 in the 1970 Challenger. In 71 they offered a floor mounted cassette player along with an AM/FM radio, odd options back then.
@@mayorb3366 Okay, I suppose. But again, I’m not sure how they would work in a moving car. Though I actually had pondered the idea of a laser based record play in a modern car. But it would be very niche even among vinyl fans.
@@aloysiusdevanderabercrombi470 A CAR with a HOOD ORNAMENT. This was in the sixties. Her injuries from the car were minor, but the injuries from the hood ornament hood ornament were serious. I personally knew both the driver and the girl that was injured .
My first car was a 1967 Mustang. It had a windshield washer (one of the early ones!), but didn't have a pump motor. It had a pedal that was located where the parking brake pedal is nowadays. You'd press on it with your left foot to squirt the windshield! The parking brake was an "umbrella handle" just below & to the left of the steering column. Love your videos, just subscribed!
Love all these videos. Thank you. Also I could listen to you all day. Soothing voice. Miss those single sided keys. I used to just look at a GM key and read the codes. Stopped when the double sided came out in 1995
The first car I actually bought, was a 1972 VH Valiant Ute (Kind of of like Dodge's interpretation of an El Camino) when I moved to Australia in the 90's. It had most of the features listed in this video. The foot operated high-beams were so good when driving on rural roads/highways with no lighting... you could have the high-beams on to look out for kangaroos and dip them easily when an oncoming car approached.
Terrible joke of the times, as heard in Indiana - Bill: Hey, Bob! You know those new cars where they moved the dimmer switch to the turn signal lever? You know, on the column? Bob: Yeah? What about it? Bill: Well, they had to outlaw that in Kentucky. Bob: Oh? Bill: Yeah. Folks kept getting their foot stuck in the steering wheel! Of course, the same joke was told in Kentucky about Hoosiers, I am certain.
HEY! Did you hear about the war between Kentucky and Indiana in the early 1800s? The Hoosiers were fighting dirty! They were using catapults to fling crates of dynamite across the Ohio River! Finally the Kentuckians won. They got their own catapults, lit the dynamite, and flung it back!
We used to tell nearly the same joke in North Dakota that those fabric windshield sun shades had been outlawed in Manitoba because they caused too many accidents, drivers couldn't see where they were going.
Yep! I am a millennial and had a manual EVERYTHING jeep. Windows, seats, clutch…. No alarm on it. Had it parked in a downtown garage overnight. Went out the next morning to find literally dozens of cars smashed in or gone completely. The thieves got my windows zipped about a quarter way down before I suspect they realized it was manual. And despite having literal zipper windows, that was the only time in 14 years living and commuting in a major downtown area I had anyone even attempt to get in to it.
I learned how to drive on a Stick shift in the early 70s. Was fun to drive. I sure as heck wouldn't say "no one wants anymore". I'd be happy as heck to drive another one again in a new car. Your opinion sir.
Careful what you say. I too learned in the 70’s. My dads work cars were always stick to save gas. He commuted. In my twenties & thirties it was all automatic. Then out of the blue my hubby got a good deal on a Honda Civic. I was home so it worked out well until I was stuck in traffic! Ugh! Nightmare. Back to driving in luxury an automatic Acura 😂
I recently traded in my 2012 Tacoma Pick Up. We upgraded to a RAV4 Hybrid. However, my Tacoma was a Base Trim. Crank Windows, 5 speed manual, 4x4, High/Low Wipers, etcetera. I even added Cruise Control. It was a nice reliable truck. My arthritis was kicking up so shifting was getting more painful/difficult. Still having a 4x4 manual in the snow is the best and quite fun.
I prefer the older cars, they had you more involved with driving. You have to keep your mind involved especially with a standard. I went from 5th to 1st on a mountain once. I hate donut tires they are a pain. When you have a flat you still need to carry the flat
I left them off. pain in the ass. I left the skirts off as well. another pain in the ass. these cars were always getting flats and you couldn't plug them because the belted bias tires all had tubes. fortunately everybody had spares back in those days but they needed them!
There was an old model of car that had a little blue dot in the middle of the round red tail light. This made the light look purplish/magenta when both colors lit up. I loved seeing those as a kid. I think they were on 1950 Pontiacs and were sometimes installed on hot rods to add extra style. Some sources say they were also on 1930s Packards and Cadillacs to set them apart as luxury cars.
Your voice is as comforting as rain on a tin roof...as are the subjects of your videos! I LOVE this channel! I would love to see a survey of the demographics of your subscribers. I bet we're all Generation X! Lol! Thanks for taking us back!
More like we're Baby Boomers, as WE are the ones who learned how to drive in these type of cars (my Mom's 1967 Plymouth, for example) and who's childhood house had the shag carpets and wood panels in his bedroom.
I think that windows should have a hand crank in case of emergency, or if the power windows stop working. At least you can work the windows until you get them fixed.
They make cars to be fixed these days, not to last! Great idea though. I personally just still drive a car with roll down windows. And a manual transmission.
A friend bought a new Peugeot in 1982 and he remembers that he could open each door and use an Allen Wrench to open & close them on a receptacle next to the door latch in case the window motor failed. However, within a month of purchase, his electric sunroof refused to close all the way so he had to stuff a bath towel in the gap to keep rain out.
My dad really like car decorations, so I remember curb feelers, those leather straps that dragged on the road, and those windshield-wide sun visors. We never owned a hatchback, so no blinds on the back window.
omg my 87 Cutlass Supreme had curb finders on it. My first husband (we got married in 1990) insisted on them. That, and lots of DIY pinstriping. And he used to jerryrig a set of fog lights under the hood, behind the grille that looked really cool. I really loved that car.
I learned to drive in a 49 Dodge Coronet with Gyromatic transmission. I won't even begin to describe how it worked. Crank handles may have been less convenient but I'd like to have the money I've spent on repairing electric windows. I also liked the floor button for high beams and the fullsize spare tire. Both were safer. If they made larger trunks instead of these chopped of rear ends and small openings you could get a full size tire in it.
A buddy had a ‘49 Dodge and we called it a clunkomatic. I believe it was only two gears. When got to where you would shift, you let your foot off the gas, hear a clunk, and it would be in second gear.
@@richardnadson2328 There were actually four. Straight up on the column for first and second and down for third and fourth. You usually dropped it down to third to move. That was the drive range. The others were really low for steep hills. The clutch was for changing or going on and out of gear. You didn't use it during a stop. It had a torque converter.
that tranny had a clutch but you didn't need to use it! a cross between a manual and a slush box we had one as well! yep 3 on the tree. unreal! tell you what that vehicle was a TANK! I learned to drive on 49 Chevy coup 3 on the tree. nobody had slush boxes back then except that Dodge! wow those were the days. Remember the AM radios that had physical "vibrators" in them? Well those vibrators were fast acting relays that developed pulsating 6vdc (back in the day we didn't have 12vdc batteries) square waves that were converted to much higher VDC because these radios were vacuum tube powered! Yep. I used to fix those radios as I got into electronics. Kids thought I was so SMART!
@@matrox oh absolutely , bought a brand new Jeep compass 2023 with all the bells and whistles cost me $150 more a month this year than it did three years ago and for what? If I get an accident it'll be totaled out, thank God for extended warranty because I already know how this all pans out. And realistically without some kind of sports package it looks no different than any other car out there. I just can't believe people invest in those electric cars I will never!!! God Bless
@@floydsemlow8253 Although at the same time, you're more likely to walk away from an accident. Unfortunately driving defensively can only do so much with unpredictable drivers, and random mechanical failures. But I agree. A lot of new cars don't have personality. Then again, we may just be biased. In an American sense, the 80s were particularly lacking for the most part. Square, underpowered boats.
I still have an old Delco AM radio from my dad's 50s Nash along with the speaker. I got it running with a transformer that plugs i to the wall.....works great!
Remember the little wing windows at the front? You’d crack it open to your desire and catch a nice breeze without having to lower your window. That window was really handy when you didn’t want to get your hair blown every which way.
55 '55 Chevys had the fuel hatch on the driver's side rear fender, and the fun began with the '56 Chevys where it was one of the tail lights and the '57s where it was the trailing edge of one of the fins.
Would be awesome. But they'd be so difficult with modern pedestrian safety standards, and aerodynamics. They're not banned. But it'd be a massive undertaking to make them comply with modern standards.
Another big change in cars is the shaping and placement of lights; older cars the body was shaped around the lights, particularly the headlights; but newer cars the lights are molded into the lines of the body. Also, the front parking lights were usually below the front bumper, but now they're right up beside the headlights.
Once the lamps were for light, today its a design thing and the lamps are shaped like bad, manga monster comic style eyes. Maybe to scare others and want to show how dangerous car and driver will be, these "dont mess and play around with the Predator like aggro man here"
Remember all of it as a child that grew up in the 1960s, I had 3 on a tree & 4 on the floor, I lived in N.California, so it would get hot in the summertime and my parents never had ac in their cars growing up, I even bought a 1986 Honda Civic with 4 on the floor, and 1990 Nissan mini truck, no ac, it was still more expensive to buy a car with ac. My very first car I could afford with ac was a used 1994 Acura in 2000, that’s how long I went without ac in a car……..hey I survived! These are great videos of our memories, love your channel!!
I well remember all of these. I learned on a three-on-the-tree stick shift. I taught my two sons to drive with a four-on-the-floor GMC truck. every one should know how to drive a manual transmission, just in case.......... I don't miss the lighters and ash trays, as I've never smoked. A feature you didn't mention was the vents you could open to allow fresh air to enter the vehicle, on non-AC cars, which were abundant in the '50s. Nice video.
After mentioning the “pedestrian danger” of hood ornaments, I was sure you’d have segwayed to the pop-up headlights popular on many sporty cars in the eighties. Cool video though! I remember sitting in the back seat playing with the ashtray on the back of the front seat when I was a wee lad…
You all remember back when turning on the headlights meant pulling on a knob? Maybe it was a Ford thing (my dad always bought fords). Then eventually one day the knob would come off in your hand, no headlights and you had to get your wife/girlfriend with thinner fingers to grab the rod and pull it out to turn the lights on until the next day when you super-glued the knob back on.
I still have and drive my old cars and truck with vent windows, window cranks, manual door locks, standard transmission, cigarette lighters and the push button on the floor for high beams. The 3 old cars still have ignition points and condenser. They all have factory radios including the truck. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Ignition points are an incredible pain. The electronic ignitions of today are vastly superior and deliver a LOT more voltage to the plugs as well. Do these gassers of today even have Distributers? if so, why? I drive diesel so I'm out of touch with gassers.
Great, I remember all of the items mentioned plus a few like manual spark advance, manual starter (crank) manual cruise control (throttle) and so on. Still have had this same car for 45 years. 1931 Chevy and have also 48 Studebaker both have hood ornaments also.
My memory of lots of window glass was my family's 1961 Pontiac, with thin door pillars and wrap-around front and rear windows. The windshield had a band of blue tint across the top as protection from the sun.
Things I miss the most from cars and trucks back in the day. Vent windows. Crank windows. Dimmer switch on the floorboard. Full size spares. Cigarette lighter and ash trays. Manual transmissions. AND, most important, vehicles that could be worked on without the use of a computer.
I'm surprised the vent windows weren't mentioned!
AGREE!!!!
When I was a kid we had a station wagon and instead of a rear viewing seat we had two seats in the back that were directly across from one on either side of the car, they also could collapse down. I thought it was so cool it was like two Sofas in a living room facing one another, well miniature sofas! In big teal Pontiac!
Full size spares and manual transmissions! I agree
@@TN-ez6lzhe mentions the vent windows in another video he has of old things that they got rid of in these cars
Dad's statement when teaching me to drive was if you can drive a stick, then you can drive anything.
In the UK if you pass the driving test in a manual you can drive any car. If you pass the test in an automatic you can only drive automatics
I was told the same thing.
I’m surprised you can still buy them. Virtually gone in Canada now. Which, frankly, is a good thing. Fun yes, but ultimately a terrible waste of effort
Yep mine said the same thing ✌️
I learned on a "three on the tree" car. It's been 30 years since I drove one but can still do the movements. I hated getting stopped on a hill because managing the clutch and the gas to not roll backwards was a skill that took awhile to master.
I actually preferred the manual crank windows. With electric windows, if you want to just crack open the window just a bit, you have to be pretty quick with the switch. Hold the switch down a split second too long and the window wants to go down all the way. Plus, alll of the additional switches and motors used to roll down your window just add to the things that can go wrong. The main thing I miss about older cars is the ability to work on it yourself with just a handful of basic tools.
Window motors are easier to replace than crank regulators at least.
You're probably pushing the button too hard -- there's a detent between manual and auto-down.
On one of my classic cars, I put in power windows in the back, and mounted teh switches in the centre console. This way (car has no AC) I can open the rear windows with ease, and the two fronts crank down by hand.
@@xirabolt on mine (Ford) if you just tap the button it will auto down. So tap once, window starts going down, tap again and it stops
You can tell who never owned an older Jeep...I got my first XJ..and its manual windows, and they are the most unreliable, complicated, cable driven pos Ive worked on. Electric would be way easier and more durable. Now Fords and GMs? Yeah, those never break.
totally agree that cracking a manual window is much easier than electric ones.
Manual transmissions are still pretty popular here in the UK, still making up over 50% of new sales.
If American says „no one wants it anymore” then you know that he can’t operate manual transmission 😂
Bless you! I want to drive stick for the rest of my life
@@odom2142 true
Automatic is more costly and you often have to choose a stronger motor for that package. I tried it and I'm not impressed. But with more E-cars it will find its way to Europe.
@@hyperspaced0 When that American said "no one wants it any more", he meant he personally hasn't seen it in a while, and has never seen any cars outside the USA.
How about 10 things newer cars have that I don't want?
Truth
Like fast rusting body panels ?
@@harrybriscoe7948 The automatic engine shutoff system when you stop. The system that automatically stops the car if you enter the wrong lane. The body panels that cost a fortune to replace in the event of a collision.
Everything being made of plastic
It took me 2 years to set radio channels
I was in a tour group of Greece in 1994. We reached Corinth and listened to the tour guide speaking on the area. One member of our tour, asked the tour guide, in all sincerity, if this is where Corinthian Leather originated from. We couldn’t stop laughing. The power of Ricardo Montalban and Chrysler advertising
Corinthian leather was bonded leather produced by the Radel Leather Manufacturing Company in Newark.
In the 80s, I lived in a place called Corinth Texas. I assumed Corinthian leather came from the cattle that local ranchers bred.
Now, THAT'S funny! LOL 🤣😂🤣
Bunch of bullies.
@@bc5441 but it’s a random name 5hey gave it. It is NOT a type, nor brand of leather
Having gears rather than an automatic is still the norm in many European countries. Some cheaper cars still have wind-down passenger windows. The new cars don't have any spare, not even a smaller doughnut wheel. They have what looks like a spray can which you use to reinflate the type or you press the button in the car which calls roadside assistance. This is in my 10mth old car.
Hope like hell you never need it either. The "Slime" that it comes with is only good for small nail holes, assuming you can get the nail out. And there is no jack.I hit a 1/2" bolt in a gas station in a small town in Florida at 12 am on a Sunday. It was a rental so I assumed it had the donut. Nope. Had to leave the car in the gas station parking and walk over a half mile to a hotel with all our belongings and a 4 year old. There was no roadside assistance available until the next day and all they could do was tow the car.
No spare? Insane!
I purposely bought a separate tire and wheel so I have a full-size spare. It fits in the wheel well, without the insert used to organize the jack and other tools. When I lived in Colorado, during the winter I carried two full-sized spares equipped with snow chains. It was easier to change the tires instead of trying to put snow chains on the tires on my car. I don’t know how it would work with all-wheel drive.
The same in South America, gears all over the place.
here in Indonesia some cars dont even come with airbags and ABS
Learning to drive a straight shift is an experience you’ll never forget! Good memories!
Agreed! Learning to drive a stick is like learning to swim or learning to ride a bike...you never forget how to do it.
If you text while driving, you NEED all that automatic self-driving junk!
I took a friend whose license had expired for renewal yesterday.
Her license had expired long enough ago that she had to take a road test.
The examiner not only had never done a test in a manual (my six-speed Crosstrek), but she also had never seen or even heard of a stick shift.
My friend had to explain operation of the shifter and clutch to the examiner.
She drove expertly, and passed easily.
The best part of the old radio was the way you knew how to work it with your eyes on the road. Left knob for on/off/volume and right for tuning. With some of the aftermarket radios and even new car radios you need to pull over and find the operator's manual to figure how to work them.
Amen
I just got a new Corvette and I had to pull over just to figure out how to turn the radio on. Working the video screen? Fogetaboutit.
@@incog99skd11 hey I got a new Spark about a month ago, they left the radio on and the first time I drove it home I almost got in an accident trying to figure out how to turn it off!!
Looks like we both got ours from the same Chevy dealership lol 😆
@@discjunky1266 absolutely and the op mentioned that you could keep your eyes on the road that way!!
I have driven my kids' vehicles at times. I make sure that the entire computer mounted in the dashboard is turned off before I even leave. I know I can't deal with all that technology while in motion!
The donut spare tire or some cars don’t even come with a spare is a real disservice to the user. It forces the driver to immediately stop wherever he or she is going and find a place to repair the flat . Back in the old days you would simply put on the full sized spare and just keep going on your way and not have to do anything for a few days or at least until you got to your final destination.
Now some cars don't even have that- a lot now come with a patch kit and an air pump, its something to beware of when shopping for a vehicle.
@@okankyoto And what's worse, those patch kit makes the tyre irreparablemeaning you have to buy a whole new tyre train
Always carry a tire plug kit and know how to use it. Spare tires are great But how many people ever remembered to air them up every year.....
Yup, I blew a tire on the way to the airport to drop off an old GF and within 10 minutes, we were back on the road. Full size spare too. Back when cars came with most of the tools you needed to fix them with... Including pliers and wrenches lol.
Actually, running to the nearest tire shop isn't always required. However, you you won't be able to drive on the Interstate.
Oh my goodness the memories! I used to flip the ashtray open and closed when I was in the back seat and drive my parents crazy. Now I am 64 years and have to do something different to make them crazy. Mom insists on setting all clocks five minutes fast so she will be on time, which makes me crazy! We still can't make the car clock the correct time.
What was your first car in high school or first car in general
We did the same thing
Drove my mom crazy.
But when it finally happened to me
I understood
é Power-Phull
I am 51 and the clock in my car is exactly eight minutes fast. My husband's car is either "correctly" set or a minute slow and he HATES when I reset his clock (HAHAHAHAHA)
Hood ornaments were used to help you keep those big land barge cars in the lane you were supposed to be in. The ornament would be on the line of the edge of the road from your line of sight
Those hood ornaments were stationary at one time until the safety commission ordered they be put on a bend backward mechanism to prevent injuries, as they had been doing. People took pride in taking them from cars as trophies. The more expensive the car, the bigger chance you had of yours being stolen.
Todays cars are behemoths, far bigger than 1980s cars. My 1980 Camaro is small compared to these new land barges. Shame you can't buy a small car in America anymore.
@@Dannysoutherner we had land barge cars. My Pontiac Catalina appeared to take up the whole road.
I'm still driving a stick shift. A '98 Honda Civic. I purchased my first car many years ago from a coworker. It was a stick, and I had no idea how to drive it. She took me out to a big empty parking lot, gave me about 10 minutes of instruction, and left me to practice. I was pretty comfortable in a couple hours.
It's a great anti-theft device these days!
I like the CD player there's nothing like going down the road listening to your favorite album on CD 💿
Agree! At least until you hit a pothole.
My car dont have a CD-player bluetooth or USB not even a 3.5mm jack
Listening to music? You should be concentrating on the road!
@@rosiefay7283 So you dont listen to the radio while driving I take it
@@rosiefay7283 You can do both
I still miss the stomp switch for the high beams. it always seemed so much safer than having to shift your hand on the steering wheel to get to the switch on the steering column.
I remember all of these things (I have been driving since 1975). I learned how to drive a manual transmission when my dad bought me a manual transmission car after I learned on an automatic. Took me about an hour. My first car didn't have a radio or cigarette lighter at all; I had to buy and install them. The only thing I really miss from this list is the full-sized spare.
Ah, the high-beam switch. I remember when they first started moving it to the turn signal lever. You could always tell if you were behind a driver who had just gotten a new car with the high-beam switch on the turn signal, because whenever they dimmed their lights they also turned on the left turn signal. Every single time.
The joke at the time was: How did the student from X University (for us it was always Auburn) wreck his new car? He got his foot hung in the steering wheel trying to dim the headlights.
HAH!I remember that.
Honestly, I think the high beam switch on the floor was a whole lot easier to operate than in the column. Every so often my left foot does wander over to the left. I don’t understand the reason for removing it as mine never had a bit of trouble with dirt, etc.
@@sandybruce9092 Only because you've never had to replace one that looked like it was a hundred years old due to all the rust from water sitting around it on the floor. You must have lived in CA at the time.
In Europe, at least on Fiat and their derivatives, you'd have a whole stalk branch dedicated to low/high. A lot of the time, new drivers would flash high when turning right.
I was born in 1985, but this has me feeling so nostalgic and sentimental for all the cars I rode in as a child and early teen. Especially the Change in the Ash Tray and the Way Way Back!
I still see people empty ash trays in the grocery store parking lot, however they are becoming few and far between.
@@reglook1 Which reminds me how basically every other adult back then smoked and that there were ashtrays everywhere.
@@alexanderfo3886 The first few times I flew were back when you could still smoke on airplanes. I can also remember when people used to be able to smoke in grocery stores.
I was a 70's kid, born in 1967 so I'm a bit older. Back in the 70's ashtrays in some cars were MASSIVE! My Dad's old Lincoln Mark IV had a gigantic ashtray, and BOY THEY FILLED IT! It make me ill as a kid, but like a fool I thought it was cool at 16. By 19 I was smoking myself. STUPID STUPID STUPID! Here's why. My Dad died of Lung cancer at 63. My Mom died of emphysema at 61. Now at 52 I was diagnosed with emphysema. I quit but smoking destroyed my health! And those Vaping E-cigs are NOT SAFE EITHER! I've seen a few newer cars that have eliminated the ashtrays completely. But I know for a fact that if someone wants a cigarette 🚬 they'll smoke with or without an ashtray. Sad but true.
@@EdsterIII It's true that the missing ashtrays don't mean there is no smoking happening. I've seen smokers' cars produced some years ago where all the cup holders are used as ashtrays, or the stubs are thrown out of the window on the street.
This made me feel even better about my 1950 and 1955 Studebakers with three on the tree, cigarette lighters, crank windows and wide whitewall tires. A little piece of heaven.
I loved my 1968 AMC Javelin and AMX 2-seater. Best cars I ever owned.
Did it have a fifth under the seat? 🍺🤣
Just bought a new car last month and there isn't an ashtray, but a screen w/ entertainment options and a bunch of sockets for cell phones, etc.
they were weird looking. but not as weird as what I called "turtles".. yeah Hudson's remember those? I think the side windows were about 5" tall. Literally sweat boxes here in FL back in the 50's before vehicles had air.
I saw an old Rambler in the grocery store parking lot the other day. I almost wept. I hadn't seen a Rambler since I bought a used one in 1978. It was my first car and I loved it. The power, the comfort, the roominess, and yes, the crank windows.
In the 70’s when I got my first job I used my Mom’s car when I had to close. It didn’t have automatic transmission. Then, my boyfriend had a 3 speed manual. He tried to teach me while I would either pop the clutch or burn out from an intersection. He left the car with me one weekend while both of our families went camping. I had to use it for work. I got up at 5 am and drove the car around when the roads were deserted. No one in the car yelling at me if I did it wrong. I learned that weekend.
My stepdad always had to have these big Lincoln Town cars. It had a big hood ornament. One morning he gets in the car and starts pulling out of the garage. The hood ornament had got caught under the lip of a table saw. As he backed out he was pulling the saw with him. Then, the saw bumped a tall cupboard. The cupboard fell on the hood and all the stuff in the cupboard fell on the car hood. A Clark Griswold moment. 😂
The local Cadillac dealer had to remove the hood ornaments from the cars because teenagers were stealing the ornaments in the nighttime and using them as necklaces. This was in the 1980s when Cadillac cars had the Cadillac crests as standup ornaments.
The first "car" I ever bought from a dealer was an '82 Jeep CJ7 with a 4-speed. I didn't know how to drive stick at all, but wanted to learn so badly I bought it anyway. My boyfriend taught me how to drive it on the way home. Still own two vehicles with manual transmissions - a 5-speed and a 6-speed.
Having just recently binged the final "destination" movies.. I'm imagining nightmares scenarios!
I've taught a handful of ex gfs and friend's sisters how to drive manual. The trick is - do it in a durable old car in a parking lot first. Also, there's no need to yell - hell I remember my gf in high school took my 1991 Excel over a curb (and continued climbing it), beaching it on an island. I had given her too many instructions at once (downshift, use a turn signal, turn on the wipers) and she did all the small things but forgot to stop steering. She bent the rim and all the air came out of the wheel, so after calming her down and getting her to free it off the island, I was like, "do you want to learn how to put on a spare?"
Honestly, what would have been the point of yelling? An alignment was $20, and I managed to save the rim (but not the tire) and a used tire was $20.
The lessons continued in a more durable Hyundai Pony, I even managed to get her to do powerslides. :D
@@the_kombinator You are a gem. I'm glad I learned on a 4-speed with a truck clutch (my boyfriend's 5-speed Mitsubishi was a finely-engineered pill). Yes, an empty parking lot is ideal - we used low traffic side streets, and I agree - too many instructions at once is not the best idea for a stick noob. Of course now I can radio/phone/turn/downshift multi-task (not that I'm admitting it), but it takes a little while to develop the muscle memory for the coordination needed.
Kudos to you for the tire lesson as well. One of the best things to learn (along with changing your own oil).
I love the standard transmission, and the cigarette lighter, it was great for getting a fire started when camping
I did that once! Never ran faster in my life, from the truck to the fire ring.
_... the cigarette lighter, it was great for getting a fire started ..._
Now we have Teslas for that.
You could also push start your car when you left the radio on too long at the campground!
I still have a car like that.
@@ripvanrevs yep I did that a few times myself
The manual transmission is not yet obsolete or unwanted. While it appears to be on life-support, they still exist in new cars. I bought a 6 speed manual 2021 model willingly and enthusiastically (and cheaper than an automatic) knowing it will almost certainly be my last. I hope to keep this car for the remainder of my driving days. I wish manual windows could be found on a car too. All these overpriced "needs" make cars thousands of dollars more expensive which is fine if willing and able to pay for it all but many people can't or should not. Overall a nostalgic look back for those of us old enough to have grown up in cars with these features.
Some base model pickups still have crank windows. We looked at a brand new Crew Cab F-150 with crank windows last year. I like crank windows on a 2-door, on a 4-door I'd rather have power windows.
The main reason I bought a new Bronco was I could get a Stick shift though.
I agree! An example are mandatory backup cameras. wanna make something mandatory it should be dashcams. yeah if a cam is watching YOUR driving practices perhaps YOU would actually learn how to DRIVE! I drive a 2000, F350 7.3 powerstroke with the manual tranny. I've never driven an auto that I've owned. My power doorlocks no longer work but fortunately my power windows still do! yep the more motors you got controlling things the more things that can break. But fortunately these new $50k plastic vehicles will last maybe until they're paid off. Maybe.
Thank you so much Recollection Road for uploading this great video, I appreciate it!
Growing up in the 70’s, this hit different!
Yep. Landau roofs. Wire spoke hubcaps. Tufted crushed velour interiors. Many design crimes were committed, few were punished.
In our old 70s family cars, the front ashtrays were filled with cig butts, the back trays filled with used chewing gum 😜
My back ashtrays were always full of roaches.
yeah everybody smoked like a stack back then we didn't know any better. remember all the cancer stick ads? STUPID people STILL believe in advertising.
I remember cars that had the gas filler hidden behind a taillight. :) If you weren't aware of this feature, you could look for a LONG time before being able to fill up a customer's car with gas (this was in the days of full-service, whippersnappers!).
Don't forget to check the oil and the tires,
Oh, you left a smudge on the windshield.
@@pickmeaname When I worked at a gas station in 1970, we'd check the oil and, if the customer wanted, the transmission fluid. When Corvairs came in, it almost ALWAYS resulted in the sale of a quart of oil. Except for this one older couple, who I swear would top off their oil before coming in for gas and just enjoy watching me being disappointed when I checked the dip-stick.
I want to start a petition to get the floor high beam switch back! I feel it was easier and just more convenient.
I'm almost 70 but learned to drive on an automatic. When I bought my first car, teaching myself to drive a stick only cost a new transmission.
Person insisted I drive a car with stick shift. Told them Idk how. They needed a clutch after I drove it. Whoops 🙆 I don't like manual, had a couple, nothing but extra work driving and costly to fix.
^^ Nerds …
My brother and I would sit
facing backwards in the car at the drive- in or somehere else and make faces or fake yawning at others to watch their reactions.
Sadly, my 2018 Toyota has no CD or cassete player! (Horrors!). Guess when I drive back to the East Coast from So Cal I’ll just have to remember the good old 50’s when you had to search for a local radio station every 50 miles or so! Ha. I know there is Sirius radio and others, but having a collection of favorite music or books or language/educational optionals on CD is something I already miss.
@@johnandersen8998 Sounds like a good ROADTRIP ☺ except an '18 with no CD player 😳 Ah the East Coast. I miss the food there 🍕
Manual transmissions are still the most common type in Europe, like 90%. Quite the opposite in the US. A manual will last the life of the car if driven properly, with maybe only a clutch replacement.
In the late 90's I bought a 75 chev 1/2 ton pick up with a 3 in a tree. It was fun watching passengers grab the dash and brace them self's when I changed from 1st to 2nd thinking I was throwing it into park when driving.
I remember one of my grandads cars that used to throw the cigarette lighter onto the floor after heating up, you had to be quick if using it
"On"
Likewise on my Falcon in the late 80s, but the most outrageous (and about two dozen examples were built...really!) was that1970 Buick Estate Wagon, trimmed like a deuce-and-a-quarter grille and four fender portholes and wood-grain decals on the side, but with the column shift stick behind that honkin'-big 455-four-barrel-high-compression engine. That was fun.
not me I've always been a very smooth shifter. people still put their drinks on my dash while I'm driving. I'm 80yo never owned a slush box.
I still remember Ricardo Montalbahn in the commercial, I remember it like yesterday. Yes I'm old.
Great video! I'm in my 60s, and remember the world back then. I miss it!
I learned to drive a stick shift in a Volkswagen Beetle in the ‘70s. Years later, I taught my son to drive a stick shift in a mid-80s Ford Escort. I owned many cars with crank windows and no air conditioning. I am old so I remember the days when the notable options for a car included “radio, heater and whitewall tires..” And don’t forget the 8-track player and c b radio.
🔥🍻hell yeah brother
I understand that some new cars, if they have crank up windows, have detailed instructions on how to use crank operated windows. 😬
Hah my first car as a teenager that I could legally drive was a 1987 Ford Escort with a 4spd manual. I had had a decade of experience on country / back roads with manuals before, and my dad was surprised how much I remembered. My dad's lesson to me at 16 was like 20 minutes in a parking lot, then out on the roads. No issues.
Yep! Our old Rambler station wagon (circa 1971-73) had crank windows and no air. THAT feature was an expensive " extra" luxury, that alot of folks just couldn't afford back then. The Chevy in which l learned how to drive was the same. How we got through those Summers on those long Sunday drives and road trips is almost inconceiveable to me, although Summer's heat and humidity back then wasn't nearly as atrocious and life-threatening as it is today.
Same here. Our family "learner" car was a 68 Bug. Went through my 2 older brothers before it got to me. Hated that car up until the very last time I drove it. Coming home from work on the freeway, blew a piston clean out of the engine through the bonnet. That car still managed to limp along for 5 more miles to my home, where it promptly spit out every last remaining bit of oil in it on to my dads freshly paved driveway. After that, I loved that car for getting me home.
...(Replaced it with a 1970 Ford Torino with a 351 Cleveland...now THERE'S a car I wish I still owned!)
Anybody remember the cowl vent, some referred to them as floor vents. I guess they were dropped when a/c became more popular. I’m 75 and wish the cowl vents were still incorporated as well as highbeam light on the floor and the small vent window on the front doors and brung back the horn ring
Wow!! I’m 75, too and those wing vents were great - sometimes just a little bit of outside air would be nice instead of using the A/C.
The .... GOOD OLD DAYS.
@@sandybruce9092 I live in Florida and only use the AC in my pickup truck for my dog. And usually have my window open on my side . I don't care how hot or humid it is ,I like the fresh air compared to the AC running.
you mean the real cowl vent just ahead of the windshield, or the later vents that were on the sides of the front footwells?
Side vent windows and floor vents need to come back.
I am 49 years of age, born in Nov of '73 and I am glad I remember the old cars and trucks, they were easier to manage and nicer to drive.
My first car was a 1956 Chevy. The gas tank was almost dry before I found the gas tank, behind one of the taillights.
And with a 56 Cadillac, you'd push in the reflector on the left taillamp and it'd pop right up.
I was 16 with a 57 Chevy 210 wagon ands the 1st time I needed gas I pulled into the station and just stared at the back the car. Ten minutes or so went by when the kid who worked at that Gulf station walked out to my car, opened the tail light and walked back into the office without ever saying a word. Pure class. Wish I'd have had the chance to repay the favor.
Not knowing Where to put GAS in my car basically kept my girlfriend from stealing my car in high school when she and her friends skipped class. Really it was weird because we didn’t have self service gas stations then ( ( 1970 ) .
I currently own an 03 tacoma. It's a 5 spd manual. It also has crank windows, an ashtray with cigarette lighter, cd player, 1 regular key to unlock it from outside n to start it up. It actually came with tape deck n cd player but that died few years so replaced with aftermarket. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE my ol simple truck!😍👍
I have a 2004 CHEVY Blazer with an ashtray, cig lighter and CD player
I had an 01 Tacoma with all those features except no cd. Guess it was still too new.
I love my simple car too. Same features. Don't want a new car at all! I drive a 2008 Hyundai Accent, such a good car. Had a flat today though. Made me want a full size spare.
yep. my 2000 F350 has the 6 speed manual.. single key for everything. this truck has a steering wheel lock as well. only way to steal this thing is 1) need to know how to drive a stick 2) need the key.
My buddy has a Tacoma with over 500k on it
Most of my cars still have these features. The newest one has four cigarette lighters/ashtrays and a radio/ cassette/ CD player. Talk about a bonus…
My first car was a ‘ 64 Nova V-8 with a three on the tree. Pretty good burnouts when you dumped the clutch
My first "legal" car was a 64 Nova 283/2 speed power glide with under dash frigidaire A/C got it up to 120 mph in just over a quarter mile on I80 that was 1971 damn I miss that car
If it has a cassette player, it’s no newer than the mid 90s
@@DanaTheInsane it’s a ‘99 LeSabre
@@DanaTheInsane My dad has a 2007 Acura that has a tape player
Great stuff! Thank you for bringing up these memories. As to hood ornaments? I think it had more to do with car washes than pedestrian safety. With the increase in the number of car washing stations and their automated cleaning brushes and wipers, car owners were finding their hood ornaments getting stuck in the brushes or ripped right off their vehicles. Over the years, car manufacturers have responded to that by making their car exteriors ever smoother with fewer protrusions that can get caught or damaged as you drive your vehicle through a car wash. Windshield wipers, radio antennas, and door handles - among others - all have joined the hood ornaments in becoming more blended with the car's body and less likely to be damaged as you clean your car.
What he did not mention is that hood ornaments started out as radiator caps...guess he's just to young to know very much...
Hood ornaments also became collectible. Thieves would pry them off, damaging the finish. For a time some manufacturers like Mercedes put theirs on cable springs so they would flex, but cutting the cable was easy with a set of wire cutters. Or so I am told….
So many iconic accessories that are now obsolete. You nailed the essence of this video! Well done, as always!! The one thing that precedes me is the bigger hood ornaments. I remember my Dad's 70's Lincoln Mark IV having the Lincoln logo for the ornament, also his 70's Cadillac had the classic Cadillac logo as well. If I remember correctly those hood ornaments were stolen quite often by kids who'd then sell them to junk dealers, or others who "needed" them. I say needed because one group probably stole it, and another group probably sold it back to them? As you mentioned with stereos, theft was rampant in the 70's, 80's and 90's. Especially the late 80's and 90's. I had about 4 or 5 stereos, equalizers, amplifiers, and speakers stolen from my cars. My 1974 Firebird was the worst. I had an Alpine💿CD💿player, a 500 watt Yamaha Amplifier, and a set of MTX Terminator box speakers. One huge box, two 15" woofers, two 7.5" midrange, and two 3" tweeters. It was a amazing stereo system. Even my Mom loved it. BUT she blew my Midrange speakers listening to Mötley Crüe's cover of Elvis Presley's Jailhouse Rock! I remember when she got home. She came inside, a foreboding look of grief on her face. UH-OH, what's up? She said I'm sorry but somethings wrong with your stereo. Ugh! We went out to the car. I started the car and YEP, LOL, she blew the midrange speaker. The speakers had a lifetime warranty so no biggie. She was afraid I'd be mad? Nah. But when I got the speakers back after they were repaired, LOL the receipt said due to owner's excessive volume and use. I showed that to my Mom and said YOU, I'M WATCHING YOU! and laughed my butt off. I even did the two fingers to the eyes then at her motion. Then I gave her a huge hug and said it was fine, go jam some more! And she DID! Again these are some great memories except for the theft and stealing!
40 lat tamu kolega corki kradl takie ozdoby w cadillacach jedna dal mojej corce..Do dzis wisi na drzwiach pokoju mojej corki Ona mieszka w innym miejscu ale ozdoba zostala.......
I learned on a stick and used my Cig lighter all the time. ( I do not smoke anymore, gave that nasty habit yo 25 years ago) My boat had four ashtrays , it was a white 76 Ford Galaxy 500. With red seats🤣. I remember the leather ( plastic) seats in my dads black Chrysler New Yorker with , you guessed it RED interior. Boy do I remember those wind up windows ! My Galaxy 500 had the high beam switch on the floor on the left side it used to go clink clink real loud 😅.
My outboard Pioneer supertuner radio was the thing to have back then. Honda still provides a full size spare. My Honda Accord has a full size spar tire, not many companies do that any more. As always thank you for these great videos !
Wonderful! My ol '90 Civic Wagon had a full size spare capacity. Took The Flying Tiger on more forest service and designated 4x4 trails than SUVs and Jeeps on the road, I'd mutter to myself proudly, and it wasn't even the 4x4 version! That little thing was a big beast 💪🚗💛🛡️
I remember my first car when I was 16 in 1982. It was a black El Camino with slotted mag wheels and headers with cherry bombs. It had an aftermarket 8 track player. The previous owner left an 8 track of The Essential Jimi Hendrix Experience . I was hooked and bought the 2 record set!
Still got my LP. As well as one of Sly Stone's
When you mentioned that people who don't smoke used the ashtray for change, I laughed because it's so true! I had forgotten about that.
Just recently, I was talking to somebody about the two keys that cars used to have. I remember those days so well!
Parents had a 73' Cadillac El Dorado, white with a black landau top and black/white interior. The hood ornament was so damn big, Flava Flav was like..."Damn!!!!" Loved that car. Back in the 70's they knew how to pimp out a ride straight from the factory 🙂
Wind wings are something I miss.
True. Your mentioning them makes me think of the 1990s. Can't remember having seen them eversince.
Me too. Except they were super expensive to replace as I recall. $80 for a '66 bug in the 70's.
Me too. cowl vent as well.
I would still want all of these options!!
SAME! Why are the best options taken away? I have a stick shift and don't want a automatic. I would love to have the lighter and ash tray back, non smokers use for change so why take away the much needed storage? The lighters heck who doesn't want the quick ability to have fire when needed? I know I do! Huge trunk space a thing in the past that shouldn't be. I wish more cars were wagons I owned one and I loved it and it was so easy to get the kids in and out of.
@@fashionforwardmom Aren’t SUVs wagons that are built on truck chassis? That’s all I see anymore are SUVs. I wish more modern cars were sedans! And as for storing change can’t you use the cup holders? You can start a fire with an electric car (whether you want to or not!) 🫤
@@glennso47 There are very few actual SUVs anymore. Most are just tall unibody sedans. Explorers, Tahoes, Suburbans are truck based (and the new Full Size Bronco). Just about everything else is just a tall car.
Another great video!
🚙 👍🏻
I was born in 92, but I grew up with cars from the 70’s and 80’s. The way back reverse seat especially was something I loved as a kid and miss. Especially when I bought a 95 Accord Wagon a few years ago: I was so disappointed to see it had no 3rd row. Great video
I don't know why the back reverse seats disappeared, they were a great feature, I've got a 7 seat Toyota Verso in the UK now, they all face forward but there is no more room in the 3rd row than the ones I remember in our Station Wagon in Australia in the 70's.
My car has manual window handles. I love them. They work every time I try to use them.
I miss them!
Plus, there was never any doubt you could get out in an emergency...
They’re terrible ngl. They take so much effort to use they basically can’t be used while driving. My dads stick shift from the 90s has them and with all the shifting and driving you can’t be having to muscle a crankshaft from the 1900s and stay safely in the lane
I had several stick shifts in the day, but a knee problems ended those days.
One thing I don’t miss is manual windows.
Took a while to remember the high beams weren’t on the floor.
I miss the fuel filler behind the rear plate, didn’t matter which side the pump was on.
Oh shit!! High beams on the floor!! 🥲 my first car was a 72 4-door Impala
I’m with you on not missing the manual windows. I’m sure they’re nostalgic for some but they were a pain in the ass.
My parents had a '75 Plymouth that had the fill tube in the back...under the nameplate between the taillights, NOT under the license plate (which was in the center of the bumper). Numerous attendants were confused because almost all the other center-fill cars had it behind the license plate. I can vividly recall my dad watching them in the rearview mirror and having to roll down the window to tell them where it was. Of course this became a non-issue once more and more gas stations became self-service.
true. but I prefer the filler on the left.,, one of the things I looked for. 80yo here still drive the stick. no knee problems but a serious hip problem. People that ride with me can't believe how smoothly I shift. well after 65 years of doing it you get pretty good at it! yeah they put their cokes up on my dash while I'm driving.
I loved the brights being a button on the floor of the car. Way easier for me to just use my foot.
I miss that, too. All my family's cars were that way growing up in the '70s. The first one that was on the column MAY have been my mom's '81 5th Avenue (I may be wrong; that was a long time ago). My very first car was an old family car, a '75 Gran Fury; it had the floor switch. Now with the dimmer switch on the column, there is too much to do with your hands. That, and different vehicles are set up differently! At least on the floor, all vehicles were alike.
I had a couple of older trucks that had the starter on the floor next to the gas pedal. You would turn the key on, hold your heel on the gas pedal and use the toe of your shoe to contort your foot and hit the start button. Those older trucks had a manual choke you had to fool with when you were starting them.
I had a 69 F-250 with a manual choke. Let my little sister borrow it when I was on a trip. She couldn't figure out how to start it and my Mom had to show her how.
I miss window crank handles! Really hate the automatic open button. Yes, I remember Three on the Tree--my stepdad had a car with that feature and when a neighbor borrowed the car he trashed it because he didn't know how to shift; dad never got over that. Also really liked the high beam button on the floor--easy to use. Car radios: anyone else remember that the radio had to "heat up" before it would play?
I remember those damned tube radios … They weren’t worth a crap …
I wish I had the crank handle windows back. What worries me is, what if you have to get out through the window, but the accident you just had ended up shorting our the electric windows?
@@miriambucholtz9315 Exactly! I keep a center punch escape hammer in my car because there are so many bridges where I live that the idea of ending up over the edge and underwater is a horror.
Yes, loved that burgundy Rich Corinthian leather. And don’t forget the Landau roof.☺️
And don’t forget “Da Plane, Da Plane!” The little guy on Fantasy Island would say that at the beginning of every episode of the show.
At first when that car appeared in the slides I thought he'd mention T-tops, as they've been obsolete for a long time too...
I remember vividly checking any car I was driving (owned, borrowed, or rented) for the location of the gas cap, to prevent what I called the "Texsco Two-Step" pulling to the pump and realizing that the filler was on the other side, then having to pull away and come back in the other direction or to the other side. I have had friends who worked at stations tell me that some people would have to try two or three times before they matched the right sidde of the car to the right pump. Now there is a little picture of a pump on your gas gauge to tell youu what side the filller line is on.
I wish all vehicles had either center-fill gas tanks (like some vehicles from the '70s; I know this would be problematic for pickups and SUVs) or they all were on the same damn side. There is nothing more infuriating than to be in a right-fill vehicle and everyone else at the pumps is in a left-fill vehicle. You either have to wait off to the side for an opening (that someone may swoop in and take) or back up against someone already there and wait for them to leave. 🤷♂️🙄
right. if it wasn't on the left I didn't purchase the vehicle. For safety reasons I want that filler on the drivers side. Never know. I never left the vehicle while it was filling either. be aware of wtf is going on around you, people.
My first car had a column shifter.
No column shifters anymore but to this day I still drive a stick shift.
Love the little triangular window that you manually pushed open after you unlatched it. (Open this little window and it drew the cigarette smoke out very well also good for flicking your ashes as they would be sucked out.
The button on the floor for high beams was cool also.
Speaking of old sound systems in cars, before the 8 track tape, record players were available for vehicles.
And also before the 8 track tape, it was the 4 track tape. For a while, tape decks known as a 48 was available, which played both 4 track and 8 track tapes.
Remember just about every large parking lot had miles of 8 track tape blowing around them?
It was so aggravating to have a tape "eaten" by the player.
Was looking for this comment! I also remember the under dash 4/8 track players. I have a 70 Challenger with an AM/8 track, you could have an AM/FM, AM/8 track, but not all 3 in the 1970 Challenger. In 71 they offered a floor mounted cassette player along with an AM/FM radio, odd options back then.
Record player in a car? Huh, never heard of that. Wouldn’t think that would work without something like a modern laser tracker.
@@CaseAgainstFaith1 They were an option on Chrysler cars in the 50's and 60's until the 8 track came around.
@@mayorb3366 Okay, I suppose. But again, I’m not sure how they would work in a moving car. Though I actually had pondered the idea of a laser based record play in a modern car. But it would be very niche even among vinyl fans.
Never heard of a hood ornament that injured someone, unless it was from a person being shot at for trying to steal one .
Happened at our high school. Girl got hit by a car and the hood ornament put a nasty gash in her hip.
@@MikeBrown-ex9nh well... she got hit by a CAR.
@@aloysiusdevanderabercrombi470 A CAR with a HOOD ORNAMENT. This was in the sixties. Her injuries from the car were minor, but the injuries from the hood ornament hood ornament were serious. I personally knew both the driver and the girl that was injured .
Ahh yes, my first car was a 1965 Ford XP Falcon, complete with 3 on the tree , was fun to drive. Thanks for the videos, cheers CB Australia 🇦🇺
My first car was a 1967 Mustang. It had a windshield washer (one of the early ones!), but didn't have a pump motor. It had a pedal that was located where the parking brake pedal is nowadays. You'd press on it with your left foot to squirt the windshield! The parking brake was an "umbrella handle" just below & to the left of the steering column.
Love your videos, just subscribed!
Love all these videos. Thank you. Also I could listen to you all day. Soothing voice. Miss those single sided keys. I used to just look at a GM key and read the codes. Stopped when the double sided came out in 1995
Thank you for more wonderful memories 😊
The gear shifter in column and steel keys are so cool
The first car I actually bought, was a 1972 VH Valiant Ute (Kind of of like Dodge's interpretation of an El Camino) when I moved to Australia in the 90's.
It had most of the features listed in this video.
The foot operated high-beams were so good when driving on rural roads/highways with no lighting... you could have the high-beams on to look out for kangaroos and dip them easily when an oncoming car approached.
Terrible joke of the times, as heard in Indiana -
Bill: Hey, Bob! You know those new cars where they moved the dimmer switch to the turn signal lever? You know, on the column?
Bob: Yeah? What about it?
Bill: Well, they had to outlaw that in Kentucky.
Bob: Oh?
Bill: Yeah. Folks kept getting their foot stuck in the steering wheel!
Of course, the same joke was told in Kentucky about Hoosiers, I am certain.
LOL!! I remember that joke!
I heard that in my head as being told by the male cop assisting the pregnant one in "Fargo" for some reason....
HEY! Did you hear about the war between Kentucky and Indiana in the early 1800s? The Hoosiers were fighting dirty! They were using catapults to fling crates of dynamite across the Ohio River!
Finally the Kentuckians won. They got their own catapults, lit the dynamite, and flung it back!
tilt steering wheels for more head room .
We used to tell nearly the same joke in North Dakota that those fabric windshield sun shades had been outlawed in Manitoba because they caused too many accidents, drivers couldn't see where they were going.
The manual transmission also known today as the Millennial Anti-Theft Device.
Except for Non-American milennials....
Lol...
Yep! I am a millennial and had a manual EVERYTHING jeep. Windows, seats, clutch…. No alarm on it. Had it parked in a downtown garage overnight. Went out the next morning to find literally dozens of cars smashed in or gone completely. The thieves got my windows zipped about a quarter way down before I suspect they realized it was manual. And despite having literal zipper windows, that was the only time in 14 years living and commuting in a major downtown area I had anyone even attempt to get in to it.
Man, I lived thru all of those! Shows how old I am...I even remember when getting gas the attendant washed the windshield!
Thanks for making me feel OLD because I remember ALL of these features very well. And I drove cars equipped with them
I learned how to drive on a Stick shift in the early 70s. Was fun to drive. I sure as heck wouldn't say "no one wants anymore". I'd be happy as heck to drive another one again in a new car. Your opinion sir.
Careful what you say. I too learned in the 70’s. My dads work cars were always stick to save gas. He commuted. In my twenties & thirties it was all automatic. Then out of the blue my hubby got a good deal on a Honda Civic. I was home so it worked out well until I was stuck in traffic! Ugh! Nightmare. Back to driving in luxury an automatic Acura 😂
I recently traded in my 2012 Tacoma Pick Up.
We upgraded to a RAV4 Hybrid.
However, my Tacoma was a Base Trim.
Crank Windows, 5 speed manual, 4x4, High/Low Wipers, etcetera.
I even added Cruise Control.
It was a nice reliable truck.
My arthritis was kicking up so shifting was getting more painful/difficult.
Still having a 4x4 manual in the snow is the best and quite fun.
@@OldDood I hear you
Love manual transmission just nowadays my knees don’t, especially stuck in California traffic!
Fair, though they are disappearing because there isn't enough demand for them.
I prefer the older cars, they had you more involved with driving. You have to keep your mind involved especially with a standard. I went from 5th to 1st on a mountain once. I hate donut tires they are a pain. When you have a flat you still need to carry the flat
M2, I always throw the donut tire out, & replace it with a real wheel
I totally agree!
@@christianheidt5733 I have done that too.
I love my manual. You’re right. You have to be more in tune with your car.
My ‘23 NISSAN ALTIMA has a CV transmission. I love the smooth nature of it. I wouldn’t get a stick shift if they gave me one.
5:50 Hubcaps also gave us a good laugh whenever when came off and rolled itself in the direction of travel down the road.
I left them off. pain in the ass. I left the skirts off as well. another pain in the ass. these cars were always getting flats and you couldn't plug them because the belted bias tires all had tubes. fortunately everybody had spares back in those days but they needed them!
There was an old model of car that had a little blue dot in the middle of the round red tail light. This made the light look purplish/magenta when both colors lit up. I loved seeing those as a kid. I think they were on 1950 Pontiacs and were sometimes installed on hot rods to add extra style. Some sources say they were also on 1930s Packards and Cadillacs to set them apart as luxury cars.
Your voice is as comforting as rain on a tin roof...as are the subjects of your videos! I LOVE this channel! I would love to see a survey of the demographics of your subscribers. I bet we're all Generation X! Lol! Thanks for taking us back!
It sounds computer-generated though?
More like we're Baby Boomers, as WE are the ones who learned how to drive in these type of cars (my Mom's 1967 Plymouth, for example) and who's childhood house had the shag carpets and wood panels in his bedroom.
Rich Corinthian Leather (LOL), Thank You 😀
Ricardo Montelbon was the “boss “ on Fantasy Island.
Good compilation
Glad you mentioned 3 on the tree, how I learned to drive a manual transmission in my dad's 1977 F100.
I miss interiors that were other than the boring beige, grey, and black that are all-too-common today.
Actually the colored interiors are back in a big way, especially in two-tone. Nowadays it’s the exteriors that are mostly white, black or gray.
I miss wood effect panels on the the dashboard, just something about it which makes a car feel more classy than it really is.
I think that windows should have a hand crank in case of emergency, or if the power windows stop working. At least you can work the windows until you get them fixed.
And not as costly as today's power windows needing a door motor replacement.
They make cars to be fixed these days, not to last! Great idea though. I personally just still drive a car with roll down windows. And a manual transmission.
A friend bought a new Peugeot in 1982 and he remembers that he could open each door and use an Allen Wrench to open & close them on a receptacle next to the door latch in case the window motor failed. However, within a month of purchase, his electric sunroof refused to close all the way so he had to stuff a bath towel in the gap to keep rain out.
@@billolsen4360 Those are best with a hand crank. :) I love cars with quirks.
Great video
My dad really like car decorations, so I remember curb feelers, those leather straps that dragged on the road, and those windshield-wide sun visors. We never owned a hatchback, so no blinds on the back window.
omg my 87 Cutlass Supreme had curb finders on it. My first husband (we got married in 1990) insisted on them. That, and lots of DIY pinstriping. And he used to jerryrig a set of fog lights under the hood, behind the grille that looked really cool. I really loved that car.
I learned to drive in a 49 Dodge Coronet with Gyromatic transmission. I won't even begin to describe how it worked.
Crank handles may have been less convenient but I'd like to have the money I've spent on repairing electric windows. I also liked the floor button for high beams and the fullsize spare tire. Both were safer. If they made larger trunks instead of these chopped of rear ends and small openings you could get a full size tire in it.
A buddy had a ‘49 Dodge and we called it a clunkomatic. I believe it was only two gears. When got to where you would shift, you let your foot off the gas, hear a clunk, and it would be in second gear.
@@richardnadson2328 There were actually four. Straight up on the column for first and second and down for third and fourth. You usually dropped it down to third to move. That was the drive range. The others were really low for steep hills. The clutch was for changing or going on and out of gear. You didn't use it during a stop. It had a torque converter.
that tranny had a clutch but you didn't need to use it! a cross between a manual and a slush box we had one as well! yep 3 on the tree. unreal! tell you what that vehicle was a TANK! I learned to drive on 49 Chevy coup 3 on the tree. nobody had slush boxes back then except that Dodge! wow those were the days.
Remember the AM radios that had physical "vibrators" in them? Well those vibrators were fast acting relays that developed pulsating 6vdc (back in the day we didn't have 12vdc batteries) square waves that were converted to much higher VDC because these radios were vacuum tube powered! Yep. I used to fix those radios as I got into electronics. Kids thought I was so SMART!
Cars also had personality when you looked at their fronts. Look, that one's smiling with bright eyes.
Absolutely, now they all have that bubble look they all look identical to each other nothing stands out
@@floydsemlow8253 Todays cars are boring Cookie Cutter molds.
@@matrox oh absolutely , bought a brand new Jeep compass 2023 with all the bells and whistles cost me $150 more a month this year than it did three years ago and for what? If I get an accident it'll be totaled out, thank God for extended warranty because I already know how this all pans out. And realistically without some kind of sports package it looks no different than any other car out there. I just can't believe people invest in those electric cars I will never!!! God Bless
@@floydsemlow8253 Although at the same time, you're more likely to walk away from an accident. Unfortunately driving defensively can only do so much with unpredictable drivers, and random mechanical failures.
But I agree. A lot of new cars don't have personality. Then again, we may just be biased. In an American sense, the 80s were particularly lacking for the most part. Square, underpowered boats.
@@callummclachlan4771 well said sir, well said 🙌🍻
I still have an old Delco AM radio from my dad's 50s Nash along with the speaker. I got it running with a transformer that plugs i to the wall.....works great!
Remember the little wing windows at the front? You’d crack it open to your desire and catch a nice breeze without having to lower your window. That window was really handy when you didn’t want to get your hair blown every which way.
6:55 Also worth mentioning was all the "hidden" gas fillers. Think '50s Cadillacs, '55, '56, '57', '58 Chevy's, etc.
My Dad had an old Nash, yes that was a car, and the gas tank was behind the tail light. Half of the light flipped up.
Had one of those 56 Chevys, turn the knob on the left tail light and pull down! Thought that was so neat at 8yo.
55
'55 Chevys had the fuel hatch on the driver's side rear fender, and the fun began with the '56 Chevys where it was one of the tail lights and the '57s where it was the trailing edge of one of the fins.
those were the "WING" cars! especially the Cads... I mean were they ever UGLY or what?
I wonder how many accidents happened when the driver dropped a red hot lighter in their lap!
Less than idiots crashing while texting or trying to plug cell into charging cable
yeah. I didn't smoke but I bet that happened many times.
Pop-up headlights are definitely something I wanna see come back.
Would be awesome. But they'd be so difficult with modern pedestrian safety standards, and aerodynamics. They're not banned. But it'd be a massive undertaking to make them comply with modern standards.
@adog3336 I had a 89 probe , the pop up lights broke and driving in the city at night a pedestrian yelled , the car is winking 😉 at me !! 😆 🤣
I remember the Opel GT that looked like a baby Corvette. The headlights didn’t pop up, they flipped over. Very cool even now.
@adog3336 lol it was fun at first , then I got it fixed
@@jamesdennis2058 Those GTs were cuties! Wish I could find one now.
My favorite was the floor button for the brights, in the '79 Chrysler wood paneled LeBaron wagon that got me and my bro through college in the 90's
Another big change in cars is the shaping and placement of lights; older cars the body was shaped around the lights, particularly the headlights; but newer cars the lights are molded into the lines of the body. Also, the front parking lights were usually below the front bumper, but now they're right up beside the headlights.
Once the lamps were for light, today its a design thing and the lamps are shaped like bad, manga monster comic style eyes. Maybe to scare others and want to show how dangerous car and driver will be, these "dont mess and play around with the Predator like aggro man here"
Also, the trend for pop-up lights in the 1980s which were designed to keep the front end of the car aerodynamic when not in use.
I miss vehicles like this instead of the touchscreen, distraction central, spyware with auto on/off crap in newer cars.
Remember all of it as a child that grew up in the 1960s, I had 3 on a tree & 4 on the floor, I lived in N.California, so it would get hot in the summertime and my parents never had ac in their cars growing up, I even bought a 1986 Honda Civic with 4 on the floor, and 1990 Nissan mini truck, no ac, it was still more expensive to buy a car with ac. My very first car I could afford with ac was a used 1994 Acura in 2000, that’s how long I went without ac in a car……..hey I survived! These are great videos of our memories, love your channel!!
I well remember all of these. I learned on a three-on-the-tree stick shift. I taught my two sons to drive with a four-on-the-floor GMC truck. every one should know how to drive a manual transmission, just in case.......... I don't miss the lighters and ash trays, as I've never smoked. A feature you didn't mention was the vents you could open to allow fresh air to enter the vehicle, on non-AC cars, which were abundant in the '50s. Nice video.
The cigarette lighters were great for lighting doobies and the ash trays were used accordingly 😂😂😂😂😂. Ah high school and college in the 70s!!
And 80's...
@@KattMurr hell yes 🙌🔥Still Smokin
After mentioning the “pedestrian danger” of hood ornaments, I was sure you’d have segwayed to the pop-up headlights popular on many sporty cars in the eighties. Cool video though! I remember sitting in the back seat playing with the ashtray on the back of the front seat when I was a wee lad…
the pop-up headlights and a lot of other cool features were covered in a previous video.
In the 60s t birds and Rivera had pop up lights, then one would stay up, it looked stupid.
The Segway is that two-wheeled scooter thing.
those pop up lights were always breaking.
You all remember back when turning on the headlights meant pulling on a knob? Maybe it was a Ford thing (my dad always bought fords). Then eventually one day the knob would come off in your hand, no headlights and you had to get your wife/girlfriend with thinner fingers to grab the rod and pull it out to turn the lights on until the next day when you super-glued the knob back on.
My 71 olds had pull out lights. As did all my old Fords. They were really handy for flashing you lights at someone.
yeah remember those Don't remember the vehicle brand though. I use JB weld for shit like that. Super glue doesn't last.
Thank you for making me feel very old
I still have and drive my old cars and truck with vent windows, window cranks, manual door locks, standard transmission, cigarette lighters and the push button on the floor for high beams. The 3 old cars still have ignition points and condenser. They all have factory radios including the truck. I wouldn't have it any other way.
I have a 1966 Plymouth Belvedere 2 that I drive around from time to time. I love the old cars too. Simple to work on also.
Ignition points are an incredible pain. The electronic ignitions of today are vastly superior and deliver a LOT more voltage to the plugs as well. Do these gassers of today even have Distributers? if so, why? I drive diesel so I'm out of touch with gassers.
Great, I remember all of the items mentioned plus a few like manual spark advance, manual starter (crank) manual cruise control (throttle) and so on. Still have had this same car for 45 years. 1931 Chevy and have also 48 Studebaker both have hood ornaments also.
Some old Chevy cars had the gas cap behind the rear taillights. The 1956 model especially.
Another feature, specific to the AMC Pacer. Lots of window glass. Two nicknames for the Pacer were Fish Bowl and Space/Mother Ship
My memory of lots of window glass was my family's 1961 Pontiac, with thin door pillars and wrap-around front and rear windows. The windshield had a band of blue tint across the top as protection from the sun.
Standard transmission was great! Lots of torque too!