THEY DON'T MAKE 'EM LIKE THEY USED TO!

Hmmm...

Solid one piece steering wheel shafts.
Non toughened glass windscreens.
Metal rear veiw mirrors bolted to the roof. (Metal sunvisors too sometimes)
Lap belts. (Or no belts)
Solid metal bumpers mounted directly to the chassis rails.
Non power assisted drum brakes all round.
6" cross ply tyres.

Oh, and if you adjust the dollars for inflation cars are CHEAPER now than they were back then.

Don't forget the dashboard, Adrian.


(How old a car are you talking about there, Billy? Our 60s American heaps ran as long as you kept sticking new parts in 'em. Though they didn't keep up like our little 70s Toyotas and Datsuns did...)

Collapsible columns were universal in 1968, & phased in before that.
Tempered glass was around before 1950, & universal by 1960.
Never seen a metal rearview mirror, though I like the roof-mounted setup.
The 1968 Chevy tow truck at work has 3-point belts. They were around in the 60's.
Steel bumpers are a good thing.
I've driven cars with manual brakes--no big deal. Heck, I HAVE a car with manual brakes.

After 32 years of hard use, the 1972 F-800 at work is still going.

Toyotas and Nissans (and now Hondas) are still the most durable, reliable, most awesome cars on the road today!

Let's see...most old cars did NOT have air conditioning. If they did, it was sometimes a big bulky unit that sat on the floor under the dash, where your feet were supposed to be. No airbags. No power windows. God forbid the distrbutor get wet...LOL. No such thing as 'keyless entry'. Tires that went flat if you ran over glass, metal or nails. Remember having to put 'snow tires' on your car every winter? What a ritual that used to be...some people went the way of chains'. Thank God for Radial tires. AM 5 pushbutton radios...no sound systems in those old cars!

No heated rear windows and vinal seats that were cold or put you in hospital with burns

In the winter I had to use de-icer on the inside of my old Pontiac,and I had to turn the heater/blower off when I was at a standstill because of the fumes.
And I had to change the thermostat every winter and summer

My Toyota has heated mirrors/rear window and a heater that blows like a furnace in no time.And comfy adjustable seats
And the temp gauge sits at half way summer,winter,standstill.
In fact I only lift the hood to check the levels

No airbags here, don't own a car with them, won't own a car with them. They were optional, BTW, in the 70's from GM.
Except for my street machine, everything I own has air conditioning.
Don't like power windows--I spent 4 monts looking for a truck that DIDN'T have a bunch of power crap.
I can spray the distributor of my Cadillac with a power-washer (in fact, I have), & it will still start instantly.
Don't need keyless entry.
My truck & my wife's Cherokee get 4 studded snow tieres every winter. Best thing in the world (short of chains) on ice.
I listen to more AM than FM.

Vacuum operated windshield wipers. UGH!

They slowed down or stopped just as you accelerated while turning a corner when you needed them most.

There has been one catch to the improvement of cars,

It is BillyFalcon's auto law. "Anything which can do something for you, can also not do it for you.
Power seats, power windows, remote control keys, computer chips, you name it.

Lost your ignition key with commands on it? - lock, unlock, panic, hatchback opener, closer, etc.
Be ready to shell out about a hundred bucks for a replacement.

Much of the problems with the older cars was the gas. The leaded gas was murder on engines . The acid deposition was criminal.
Its quite common now to have an engine and drive train last for hundreds of thousands.
BUT there is still a big problem IMO
BODY INTEGRITY, Most modern cars fall to pieces from the outside in . Clearcoats start peeling, metal parts are thin and dont take anything harder than a pat. Windshield are tensioned on casting so that a simple stone nick usually turns into a replacement windshield instead of a simple chip.Ive got 2, 1970 Cougars , ones been OTB restored and the others pretty much still untouched. a slight bit of rust is on the bumpers and the body is like a battleship. I have a 92 Jeep G Cherokee that is a heap of rust , but it runs like a champ.

I have a homemade buckboard that came with our farm. It sits out in the barn and collects pigeons. Maybe jarlaxle would wanna drive that. Its a 2 horsepower model (real horses)

The only thing I dont like about power windows in the Ford trucks is that the window buttons lie on a pad that faces upward. So my dogs can accidentally stand on the pad and choke themselves if I dont remember to disable the front and rear windows from the drivers master control. My main dog likes to stand on the seat and stick his head way out the window .

Since we've gotten a little bit into worship of Japanese cars, I'd like to relate a bit of my experiences.

1986 VW Jetta Diesel (287,000K) Traded in.

1989 Dodge Grand Caravan (248,000K)with no major engine or transmission work. Donated to charity.

Presently own:

1996 VW Passat Diesel (250,000K) and going strong.
Body integrity very good. (45mpg)

1995 VW Cabrio (95,000K) Like new.

2004 Chrysler Pacifica. New. Electrically adjustable foot pedals, pre-set adjustable seats, great looks, etc. etc.

1992 Ford F-350 4x4 diesel, 355,000 miles, at least 3 major accidents, Reading utility body, still own it

1979 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, 185,000 miles on the original badly-neglected 425 before a head gasket blew. Now runs a 550HP stroker, currently apart after a guardrail-punt last year.

1986 Jeep Cherokee Pioneer, 500,000 miles, second engine.

1986 Ford F-350 tow truck, original engine (6.9 diesel) and tranny (T-19 4-speed), fourth clutch, third set of doors, 526,000 miles. Original PS pump & A/C compressor (with R-134a conversion), altermator is high-power aftermarket, installed in 1987.

1992 Ford F-350 tow truck, original engine (460), third tranny (E4OD slushbox), all accessories OEM except water pump & alternator, 301,000 miles.

1974 GMC C-35 rollback, third engine (292 I-6), original tranny (3 on the tree), third clutch, no power brakes or steering, no A/C, 460,000 miles.

1987 Dodge Omni, 2.2/5-speed, went 290,000 miles before getting T-boned by a Stepvan. Only major repairs were one head gasket (overheated at 165K) & one clutch (wore out at ~185K). If it had A/C, my mother would never have sold it.

Jarlaxle
I've got a yardbrush thats all original,2nd shaft,4th head.

LOL farmerman...I can so relate to your power window problem. Our cocker spaniel used to stand on the armrest and on several occassions put the window up on himself. Thank goodness he had the good sense to bring his head in before something tragic happened.

I wish my Toyota had a sensor that would stop the window from going up if something was in the way.

That heavy iron from the '50s & '60s were much easier to work on. Damn good thing, too.

jarlaxle

Talk about one upmanship! I yield to your Your car and truck longevity figures. They are great! Vehicles of all types are infinitely better than yesteryear.

Take care of your vehicles, & they'll run a LONG time.

They don't make them like they used to?
They still do in England
I've had various Rovers,Sterlings and Jags.And none had all the windows working,even a TR7 with manual winders broke.
I don't remember the central locking working on all the doors.A couple had wipers that could not be relied on
It wasn't a case of looking after these cars.They were built with poor components in the first place

The Sterling had a Honda V6 and should have been a nice car but there was always small electrical problems.It was fast though

I might come back later and tell you about some French cars I've had.Lets just say the French should supply their cars in kit form. That way some might be assembled properly

But they're BRITISH--of course they're junk.

Sterling? Fast? Uhh, if you say so...