Classic Cars

[southkogs]

Re: Classic Cars

I agree that the old American designers are great, but I think the era of cars as art/fun is over :/ Jut too impractical...

Maybe and maybe not ...

Tesla is pretty impressive. If you've not actually sat or driven in one, you may not be able to appreciate how well thought out those cars are. AND - they GO!

Really the Dodge Magnum was a nicely styled car, and rather unique.

I think you're mostly right - practicality and "the safe route" is the design stand of the day. But, here and there we get a little fun tossed in.

 

[matt167]

Re: Classic Cars

Yep. Younger generations need to be involved.. That's why later tonight, my friends youngest ( 6 ) is going for a ride with me in my '51 Chevy.. We were going to go last week but I got it stuck in the driveway ( ice/snow ) and ran out of time before I had to have him back.. All I've heard for the past week from my friend is how her son wants to take a ride in the old hotrod

My dad tows his boat with his 1972 Chevy C/10, and it always gets cool looks from the ramp and the kids love it

 

[avenger79]

Re: Classic Cars

I would absolutely Positively LOVE to have a 70's muscle car. I am 30 years old I would consider myself a gearhead by far. The other problem for younger people is the cost of these cars, are absolutely sky rocketing you old farts are driving up the costs quicker than the stock markets.

I wish I could afford a muscle car, but the mortgage, utility bills, and life in general make an investment in an impractical toy pretty much off the table.

I bought my boat cheap, $900 can't get a muscle car for that price. Motorcycle was $1500 and save a TON of gas. Muscle car ain't happening for less than $8k and is very impractical for any need.

we bought my son's Torino for $800 and drove it 30 miles home. can you buy a '66 stingray cheap? of course not. get out of the box, find a 60's car or early 70's or ... that not everyone and their uncle already has done and made them very desireable.

 

[sphelps]

Re: Classic Cars

This says it all....I' afraid :/

Aston Martin Vantage - Top Gear - BBC - YouTube

That guy is gunna kill someone ! He's driving on the wrong side of the road !

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: Classic Cars

Honestly, no way would I want my grandsons driving in that old iron. It's nice to look at, it's nice to be nostalgic over but that's really where it ends.

Ha, Bubba!...don't worry, your Grandson has never been safer than he is right now in the history raising kids. If he was to get a 60's car he would be way safer driving it today than you and I were at the time...and by some odd miracle we survived.....remember don't fall into the modern paranoid parent/grandparent scenario...its mostly good marketing.
These vehicles are not the death traps that a lot of people make them out to be they still take 2 hands a foot and some brains...that has never changed- LOL.
A lot of people seem to forget that the world we live in and the people we are (or come from) completely used, depended on and survived these vehicles so it might have to do more with some excellent modern marketing than what didn't work.
A kid (or Grandkid) will probably have a higher chance of being run over in a cross walk while texting (God forbid) than being killed because of driving older technology....but that lesson has not yet been learned.
All Good
BP

 

[rbh]

Re: Classic Cars

Classic cars and boats ETC, its about the nostalgia of the unit or the artful lines/contours.

(mindya, who would win in a head on, a smart car or a 69 Chrysler New Yorker?)

 

[MikDee]

Re: Classic Cars

Yeah, nothing like drum brakes all around, leaf springs and a solid axel swinging in the wind, the turning radius of a battle cruiser, and half a seat belt and no air bag. Plain fact is, kids are the least safe drivers on the roads so I'm kind of all for putting my grandkids in the safest vehicle possible and that is not something from 20, 30, 40, or 50 years ago.

I don't know, we knew the limitations of our cars back then, not that we always drove them safely, but on the whole they were not rolling deathtraps! I know there were some vehicles that had factory defects from the beginning. My mom had an old Nash that had the body covering 1/2 the front wheels (like permanent skirts), and the wheels used to hit the fenders, one day I took a closer look, & found that the wheels could turn sharper then the fenders would allow, and wondered "What were they thinking at the time?" IMO, a torch cutting off part of the fenders, and the car would have a shorter turning circle! These old cars had character, with flowing sexy lines, like a few of my Favs a 1957 Olds 98 Starfire convertible, or a 58' Cadillac convertible without being as gaudy, as the later model versions. Actually most all of the 1957 cars were sexy, & sharp, without being gaudy. Nowadays we have either rolling "eggs", or "boxes" on the road, how can you get a thrill over them. Personally I can't even tell the different brands apart?

As far as safety goes, I have a car now that promptly shuts itself down if the road is wet, snowy, or icy, (like a girl straddling a puddle) thanks to ESC. Good for me, until I get hit by a truck, or bus, because of this.

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Classic Cars

Sure seems I lost too many friends while in high school to car accidents.

Oh yeah, wooden schooners had great lines too, don't think I'd care for the work of having one today.


(Keep in mind, I'm a guy that loves old iron, I'm just a bit more realistic about it.)

According to your own views about it.

 

[coolbri70]

Re: Classic Cars

I work on new cars, they are a money racket, they never mention how many accidents and death/injuries are caused by airbags and seat belts. we are told they save lives, so we don't mind when they pass laws requiring them in our vehicles, while they pad each others pockets, don't think for one second the guys who lobbied for them had no association with the manufacturers. I would rather be in my old iron in any crash with this new flimsy junk they build now, we will see who walks away. I regularly repair cars with a reprogram of a module charge hundreds or thousands to fix a car that needs no parts:stupid: oh and you will bring it to us, or it wont run, if you take it to joe smoe's up the road he just brings it to us, pays us and charges you, also for the tow bill, because he cant fix it as he cant have our software. you don't like that, well tough, you could just trade it for a new piece of junk, we have hundreds out on the lot. yep, I will keep driving my old iron, and working on this new junk, at least onstar can't turn mine off at their whim from outer space:tinfoil3:

 

[bigdirty]

Re: Classic Cars

.. the fact is, today's cars are far better in every way measurable other than, "I just like old cars" arguments.

I disagree, on two counts;

1; The 'old iron' was built much like everything else in the old days, TO LAST. ... well, longer than 3-4 years anyway. Its like how manufacturers used to build machine shop equipment; to be used. For a good LONG time. AAAnd....

2; Things were generally designed to be EASILY serviceable, for the most part. Which is sorta how this thread started right? The young generation not having the urge to work on, or much interest in the 'old clunkers'?

Another poster has stated the fact a lot of younger people view a car as a burden (not that I disagree there nowadays) but the cars of decades past were FAR easier to work on and do regular maintenance, by the owner in their driveway or home shop, and at a lot less cost than today's cars, which require a computer, a tech trained to use it, and all at $100+ an hour for shop rate (give or take) PLUS parts being ever increasing in complexity and cost to replace.

Oh, and sadly, I lost a few friends in high school as well, car crashes, snow machine crashes, dirt bike crashes... And the vehicles can not be blamed for them, regardless of the era they were built in.. plain and simple at the end of the day it was driver error, and lack of skill or experience..

Up my way there was a HUGE pile up on the highway yesterday very bad snow squall hit, 98 cars/trucks in total I believe, and while today's cars are remarkably more safer and have air bags/traction control/etc, but it didn't seam to help much, most of the vehicles are a total loss. Good news is no serious injury to anyone involved, but I wonder.. if this was 20-30 years ago, would so many of these drivers have been so comfortable driving in the bad weather and road conditions? Would they have been going so fast or following so closely? I will bet most were feeling quite secure with all the gadgetry and 'safety' systems in the vehicles they were driving.. and at 60mph all your safety and electronic control doesn't count for poop if you are following that big rig too close..

 

[generator12]

Re: Classic Cars

I started with a '50 Merc, nosed and decked. Absolutely loved it and have never had anything that lifted me like that one did.

But you see, it really was different then. Reading about the kids and their electronic gadgets, overeating, lack of exercise, and- of course- their drug-taking habits...well, yes, it is very different now.

But I don't hold the kids responsible. It's we - the parents and grandparents who let this happen - even sponsored it - in our desire to ensure that they "have a better life than we had".

I'll bet that no more than 5% of today's twenty-somethings ever:

1. Climbed a tree. "Oh no, you might fall and get hurt".
2. Played baseball in the snow. (And probably no more than 50% ever played baseball at all!)
3. Walked more than two blocks to school.
4. Lay on the ground in winter replacing a frozen U-joint on a jalopy.

We created this phenomenon, not the kids.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Classic Cars

Bubba, not sure I agree. Most of the old Iron I grew up on hit nearly 150-200K before the body rotted off of them. In a few cases, it was the second time.

Its all about maintenance. Dad just never washed the car. He would rather spend a summer doing body work than the normal wash and wax.

then again, todays cars just start having things like plastic fender liners and interior parts falling apart after 3 years or 50,000 miles. I keep on hand about $200 worth of body clips and 3M VHP tape just so when I am servicing a family members car, I can replace the christmas tree clips or push-in clips that have fallen off or tape that has failed In a few cases, I have resorted to drilling holes and using zip ties or screws.

Hondas, Hyundais, Chryslers, GM's, Fords, BMW's, Audis, VW's doesnt matter. all have body panels and valence panels all held together with plastic clips and double sided tape. My old 1948 and 1952 chevrolets had original fasteners in them when I started restoring them in 2008. Todays vehicles wont last more than 5 years without parts falling off.

I do agree that maintenance is the key. The VW dealer is telling me my oil change interval is 10,000 miles. they will change oil for free every 10,000 miles. I still will change at every 5000 interval in between. did it on my last VW and it had 240,000 miles on the original motor, clutch and trans when I sold it. I talked to the owner and it now has close to 280K on the clock and just had to put in a new clutch.

 

[bigdirty]

Re: Classic Cars

Sure there are exceptions, especially if handled with care but when you look at the average between then and now there is no comparison.

I dono.. I've seen ORIGINAL VW bug axels, with the original boots, and after 50 or so years they are still working.. most of today's vehicles need a cv axle replaced every few years in some cases, and generally its because the boot rips or fails, causing dirt to get in and destroy it... How come they could make something last and work so long back then? Simple; they still can, but they just dont. Toss it out, buy a new one.. :facepalm:

 

[matt167]

Re: Classic Cars

I fired my '51 Chevy up the other day in 5* weather without warming the 6V battery up first. Fired on the first try, and I had it running on the second. Let it warm up a little. opened the choke up and took it down the road.. That's a babbit pounder 235 ( Powerglide car ) with 62k miles, and I haven't touched the drivetrain except a points eliminator kit and a full tune up..

Sure, most cars were worn out by 100k miles, but the machining processes in the materials was not as tight.. Little things like roller cams and low tension rings are why we can see 300k miles out of many engines

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: Classic Cars

This 'worried about the kids safety' angle is a little humourous and a bit of a stretch....sort of the opposite of that well know phrase 'guns don't kill people....people kill people'.:facepalm:
Personally, I think the current generation of bubblewrapped kids (and grandkids) need to bone up a bit more on their hard skills before they fade completely into the 'light duty' pile....and a nice old classic vehicle is a very good place to start.
From what I've seen...the kids and young adults that take an interest in the car hobby (ricers, classic cars, trucks, bikes, etc)....seem to take a lot better care of their ride than the other kids who, of course, got it for free...in their favorite color...LOL.
Personally, if you really care about your kids (or your grandkids)...at least beyond the lip service, when they turn 16...pay up...and enroll them in a defensive and performance driving course.
My two bits.

BP

 

[bigdirty]

Re: Classic Cars

...
Look, I'm not saying that old iron isn't nostalgic, it is and I love it, but arguing it's as safe, economical, and reliable as todays cars is just silly.

As safe? probably not, I wouldn't argue that... although I still say driver competence and skill has a lot to do with it.. How many 'kids' have ever even driven a car with NO ABS or traction control nowadays? Id guess not many.. I learned to drive in an old base model VW jetta, and delt with lockup/skidding and other things that happen when you are inexperienced.. (stupid?) Learn to drive in something that, and you are a better driver and will APPRECIATE all the tech advantages of newer cars, but not RELY on them so much...

economical and reliable? That perhaps could be argued either way.. Simplicity can be said to go a long way for the reliability of anything.. less to go wrong ya know?

And I have an old two cyl. John Deere (popper) that runs pretty good. Does it compare in anyway to my new hydrostatic drive John Deere? Not even close.

Ah, yes, the new stuff can put the old to shame, for now... but will the new hydrostatic Deere be around, and still working in 20 years? Time will tell i suppose...:lol:

 

[bigdirty]

Re: Classic Cars

Using that logic everyone should start with a team of mules.... ROFL

Well that might be going a bit far..:facepalm:

And ya know, tractors are perhaps a bad example, although like I said, time WILL tell if the new ANYthing lasts 20 years, and is still as efficient at that point..

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Classic Cars

I'll make YOU a bet, spend a day driving one of those old barges with crappy tires, no power steering, no power brakes, bench seating made for Fred Flintstone, no AC, single speaker radio, horrid handling, etc. in traffic and you'll be chomping at the bit to drive a new car again.

Oh, I don't know. My GTO had power nothing and manual everything and a 4 spd. The am radio didn't even work..... I loved driving it.....

 

[bigdirty]

Re: Classic Cars

I guess I keep going back to the OP's comment that no one under 40 goes to look and the why's of it. Truth is, there just isn't much there to attract them is all I'm saying. I suppose it's like music, people get stuck in the decade they were teens or young adults.

I guess I have to agree there...

I'll make YOU a bet, spend a day driving one of those old barges with crappy tires, no power steering, no power brakes, bench seating made for Fred Flintstone, no AC, single speaker radio, horrid handling, etc. in traffic and you'll be chomping at the bit to drive a new car again.

Heh.. well i drive almost that for a daily driver.. 1997 VW Jetta turbo diesel. :laugh: The power steering works fine, yes, but the front SOLID disks and rear drums are not much to be honest, the AC hasn't worked since I got the car, factory 4 speakers are hanging in... oh, and no ABS or tracton con/ect and personally, I like it that way

Every time I drive the new toyota work truck (2013 tundra) i go wow.. lots of power AND economy, all the toys..power windows that freeze shut, back up beeper dinging at you when you are 6 feet away from something but the drive by wire throttle and traction controls are what really **** me off.. its like driving a video game.. I miss the power, and starting no problem in cold temps when I get back in my little VW, but that's about it..

 

[sam60]

Re: Classic Cars

Oh, I don't know. My GTO had power nothing and manual everything and a 4 spd. The am radio didn't even work..... I loved driving it.....

I agree with WIM. I have a '64 Chevy that is 2,500# and it doesn't need PS or PB. No A/C or heat and a kick in the rump to drive. I wouldn't let my kids or grandkids drive it as I was raised driving $100 cars and they weren't.