I miss you _______ on my new car.

[Ws6]

What do you miss on new cars that you liked on old cars??? My biggest miss is the horn ring. You didn't have to fumble around looking for some little button in a panic situation, you had a bit old horn ring.

Full length frames that let pummel your foes.

 

[zzyzzx]

I miss the following:
Transmission dipsticks.
Normal sized (13"-15") rims.
Manual crank windows.
2-3 door cars. Why does every car have to be a 4 door?
Regular mechanical parking brakes.
Regular metal keys with regular ignition switches.
Manual climate controls / knobs for everything.
Enough extra space in the engine bay.
Spare tires.
Regular unpressurized coolant overflow tanks.
Metal parts.
Hatchbacks that are actual hatchbacks like my 1995 Escort. What's referred to as a "hatchback" today is really a small station wagon.
Regular serpentine belt with an automatic tensioner. A stretch belt is a deal breaker.
Oil filters in the metal casing.
Replaceable transmission filters (as opposed to the type that requires you to completely disassemble the transmission).
Reliable transmissions.
Regular light bulbs for headlights (not the $1000 - $2000 LED types used today).
Parts that didn't require a matching VIN to work.

 

[zzyzzx]

 

[Rufus711]

I would like to go back to the days before TPMS. It should die a quick death.

 

[skyactiv]

I'm going to throw a curveball from a past life I lived and say manual spark advance on a new Ford model T I bought in 1910.

 

[Drosselmier]

Round tuner knobs for radio and heater controls.

 

[dareo]

I miss the good ol days when you could buy a new car and have the sides covered in nothing but automotive paint. Today you have some level of ugly plastic on nearly everything.

 

[SeaJay]

Bench seats for taking some sweet young gal out on a date.

 

[MCompact]

Steering that communicates what is going on at the tire contact patches- as in my departed ‘02 and my Club Sport. Steering effort is not synonymous with steering feel.

 

[earlyre]

...Regular serpentine belt with an automatic tensioner. A stretch belt is a deal breaker.

My car doesn't have a belt drive system. water pump, A/C, etc are Electric. one of the electric motors doubles as the alternator/generator.

i miss wing windows, Column shifts, and bench seats.

 

[manicrodder]

Automatic isn't better how?

Because you get to decide. Besides easy to warn/flash oncoming drivers that don't dim and it gives you a workout for your left foot when driving auto trans!

 

[yagciogullari]

way less buffeting and quarter windows

oh also, thinner A pillars ("but muh safety!" )

 

[Oillover]

windows I can see out of, thank you very much

Why?
When you have a multitude of electronics to do the job for you (cameras, distance sensors etc.).

 

[stuckinparts]

Throttle cable. Decent headlights.

 

[Zee09]

HID headlights

 

[miden851]

no car payment on the oldies but goldies

 

[4WD]

Fuel filter attached to the frame.

 

[gfh77665]

The triangle windows in front of the drivers and passenger front windows. Crack them open and pull open the floor vent (next to your left foot built into the kick panel) and you have a wonderful fresh air A/C.

 

[Skeet6]

Left-foot hi-beam button on the left floor.

Mike B

 

[Craig in Canada]

Sport mode on the zf 8 speed is pretty decent. (I'd say outstanding compared to other modern options)

My ZF8 is the first automatic I could stand, and the first I've actually owned. The 6HP is good too, but the 8HP is worlds ahead.

The ZF 8HP has all kinds of different characters depending on how it is programmed and mapped to go with the vehicle in question. In the BMW lineup alone the same transmission (in different torque ratings) is equipped to the M235i and the F01 7 series but with vastly different programming. I have aftermarket mapping software on mine (xHP flashtool) which has made me miss driving stick much less. It's almost on par with DCT and gives me M235i-like modes (when I want them) on my 535iX and tons of configuration ability. Even left in D and S, it's very often doing exactly what I'd like it to (now).

Claiming that ATs were better decades ago is....misinformed and a gross generalization. The hardware is better than it ever has been. The challenge is that driving enjoyment is at odds with emissions regulations.

EDIT: my answer to the OP would be "manual transmission" (and throttle cable)