Cornering lights, nice to see what might be out there to clunk into.
What features have gone away (that you would like to keep)
- Thread starter John105
- Start date
I want vent windows and ash trays. I have never smoked but when a passenger does the ashes end up in the back seat when they roll down the window. Also the ash tray works to hold little things you find on the floor tat must belong somewhere. I agree on the metal key. My wifes Mazda has a key with a battery in it. It died and I almost didn't get home.
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2022
- Messages
- 5,936
Oh man as a kid I loved those. Again my parents never had a car with them as they were premium models.
Believe it or not, my 2007 BMW has them. The inside round lights are cornering lamps. When set to auto, they illuminate based on the steering wheel position. I am not sure but would not surprise me if new bmws do not have them, and they often need both front lamps on both sides just for low beam driving. Abandoned their tradition as many car cos have imho
You let people smoke in your car? That's very generous of you.
My mom was a smoker, and when she came to CA for her first visit, she smoked everywhere and frequently. After she left my wife complained about the smell and the need to clean so many items.
When she came for a second visit, I removed the ashtray and cigarette lighter from the car (they were one unit) and told my mom that it was broken and that we were waiting for a replacement. I also had her smoke either in the garage or out on the porch. Surprisingly, she was fine with that.
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2025
Non chip keys. Or at least turn keys in all vehicles even with a chip still better than push button in my opinion. That’s why I’m trying to find an old cop car from my local area or Virginia State Police because they don’t have cars with chip keys a requirement they have is all the vehicles have to have real keys and a key hole in the trunk or hatch and doors. I know the person that orders all the fleet vehicles and that’s what she told me. You always see the cop cars going around and they have the obvious key hole in the trunk lol. The logic they have is they can’t afford to have a smart key go bad while on the road. They can have key fobs to unlock the doors but they have to be separate from the key. And I wish CD players would come back. I know some cars still have them but not all of them like they used too. Some of us don’t like digital music and have no idea how to do anything with a Bluetooth in a car and don’t have music downloaded on their phones but have tons of CD’s. Fortunately all of my cars except four have a CD player and the others are so old all they have is a cassette player lol.
Real steel bumpers that would hook together in a collision. Then you got exercise trying to unhook them plus the stares and laughs of everyone going by
Add in the obligatory bumper jack. When you jack up the car you didn’t know if the bumper would come off or the jack would slip.
The good old days.
Add in the obligatory bumper jack. When you jack up the car you didn’t know if the bumper would come off or the jack would slip.
The good old days.
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2022
- Messages
- 5,936
Reminds me of being with my dad and changing the H78-14 tires of his Buick, hoping the car wouldn’t slip off and then have to start over again
Again Blame Tesla and the schizophrenic Musketeer for starting/pushing the "giant screen/ lets remove all of the knobs" trend. I still can't believe that you have to use the screen and scroll through a menu to open the glovebox. What sadistic bonehead thought that was a good idea? Oh right nevermind.
Bodyside moldings of some kind used to be standard to protect from door dings. A useful feature that I don’t see on most cars anymore.
Agree with the dislike for screens controlling everything. I prefer switches to menus.
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2022
- Messages
- 5,936
Most screens aren’t integrated, they’re a large flat panel jutting up and out. Just shows how it’s too expensive to be like an Escalade or Grand Wagoneer. So once again people accept it as better. Aesthetics seems to be gone. Like mechanical sympathy which likely we were all taught.
Fortunately, the many years of consumer backlash have finally (finally!) taken their toll. I've heard that car companies are going to revert back to buttons (for some things...). Touchscreens are just a stupid marketing decision fueled by the fact that it was actually cheaper to use touchscreens and so company profits were raised (bonus right?). But really, most people with a brain (and fingers) could tell you the user experience is worse with a touch screen.
What I miss about older cars (80's and before) is the feeling of spaciousness around the cockpit. Around your knees.
Nowadays, cars have wrap around consoles and smooth curvy dashes that while they look attractive, they really encroach into the cockpit space.
I had an ancient econobox. Very minimalistic. It's cockpit area felt much bigger than that of my current minivan.
I remember being able to easily slip from the driver's seat to the passenger's seat. In the minivan, I have to clamber.
Nowadays, cars have wrap around consoles and smooth curvy dashes that while they look attractive, they really encroach into the cockpit space.
I had an ancient econobox. Very minimalistic. It's cockpit area felt much bigger than that of my current minivan.
I remember being able to easily slip from the driver's seat to the passenger's seat. In the minivan, I have to clamber.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
The DT RAM trucks have these (they use the fog lights).
My Volvo with the 4+1 manual transmission had cruise and it worked. But as I noted earlier either it or the Solara had a fault in that the engine would rev like crazy if you declutched it (or maybe it was putting the transmission in neutral) without turning off the cruise as you were slowing down. I wouldn't ordinarily put a car in neutral when I'm slowing down so that doesn't sound right either. I don't remember exactly. I mostly remember the slowing down and engine revving part. Maybe that particular cruise control wasn't working properly.
I think it might be intentional, less distance that your legs can travel in the event of a crash—so less bone breaking force. But otherwise I agree.
My 2011 Camry would rev the engine if I clutched it while using cruise. Poorly designed I guess, but who drives stick I guess? little incentive for Toyota to get it right here.
Give me a Pioneer Premier single din cd player I don't need or want a giant tablet in the dash
I want a car that I can drive to the drive in movies, listen to the radio, and when the show's over I want it to start and run on parking lights only, under cover of darkness.
So no stupid timers to turn the radio off.
No pushing the brake pedal (and turning brake lights on) as part of starting procedure.
Ability to override the auto headlights.
Ability to run the radio without having a glary screen ever-present.
Ability to open the doors without lights coming on, if need be.
So no stupid timers to turn the radio off.
No pushing the brake pedal (and turning brake lights on) as part of starting procedure.
Ability to override the auto headlights.
Ability to run the radio without having a glary screen ever-present.
Ability to open the doors without lights coming on, if need be.
Similar threads
