The best decade for driving.

what decade did road warrior take place in?

I'd agree that the current decade is the best for driving, for the reasons mentioned above. However to play along with the question as it was intended, I'd say the '80s, too.

Carson already listed why, so I'll just add some obligatory '80s car photos .

(On the phone to the AAA because your Lotus just broke down.)

friedgreencorrado wrote: . But I have to admit..the 25% passing me weren't Porsches, Ferraris and Astons..it was non-enthusiasts in SUVs, Minivans and Kias.

I find it funny you mention that. I usually do 5 over the limit.. and on the highway I can still pass quite a few cars.. but rarely do I pass an SUV or a minivan. Usually they are the ones roaring by me like I am standing still.

No matter how good the car, the electronics, or the driver are, it's a bitch when physics decides to bite

I love driving big minivans. You blend in with all of the other soccer moms. It's great. I just don't want to own a big minivan myself. An older Odessey or a Mazda5 would be my pic, but they're not as invisible.

The 80's just had so many cool cars. That was the decade the minivan was introduced, as well.

unless you count the VW bus as the first Minivan.. though I think the french got their first too

Luke wrote:

I like.

okay, so here's the thing about the 80's: yes, there were some great cars that came out early to mid 80's, but most of us who started driving then, couldn't afford them. We ended up driving cars from the mid 70's if we could afford a "newer" car of which most were strangled by emission standards, or an older rust bucket from the 60's/early 70's.

my first "all mine" car was a 70 Torino rust bucket, second was 72 Maverick with a factory HP 302. my friends had Nova's, Rustangs(II's), Satellites, darts, chevelles, ect... awesome cars, but very very few were "nice", they were beaters to us.

My Maverick was a 13 second car after I worked on it for a year, it also had rusty quarters, and a hole in the floor pan you could climb through(which came in handy to dump beer cans out of when I got pulled over.) decent rust protection didnt come along until later, which is why so few of these cars are around today.

We also had the 55mph speed limit, which was mostly ignored anyway, except for highly patrolled areas.

Where i Grew up in Long Island, we had a very active street racing scene, I made more money on a good Saturday night on route 231 (anyone remember the Channel Hardware store Parking lot car shows?) than i would for the entire week with my after school jobs, I also lost a few friends to very serious crashes while they were racing , which prompted me to stop. the ironic thing was that the friends i lost generally had the best set up cars, roll bars, wore helmets, etc. I think it was over confidence in their safety equipment that did them in. when your racing in a beater, your more careful because you cant afford to replace an engine, or crash the car, since its your only ride...

You could get away with more back then, no doubt, street racing was generally a ticket, not car confiscation and a night in jail and huge fine unless something really bad happened. But when you did tick off the police, you got far, far worse than what they can give you today (for the most part.) I had friends who "disappeared" for extended lengths of time after being arrested in the south, some that were seriously damaged for "resisting arrest" , and other such atrocities that are very difficult to get away with today. I still have daily pain from a beating took back then, simply for using a pay phone when an officer was waiting for a call on it.. oh yeah, things like that happened when they didnt like your car...

If i could go back and do it over , id do it the same way , except i wouldn't race that Buick with the 2" body lift to hide the supercharger, and Id try and convince a few people that safety equipment doesn't guarantee safety, and id skip making that phone call...

I enjoyed it back then, no doubt, but now the cars are so much safer, the selection is far greater, and there are so many more accessible tracks, car club events, and drag strips where you can go fast legally for cheap.

Id say the best decade for driving is right now...

I'd vote 60's. Woodward Ave anyone? Gas was cheap, cars were fun, and drive-ins were plentiful. Wish I'd been there to see it. The 80's aren't a bad choice, later the better. Early had expensive gas, ( for the time) and nasty carbs / emmisions. Later FI made a world of difference. 55MPH was a major issue though.

i vote turn-of-the-last-century, just for the adventure of rocking a horseless carriage!

In reply to AngryCorvair: That is a good point. The 20's were a time of some crazy racing too. Oh, and don't forget the bootleggin' years!

benzbaron wrote: I don't know but my grandfather sold welding supplies so he had to drive to cement plants, breweries, slaughter houses, etc and put 25,000miles a year on his car back in the 60's and 70's. I don't think you could do that now.

I drive around and sell hoses for a living and have put up to 40,000 miles on my car in one year. I think I am missing your point.

Brakes on a less than 2K lb. car with a top speed of 85 where not as much of a problem as they were on behemoths like the Chryslers and Cadillacs of the day. Seat belts were installed by all enthusiasts. It was fun. Would I go back ? No way. Cars today are so much better. They are faster,handle better, stop better and get better gas mileage doing it.

The only thing that the 55mph limit did was allow VW's to keep up with traffic.

I vote now is the best. If I want to drive the older cars of my youth I can and enjoy the newer ones as well. I miss the racing from the 60's and 70's but not much else.

I got my license in 1962, so I have seen a lot. Street racing was BIG, and the cops didn't like it at all. Graduation night, 1963, I got "enticed" into a race in my '56 Ford by a big jerk that I deeply disliked. Just after chirping into second gear in the trusty Fordomatic, the lights went on behind us. Cost me every penny of my graduation gift money, 250.00. That was a buttload back then. All things considered, todays cars are so much better to drive, but you need a degree to work on them. FI is great for mileage and drivability, but carbs were so simple. I saw a picture of a late model Q45 in Craig's List today. You could not see the engine at all. I do miss the simplicity of the Olden Days.

The mid to late '70s were much better than the 80's The 55mph speed limit thank gawd civil disobedience works. But now is better still!!! You can buy a car that stops and turns, as well as accelerate And the aftermarket now is awsome Sex was safer in the '70s though