What do you miss?

Integraguy's post got me thinking about what is not on new cars anymore that they used to have that you liked.

Me?

I miss two-tone paint jobs. Yeah you can get one on a Mini, but that's it. Cars from the 50's and early 60's were capable of being two-tone. Then it went to just the roof of the car being an off color to the body. Then trucks took over the two-tone department and it was pretty common to see a new two-tone truck all the way up into the mid-90's. Then it became only the bottom part of the truck came in a tan or silver as an option by the dealer. I've seen some brand new Dodge Rams with the bottom part of the truck painted tan or silver.

Cars nowadays are not built for a two-tone paint job.

No more natural break lines in the shape. Someone near me has a Chrysler 300C with an old school Bugatti-esque two tone paint job. I will admit it looks "thoughtful", but at the same time something is wrong.

I miss the front quarter windows that would open as vents, some days I wish my Miata had them.

Drip rails. Remember when you could open your door and not have a sheet of water pour onto your seat? Those were the days. Belt lines low enough that you could rest your arm out the window and the wonderful outward visibility that came as a bonus.

Oh yeah and the simplicity of round headlights. Those amorphous blobs studded with light brites on the front of cars now just don't sit right with me.

I was actually about to post wing windows, dammit!

Another thing is hand crank windows. Window motors are expensive, and a pain in the ass. You can get them on a few select cars anymore, but mostly only fleet vehicles. Even VW's new uber-cheap Jetta has power windows, probably cheaper than retooling.

Also, soon we may be saying goodbye to manual transmissions.

ditchdigger wrote: Belt lines low enough that you could rest your arm out the window and the wonderful outward visibility that came as a bonus.

This too, one of the reasons I bought my WRX rather than the Mazda3 I drove before it was because I could comfortably hang my elbow out the window instead of being encased in a cocoon.

BoostedBrandon wrote: Another thing is hand crank windows. Window motors are expensive, and a pain in the ass.

I can see how you think that way, considering you mentioned VW's in the same paragraph. Window motors are god's gift to man, they are lightweight nowadays, and the chances of them not working (not including VAG products ) is unlikely to insignificant at best.

In fact, I can't think of the last vehicle that had power windows that didn't work... lots of them with over 300,000kms of use. The only one; a VW!

Simplicity. If you broke down on the road it had to be fuel, air, or spark.

my youth - the 1970's

I also miss two-tone paint jobs. Every now and then I'll see a nearly new (as in 2 or 3 years old) car with a vinyl roof and 75% of the time the new car buyer picks the same color for the top as the rest of the car. Why get a vinyl roof if you can't see it unless you are standing next to the car that has it? And why get a vinyl roof for a Toyota Corolla? Yeah, someone in my area has an off-white Corolla with a matching vinyl roof.

What do I miss?

I miss being able to get a car with an interior that comes in more than 1 or 2 colors. Nowadays, on most cars and trucks, it's grey....or grey or beige. What happened to red? to blue? to green? to "cream"? Why should I have to buy either a "high-end" model, or something like a Camaro or Mustang with it's retro styling to get a "retro styled" interior?

Most of what I miss has been said. Two-tone paint, multiple interior options, and the opening vent windows are always on my list of options that I wish still existed.

You also don't see frameless door windows as much as you used to, though I'm sure they're out there.

Kick panel vents. A-pillars that aren't as thick as a tree trunk. Radios with two knobs, one for the volume and one to change channels

Compact pickups. I love my Canyon, but it's at least 25% bigger than I need. Todays technology in a 80's S10 size would net some pretty good MPG numbers.

stuart in mn wrote: Radios with two knobs, one for the volume and one to change channels

Strangely my Honda Element comes standard with that. It's very nice.

I can think of quite a few. Manual or 4 speed or less automatics (I drove a rental 2010 F150 and it was almost undriveable around town without riding the brakes constantly). Cars without airbags, abs, traction control, drive by wire throttle and all the other annoying electronics. Taillights that are actually bright (what is the deal with the ricer looking clear taillights that you cant even see from an angle?). Standard round or rectangle headlights, that dont blind drivers coming the other direction on a 2 lane road (BMW HIDs come to mind). The high beltline is another good one, along with the huge pillars, uncomfortable seats, and (I dont know if all cars are like this now, but new vws are), a huge steering column that makes it so your knees only fit in one spot and you cant move them. Honestly I am pretty unimpressed with any car built after 1990.

My 89 Civic has a lever that opens the vent on the driver's side to the outside. Not like the Recirc, where it goes through all of the ducting BS, but a straight shot where it would actually generate a decent breeze. This was awesome in the winter given that my wife likes it hot and I like it cold. Turn on the heat for her, open that vent for me. BAM - Dual zone climate control that works better than anything I've seen since.

I have that vent function on my 92 Nissan Sentra. I've missed it.

Being able to see out from inside.

Split bench seat with fold down arm rests, in a car.

Rear quarter windows in a coupe that roll down. But that also requires no window frame. Straight glass-rubber-glass contact.

My '68 has kick panel vents, quarter vents, and rear roll down quarter windows. You want to talk about air conditioning

I miss the pop out rear side windows on coupes.. I think BMW was one of the last car makers use them on the E36 (and they were power too!)

Now a days only Minivans have them

I miss that direct vent too, my Voyager had that. And the power rear pop out windows, I want those too.

Wing windows. Floor vents. Sedan curb weights below 2500 lbs. $1.50/gal gas. Turn signal levers that were only turn signal levers.

I miss cars that didn't have sunroofs and you can only get one equipped with one, a Civic hatchback that weighed 2,000 lbs and also a Civic Si that is a hatchback.

Manual steering racks. I hate power steering.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: Manual steering racks. I hate power steering.

+10000