Old Car Features That Went By the Wayside

[Dibbons]

Twenty-five of 'em here:

 

[vance.dykes]

Twenty-five of 'em here:

ok so how dose this work ? only see one

 

[Dennis H]

At the Hellcat site they are fighting over the clothes hook.

 

[Bad B-rad]

My father told me that when they first changed the high/low beam switch from the floor to the steering column, they had a huge surge in car accidents!!!!
Women kept getting their foot caught in the steering wheel, while trying to activate the switch.


(Dad jokes, used to roll my eyes, now that he is gone(2005), I want to hear them again, LOL!!)

 

[brad 66]

i miss vent windows

 

[Dibbons]

Our '92 Cherokee has "wing windows" but they are fixed, don't open.

 

[Bad B-rad]

How about what my friends and I call the "ball vents".
The under dash vents on our Mopars.
If you are wearing shorts on on a bench seat B-body, and open the vents, the air will flow in one leg of your shorts, across the boys and out the other leg of your shorts.
Those things worked very well, wonder why they quit using them.

Of course if car sat for a bit, the first time you opened them, you got all kinds of crap blowing around the car, bits of tree leafs, dirt/dust, and somehow it always ended up in my mouth, and eyes.

The vent windows and the "ball vents" were like having A/C, as long as you were moving.
I loved the vent windows!!

 

[#41]

Style.

 

[Photon440]

 

[Fran Blacker]

Last few cars I've owned the wiper design is the dumbest. The passengers side wiper pushes water to the drivers side.

 

[YY1]

A relatively recent one is-

A DTE readout that actually shows the distance to empty and not "get fuel now" when you have 2 gallons (30-60 miles) left in the tank.

I think they changed that in the mid '00's due to stupidity of drivers.

 

[Bad B-rad]

Wife and I had a laugh at the "Doggie Bag"
Can you imagen using "C" clamps on any exterior part on todays cars?
It would not hold anything, just break, LOL!!
Besides the fact if you love your dog, why would you want scare the $#!T out of him, and put him in a bag on outside of your car, you may as well just strap him to the roof like a deer.

That "doggie bag" reminds me of Clark Grizwald in National Lampoons family vacation.

 

[Dennis H]

Hellcat “depress brake and push button to start. Cannot move the car in neutral with the engine off. Nanny out of control.

 

[Bad B-rad]

On my 2016, of you remove the little plastic change holder by the shifter, then un clip the small door. you can get trans into "N" via that small door.

I got thinking, the trunk pops by the small button, no key to unlock trunk, only driver side door has a spot to put a key.
SO battery in trunk, if battery dead, how do you get into trunk?
I know you COULD pop hood and hook up battery jump pack to the jump start ports, or climb thru the back seat, but wouldn't a key unlock feature on the truck be the best way??

 

[YY1]

yep-

Just replaced the battery in my 15 Renegade.

Battery out put tools back in the hatch....

DOH!

Cant open hatch to get tools for putting battery back in.

Climb through rear seat.


...although the Neg battery cable had a spring operated clamp instead of a bolt which was a nice touch.

 

[DeltaV]

Zerk fittings
Spare tire
Jack
Cigarette lighter
Running boards

 

[Nate S]

20 seconds from “radio on” to actual sound as the tubes warm up.

shift knobs with no printed pattern on them

three on the tree

starter button on floor

in pickups the little scoop vent in front of the windshield

the “throttle” knob

 

[Mark Barnes]

Those things worked very well, wonder why they quit using them.

Because it smelled like old man balls in those cars? Just guessing.

 

[hammond472]

Quality was replaced with planned obsolescence. I like things that were over designed. You could easily replace parts and they would run forever.

 

[Slap Stick]

Necker knobs.