Things You Learn as an Old Car Driver

[AtomicEraTom]

Well, it was a Colony Park. A tree fell on it, still only took a 300 dollar loss on it when I sold it lol

The guy offered me a second one for next to nothing, when I bought the 90, it was an 86, with a bad fuel pump. I wanted to take it, but I lived at home and Dad said NO.

Dude! You NEVER see Marquis wagons. Why did you let it go?? :doh:

 

[Rick Morgan]

I drive a 1966 Studebaker every day. My big gripe is something I call "unsafe courtesy". A good example is that I need to cross a 4 lane non divided highway to go from my workshop to home. Often I get drivers who will STOP in the driving lane on the highway...wanting to let le cross. That's OK...but no one tells the folks zooming up behind him or in the other lane. He sits there....waiting for me and my 49 year old car to try cross. Usually when this happens all I can do is back up and turn around and cross somewhere else.

 

[William G.]

You also learn the many advantages of wing windows.

Yes! They are awesome and should be brought back into production immediately!

 

[William G.]

GHT, that is why I like Rain-x.

Mike

I won't drive ANY vehicle, new or old, without Rain-X.

 

[JimWagner]

I drive a 1966 Studebaker every day. My big gripe is something I call "unsafe courtesy". A good example is that I need to cross a 4 lane non divided highway to go from my workshop to home. Often I get drivers who will STOP in the driving lane on the highway...wanting to let le cross. That's OK...but no one tells the folks zooming up behind him or in the other lane. He sits there....waiting for me and my 49 year old car to try cross. Usually when this happens all I can do is back up and turn around and cross somewhere else.

Yes, I get rather upset at that myself. Not following the rules of the road is NOT courtesty. It is stupid. And those people don't seem to realize that if you proceed under those conditions and a wreck happens, YOU will get the ticket and the points for not following the rules.

 

[William G.]

Driving dad's old cars ('56 Chevy and '57 Chevy), I've learned to plan my stops way ahead of time. I've learned that in emergency situations, drum brakes and bias-ply tires result in some exciting driving gymnastics. I've learned that you have to assume every car stopped at every side street will wait until you're 3 car-lengths or less away and pull out in front of you (because about 3/4 of them around here will). I've learned that at every cruise-in you go to, someone will make fun of whitewall tires and/or suggest upgrades for the wheels and tires.

About 3 and a half years ago, I had to park my (MY2000) car because of back problems. I started driving an '87 Sonoma (GMC version of an S10) with zero options. Seriously, not even a radio or carpet. That old truck drives as close to an old car as anything I can imagine. No power steering, barely adequate disc brakes, and even though it's a 4 cylinder, with 4 on the floor it feels like driving a '60s era car. Windshield wipers barely work, headlights are kind of dim, the drum brakes in back are prone to stay locked after a hard stop. I learned to drive with common sense in that thing. I also learned that people with bigger vehicles will "push" you around on the road if you don't drive defensively. I learned how nice it is to drop goceries in the back of a truck when the truck bed is about the same height as the shopping cart. I also learned you don't need electronics monitoring every aspect of the vechile's operation in order to be safe in the rain or on icy roads. And, most importantly, I learned I can drive and be happy with a vehicle that doesn't have any creature comforts.

 

[Trenchfriend]

My first rule:

You just have to buy a (basic)-car without any useless gadgets!
That's one reason, Germans buy these Dacias, next to the price. And it's known, that their powertrains are absolutely more reliable than the ...... Renault-ones!

BUT, I would never substitute my Kia Rio II with a Dacia Sandero on other reasons. These Dacias are mainly "urban" cars.

 

[2jakes]

.....I learned I can drive and be happy with a vehicle that doesn't have any creature comforts.

Same here when I drive my ’46 pickup. I open up the front vents to keep me cool.
And with the original all-steel grill & huge bumpers, I kinda feel sorry for the new vehicles
with faked chrome & thin metal should they run into me. But so far, I have been fortunate not
to have an accident on the road.

 

[JimWagner]

You need more than vents in a NC summer. I can remember coming back from the beach to central NC one Labor Day weekend in the 1980's in an un-airconditioned vehicle with the temperatures hitting 98 and the humidity at 100%, and the whole family just about having heat strokes when we got caught in stop and go traffic. That was the last un-airconditioned vehicle I ever owned. There may be areas of the country where airconditioning can be considered a luxury, but this ain't one of them.

 

[2jakes]

^^^
It’s not for everyone. I just happen to put myself in a mode where I don’t mind
the heat/humidity. The breeze on my sweat keeps me cool when I go the back roads. Among the first
to have air-conditioned hotels in the country was in the Alamo city. And for a very good reason.
But I prefer heat over cold weather.

 

[Trenchfriend]

You need more than vents in a NC summer. I can remember coming back from the beach to central NC one Labor Day weekend in the 1980's in an un-airconditioned vehicle with the temperatures hitting 98 and the humidity at 100%, and the whole family just about having heat strokes when we got caught in stop and go traffic. That was the last un-airconditioned vehicle I ever owned. There may be areas of the country where airconditioning can be considered a luxury, but this ain't one of them.

Ok, air-condition isn't really a special modern technology-gadget, no question.

 

[2jakes]

Ok, air-condition isn't really a special modern technology-gadget, no question.

My understanding is that while I can cope with the situation, this is not something that a family with children
could tolerate & would be very uncomfortable for everyone. I recall Babydoll & how uncomfortable it was
with the heat. Does take the fun out of driving on a trip.

I remember at work I had to drive an old van that sputtered & was very jolting & bouncing ride .
But it had an A/C.
Within minutes, the cool air made that jalopy very tolerable.

 

[JimWagner]

Yep. When I replaced that un-airconditioned vehicle soon after the beach trip incident I bought a new 1990 GMC Suburban with two airconditioners. Wife and family were much happier. That was while the Suburban was still a truck and not the yuppiefied luxury assault vehicle it has become since then. Those things cost significantly more than my house did, so I never bought another one.

 

[GHT]

That was while the Suburban was still a truck and not the yuppiefied luxury assault vehicle it has become since then.

One of London's most yuppiefied districts is that of Chelsea. The Suburban is not available in the UK but despite our smaller roads that were originally designed for the horse and carriage, cars like the Range Rover, BMW X5, Porshe Cayenne and many more, are extremely popular around Chelsea and other moneyfied areas. To which, Londoners coined the term: "Chelsea Tractors," to define them.

Although, tank-like cars on our roads are nothing new. Cadillac were selling their cars over here before WW2., as this 1939 model demonstrates. Note the right hand drive.

 

[Trenchfriend]

And Hummer H3 or so.

 

[Stanley Doble]

W O Bentley of Bentley car fame was a big fan of the Cadillac, believe it or not. At one time American cars were well thought of in Europe.

Maurice Hendry in his book on Cadillac, told a story that took place in the 30s. It was about a man who left his hotel in Switzerland at dawn to drive to Paris, a trip he had taken many times. In his Bugatti sports car he arrived at his hotel that afternoon, hot, sweaty, dirty, tired but pleased as Punch because he had trimmed almost 5 minutes off his best time.

As he was checking in he noticed a Cadillac pull up outside and two American women step out, as fresh as a daisy. He recognized the women and their car as they had been guests at the same hotel in Switzerland.

Later he asked the chauffeur when they left that morning and found out they started half an hour after he did.

 

[Natekirk]

HAhahahahaha!
Everything in the original post is true! When I was a dumb teenager my first car was a 1969 Ford Falcon. I drove that car for 3 years before I had the sense to get a grown up car. I still have it, but I quickly learned to love the conveniences of modern cars, such as fuel injection. And heat. And power brakes. And door locks that didn't freeze completely solid in January forcing you to tie the door shut because you're already late for school.

 

[GHT]

The title of this thread is so apt. Just watch this lady trying to park along side the fuel pump in order to fill up. Five attempts before she gets it correct.

 

[BlueTrain]

Supposedly Buicks, typically not a small car, are popular in China and were before the war. In fact, supposedly they sell more Buicks in China than they do in the U.S., although they aren't the same models. I've also read somewhere that some car models, like Mercedes, carry a hint of corruption if driven by a government official but not Audis, although it may be the other way round.

One thing I learned about having an old car sometime, or a car with an old battery, was to park it on a hill, if possible, in the event there was trouble getting it started. Of course that wouldn't work with an automatic, I think, and it wouldn't be a good idea on a snowy day. But my fortunes have increased since those days.

 

[scottyrocks]

Scott;
True in a way, the whole rim comes off, if there was another spare rim , you could go replace it
here is an explanation,
the rim dismounts from the spokes.This one looks like a demountable clincher
http://www.evmtfc.com/APhotoGuidetoChangingaModelTTire.pdf
Still this method is used modern days to allow different rims.
http://www.then16files.com/2014/11/automotive-porn-force-racing-wheels.html

Perhaps this belongs in the Trivial Things That Bother You thread, but I don't like when guys (mostly) refer to their wheels as 'rims.' Rims are part of a wheel, not the whole thing.