New or newer cars vs classic or older cars???

[tarafied1]

So I drove my 67 to the DMV today to renew my plates. There was a guy there with a 66 Fairlane and we talked while waiting in line. He said he just sold a 67 Galaxy with a 390. His wife has a late model car but he prefered the older cars. He said he wouldn't sell the Galaxy to a kid who had been interested because the brakes were drum and steering was not R&P and he was afraid the kids today wouldn't be able to handle the power with the handling and brakes of an old car.
This got me thinking, my boss recently rented a car (I think a Benz) that had an idiot light that warned him he was tired. It senses corrections to the steering or something.
Anyway, when I drive my 67 with no PB or PS it takes more attention to drive. It has disc brakes but no ABS so it will lock up if you stand on it. Steering is not as quick as R&P. So are new cars like germaphobe's with anti bacterial soap and hand wipes and all that overkill stuff? I mean germs are everywhere and our immune system will adapt if we expose it to some of them. So are cars so safe and practically drive themselves that drivers aren't as good?
Us old guys know you used to have "drive" a car, I mean really drive it. Especially if it's a beater and things don't work like new. Sloppy steering, bad brakes, poor weatherstripping (loud), etc, etc.
I grew up with non-PS and PB cars and even stick shift. Now my kids drive my 67 and can't believe how different it is than the 2011 Taurus. I even catch myself on long trips in the modern cars getting dreary but I have never felt like that in my 67.
Just wondering out loud or on the forum...

[janschutz]

I feel the same way.  Some of the new cars can even park themselves.  Soon, we will have a generation that does not know what to do or how drive in an emergency when it occurs.

[Midlife]

I feel the same way.  Some of the new cars can even park themselves.  Soon, we will have a generation that does not know how to drive.

Fixed it for you...

[dodgestang]

Fixed it for you...

Christ think of it....and entire generation just like Randy.   

[silverblueBP]

THAT is why I prefer to track the old car verses buying a new Laguna Seca. You actually have to DRIVE the car and driving it is the most fun. If I get in any new car, I can feel sleepy time coming on. Even when I had the 99GT, the comfort level was way too high.

At least the truck keeps me awake.

[70 StangMan]

That's what I like about having both. There's nothing like the experience of driving a older car and I love it for all the reasons you stated. On the other hand when there is a long road trip to be made it is so nice to jump in the GT and not worry about the car, the ride or other idiots on the highway and enjoy the modern conveniences that it has. Best of both world IMO.

[RustyRed]

A lot of people today don't know how to drive in general much less if they get in a skid situation, etc.

We used to practice skidding when I was a kid and it's paid dividends a few times.  There is a parking lot near the house that has a lot of drainage under it...when it gets wet and cold the lot turns into a sheet of ice.  When I was 16 I worked at the other end of the strip center at the Kroger and would go through there on the way home and play on the ice for a bit.  I was just a kid having fun but it taught me how to handle a skid for sure.

My real constant irritation is people who ride two inches off your back bumper.

I had a lady in a Geo Prism riding my rear on the way home from work last week.  I slowed then hit the gas as much as I could in traffic two times.  She didn't take the hint so I slammed on the brakes and I was pretty much standing on the pedal with both feet.  She missed me somehow but I am sure my Explorer would have done a number on her crappy little car's grill.  The sad thing...she obviously didn't take the hint because a couple of days later I saw her riding someone else's butt on the same road...when she pulled out off a side road behind me though she did change lanes quickly to avoid following me, LOL!

[tarafied1]

I have driven my 67 on 3,000+ mile trips and I have driven my newer cars on long trips too. I like the comfort of a new car for sure but I was wondering mostly about the generation thing. If most kids never drive an old car they will never know what it is like to actually drive. When you can talk to your SYNC and have it program your GPS to guide you to the next fuel stop or what ever or play your iPod and your talking on your handsfree the whole time with just one finger on the wheel and the car is doing all the work, warning you when someone is in your blind spot and when you are drowsy and parallel parking for you, well you get the idea, kids won't know how to really drive. Then when the time comes to avoid an accident they are clueless.
My wife fusses at me when I play around, spinning the tires or doing donuts, etc. but that is how you learn what the car will do and what you will do. I know I shouldn't promote my kids to mess around but in a parking lot that's empty is a much better time to learn how to correct a slide than on an interstate with a a bunch of other drivers who don't know what to do...

[AzPete]

Old cars are a blast to drive anywhere. Yes, the driving world has gotten soft/stupid in many ways. The problem arises when there is a mix of old and new on the road and the driver of the old car lets his/her guard down and does not allow enough "oh crap" room because of the quicker action of newer systems. This is where I see younger people having issues with older cars.

My grandson has cruised in my previous 66's with no issues. (18 next May) He does tend to follow closer due to not really having  a true learning of the differences in stopping distances and such.

Part of the issue is no drivers training required in so many states now.....

[B67FSTB]

A lot of people today don't know how to drive in general much less if they get in a skid situation, etc.

We used to practice skidding when I was a kid and it's paid dividends a few times.  There is a parking lot near the house that has a lot of drainage under it...when it gets wet and cold the lot turns into a sheet of ice.  When I was 16 I worked at the other end of the strip center at the Kroger and would go through there on the way home and play on the ice for a bit.  I was just a kid having fun but it taught me how to handle a skid for sure.

I did the same thing when I was 18years old and got my drivers license.
Whenever i saw an opportunity ( snow rain ) I took the car and drove to a parking lot to practice some drifting.
Now my son has his driving license and I encourage him to do the same.
Practice on a parking lot and be a responsible driver on the public road.
I got to trust him on that !?!?

BTW he drives my old benz , it has a diesel engine 

[AzPete]

shhhhh....I still practice skidding in parking lots, roads, driveways........but don't tell anyone.

[B67FSTB]

same here !!

Hope my son doesn't read this .

[RustyRed]

I did the same thing when I was 18years old and got my drivers license.
Whenever i saw an opportunity ( snow rain ) I took the car and drove to a parking lot to practice some drifting.
Now my son has his driving license and I encourage him to do the same.
Practice on a parking lot and be a responsible driver on the public road.
I got to trust him on that !?!?

BTW he drives my old benz , it has a diesel engine 

Nothing wrong with playing in an empty lot.

The practice saved my rear end a few times when I was driving an F150....trucks tend to be a little light on the back end on wet and / or icy roads.

[70_Fastback]

What is this comfort you speak of...?


 

[silverblueBP]

I like having a circular drive in the winter. Once it gets snow and iced over, it becomes my own drift pad. It's a lot of work to drift a 4WD 7.3L turbo diesel truck with an 8' bed! Let it go too much and I could wipe out a lot of fence.

The only good thing about winter.

[tarafied1]

What is this comfort you speak of...?


 

you know, windshield, floor boards, seat cushions, head room, etc. etc. oh and being able to see over the scoop

[Jonk67]

My daughter is 13 and I hope to get the '67 running in time to teach her in it, also the used Miata will be good for it's 6sp. and no ABS to learn how to do multiple things at once, controlled on/off braking and engine braking. I had ABS go out on a Prelude during a panic stop, as soon as the brakes locked me into a skid I reverted to manual on/off braking to the point of lockup,roll,lock, roll until I stopped. The car was crooked a few times but I never left the 2 stripes of my lane. If any of this automatic stuff (ABS, Traccntrl,etc.) goes out on a new driver they are screwed.

My sister lives for her iphone and uses it's GPS, she got lost on a 4 hr. drive to the smokies, drove into NC and back ending a 4 hr. trip in only 8hrs.  I had printed a mapquest zoom of where the bypass was she needed to take but it's paper so how can it override an iphone? She is late for everything she drives to but won't admit the fault of relying on technology ONLY. I know she would not be able to read a paper map either, same concept, skip the basics and go straight to tech.
Jon

[70 StangMan]

you know, windshield, floor boards, seat cushions, head room, the ability to start it each time  etc. etc. oh and being able to see over the scoop

[tarafied1]

Jon brings up my point well. If the ABS fails how many teens will know how to do the on/off or pulse braking? Us old guys have had to do it before ABS was invented and I'm "instinct" kicked in for Jon but if all you know is mash the pedal hard and you never had to do it you wouldn't know any better. Same with messing around in parking lots, snow, rain, etc. I still do that too. Keeps your senses sharp I think. I took a driving course and did really well but even the course really promoted to just mash the brake. No training on how to use the brakes if no ABS.
Pete says it well, dumbing down our young drivers and most states don't have driver's ed. And I am guilty of using GPS, just bought a Garmin in fact but I still look at the paper map of mapquest before I head out to a new place.

[S8NS 289]

I like this thread
Growing up Poor I always drove my 72 Highboy 50 miles to work then leave from there to go EVERYWHERE in a junky 92 pontiac I was never Tired even on 30 some hour drives- Pensecola FL-NorthernWI because I was always worried.

I remember being STIFF after a 50 mile ride in the highboy- 38" Bias ply tires unbalanced w a bent drag link- no PS,PB,disk brakes,exhaust,shocks. I would grip the steering wheel TIGHT!- Not safe but it was all i had at the time that truck holds a place in my heart for helping me out when i was in a bind.

And i am in the generation you speak of and agree with all of you, Kids are spoiled and can't drive for squat, Most scratch their heads when i pull out a map ......

[silverblueBP]

Threshold braking in a non ABS old car is Da Bomb! Especially when you get to do it a dozen times a lap   

[Ponyman66]

Ironically enough, this is the very topic myself and a close life long friend were talking about just a week ago! I asked him if he'd every been in a Prius? I had to move one from the roadway a month or so back. After only having to drive it a few feet, that's all I wanted to! The thing made no noise! After pressing on the accelerator, the only way I knew something was happening is because I could see the car was moving. This brought up my comments about how people no longer have cars. They have their living room on four wheels! It seems most people find driving is a distraction when they get in the car to go somewhere.  They're more concerned with getting a heated massage while watching a video and texting their friends and having their car TELL them what to do! When it all goes to crap, they don't have a clue how to react or could even tell you what happened. Older cars make you work a little. But you also develop (basic!) driving skills that become instinctual. The day will come when, due to the lazy idiot masses, our modern "cars" will be nothing more than a transport pod you climb in, tell it where you want to go and climb out upon arriving. Obviously a topic I'm a little passionate about! Rant over!

BTW, that friend? The same guy that would ride in the passenger seat of my car when we were teens in a (rare) icy parking lot. Just for kicks he grab the e-brake handle and see if I could control the skid. We'd also intentionally throw our cars into a skid just to see who could keep control. We thought we were just having fun. Little did we realize we were developing skills too (that would have taken the fun out of it! LOL).

[Sluggo]

Working at a new car dealership, I'm exposed to all this technology. New cars are pretty friggin' amazing. We have some cars that have in excess of 30 computers. More acronyms for local area networks than you can shake a stick at.

I have vehicles that from three different decades and each has it's pros and cons.

It's pretty tough for me to make the call which one I enjoy more. If pressed to make a decision I'd probably go with the 08 GT. There's just something comforting about knowing you will make it to your destination without rebuilding your car along the way.

There's also that reassurance if you get in an accident, you're highly likely to survive with little or no injury. As much as I like the 69, I'd hate to be in it during a 35-40 mph collision.

[tarafied1]

don't get me wrong, I'm not against technology. I just wonder if it makes us worse drivers. For example, I have seen people reading the newspaper while driving. I dare ya to do that while your driving my 67! While driving my Taurus I could probably climb into the backseat and make sandwitch then take a nap, in fact I think I have seen people do that

[70 StangMan]

Threshold braking in a non ABS old car is Da Bomb! Especially when you get to do it a dozen times a lap   

And  knows all about Da Bomb.