Bring back my bench seat - please 1/12/2016 7:21:48 AM
I miss the old cars. To me, the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s are old to me. I miss them for many reasons but number one is – they were easier to figure out. Getting into a new (or newer) car is daunting to me. My aunt has a Toyota Avalon. I got into it and my jaw immediately dropped. Keep in mind the newest car I’d driven until a few years back was an 80’s minivan. One look at that Avalon’s interior and I wondered where she’d gotten her pilot’s license. The thing has more lights, buttons and indicators than a 747.
A few years back we bought a Camry and still I find myself boning up on the manual just to find the location of the windshield wipers. No kidding. I drove down the street on a sunny 98 degree day, the wipers frantically flapping back and forth and me hitting every knob or protrusion on the steering wheel to stop them. Finally found it. Gave the neighborhood a good laugh that day.
Those older cars had a lot going for them. One, you didn’t need a mechanic and a loan to fix them. All you needed was one relative who didn’t mind some grease on their hands and a trip to the auto parts store and you were golden. Those cars had oil, alternator, turn signal and high beam indicator lights. That. Was. All. Nowadays there’s a light for everything from oil, tire pressure, ABS, low washer fluid to nervous breakdown. There are also the mysterious "maintenance required" (which I think is basically your car asking for a semi-annual physical) and an "engine check" light. When that last one lights up, I will assume it means "I don’t know what the hell is wrong so take me in now." That little rascal scares the pee-winkers outta me. That thing lights up and I’m gonna either pull over and pray or race to the dealership before the car blasts to the moon with me in it.
Another thing about those old cars. You could get a good workout in those things. Who needs aerobics when you have to stretch two states over to unlock the car for your passenger? Lose something in the floorboard? Might as well pull over ‘cause it’s going to take a while as you spelunk that massive area under the front seats. Need something from the back seat? Hey, just more exercise for the passenger as they lean waaaay over the front seat to the back and reach for item. How about some repetitions for those arms? You actually had to roll that window down by grabbing a knob and cranking that sucker to the desired level. No electric buttons (unless it was a fancier model car). Same for the seats. Manual adjustments forward and backward. Now the seats go every direction but upside down, depending on the car. There isn’t a car these days without a clock. The first car clock I ever saw was in my grandmother’s U.S.S. Ford LTD. The thing was a veritable battleship. A 1970 model with a 429 engine in it. The hood was nearly five feet long. I kid you not. The whole car measured about 20 feet long and the speedometer’s upper limit? 120 mph. It weighed over 4000 pounds. No one messed with that monster as it cruised down the highway, especially driven by an elderly woman hell-bent on getting home. I drove that thing and once you hit the gas and it would give you whiplash if you weren’t careful – and knock your teeth out if you hit the brakes too hard. It took finesse to drive it.
I miss the the triangular "vent" windows that could air out the place at highway speeds without causing a typhoon in the car. The silver high beam switch on the floorboard was cool too. Didn't need the car manual to find and activate that puppy.
Personally I vote for push button drive to make a comeback. Ever since seeing the movie Christine back in the 80's I've fallen in love with push button drive. Yet another beautifully styled car with clever innovations that didn't require a college degree to operate. While I'm at it, how about resurrecting bench seats, tail fins and those nifty hood ornaments too?
