Ya know what I like about old cars? They’re old. Kinda sounds stupid when you say it out loud but I ain’t kiddin man. I LOVE the fact that an old car is an old car. Old cars SMELL like old cars! Everytime I open the door, it makes me think about my Grandpas garage. Little gear oil, little solvent or something.. Bucket of used oil in the corner… And carbs… you know you can smell a carbureted car! Man I like that smell first thing in the morning! I like that I haveto keep my foot on the gas pedal to warm her up. Every now again I gotta pump the brakes to get the pedal up. Double clutchin, banging gears with the windows down listening to the pipes. Pipes! You KNOW when a car has glasspacks. Don’t matter if it’s a clapped out 70 something pick em up or a hot rod… you just know that sound. Nuttin sweeter. I like that I haveto get out of the car to open the door for my wife (I am a gentleman you know?!) and the fact that she reaches over to unlock the door for me to get in. When its cold, she’ll sit in the middle and snuggle up on me to keep warm… When its hot, she’ll put her hair up cause the windows are down.. Favorite picture in my head is of my wife, arm out the window, hair up with a smile on her face, fully enjoying the ride. Now I ain’t baggin on the fellas that like the modern convinces in their old cars. Power windows, ac, leather interior and all that are ok for you…. But I like drivin an old car.
It's funny, cuz i enjoy driving my 64 comet with glasspacks, street signs for floorboards, no backseat, dropped, no interior to speak of (no indoor handles), and just cruise listening to the engine scream. My other cruiser is a '56 caddy with all the bells and whistles. on paper, i should like it more, but the 64 has more of my blood and sweat on it, and its just so fuckin mean! Nothing like chirping tires and seeing the lady in the pass seat hold on and let out a giggle, and the look when i get home from the store and i smell like i bathed in gasoline.
I like drivin' old car/trucks too but I also enjoy ridin' a motorsickle without a windshield. I like drivin' a hot rod roadster on a nice day and I enjoy a modern machine sometimes with power windows and A/C. I like to grab a cold beer and a couple more in the tool box and drive through the woods on my old tractor. I really like the freedom to be able to choose which way I want to travel 'cause I pretty much enjoy the hell out of the sights, sounds and smell of the world while being propelled by an internal combustion engine.
this reminds me about a conversation me & my brother were having the other day.. My brother aligned a 62 Impala and the owner brought it back and said he did "too good of a job," the guy explained that he likes that when he drives his car it feels like an old car... Not that he didn't want it to ride good, but he didn't want the car to feel new.. I told my brother that it made perfect sense to guys like us that like old cars.. and that some people wouldn't get it... -Juan
I'll second that! Shouldnt a real driver have a bench seat?? Nothing against buckets, especially if they are those cool swivel ones but you get more people in there with a bench.
I hear ya, but try to explain it to non car people and they just don't get it. Even a lot of car guys don't get it. I like the crudeness and basicness of an old car. How do you explain that to others? I feel sorry for them, but I'm glad they're leaving the old ones for me.
Killer - You said it all. Thank you. And those that do not have this "romance" with old cars just don't get it and maybe never will. What a shame that there is an entire generation that do not know the joy (and pain) of driving a no frills old car. My oldest daughter (20) drives a '68 Galaxie fastback that she and I restored and she loves it to death. My other two daughters look at their sister's car and my old truck and just see a pile of junk! (Well at least one turned out okay! Ha! )
Me and wife both complain about squeaks and rattles in our daily drivers. But when it comes to cruising around in the hotrod neither of us ever say a word about all those rattles or squeaks. Hell it's even funny when the rain comes in. My truck doesn't ride the greatest or have the most room inside for luggage but the wife wants to drive it out to Las Vegas next year. We'll have to see about that?
.....or that "old gas" smell when you go pick up a new project!!!.....my oldest daughter turns 16 in feb. she's wanted a 60 2dr caddy since she was in a childseat. so we've been looking hard but hadn't found a 2dr yet...plenty of 4drs, she says it just doesn't have the look. maybe later after kids it'll look a liittle better. all 4 of my kids would rather ride in an old car than a new one. boy am i lucky
I like old cars. Every time I open the door and sit down I feel the outside world disappears and the modern rat race fades away. I'm no longer in a rush. I'm relaxed. I feel good. I look good. There are no worries. Break downs? Out of gas? No big deal. My gas gauge doesn't work, I have to slow down way before everyone else. My battery can't even keep a full charge. Who cares.
Yep. Seldom am I as content as when cruising along in the elder vehicle. The best part...it seems to work on my daughter the same way!
then there's that squeek or whatever you would call it when you open the door...i don't know how to spell that noise but you know what i'm talking about. kinda hangs up and then pops and then squeeks...man i love old cars
Atleast 10 coathangers on the exhaust system,have to park on a hill cause that starter ain't been cooperating lately,and honey you better move over next to me cause that door just flys open when it wants.
i like the fact that i don't have power steering and power brakes and have a four speed. it feels like i am one with my machine. i hate the fact that these new cars keep people from experiencing how to be one with your vehicle. plus it keeps people from paying attention to their driving. the thing i like the most about old cars and trucks is the fact that i have so much room to work in. open the hood of a new car and you wonder where the engine is. nothing is in the way on an old car. so so nice being able to sit on the fenderwell working on my engine. people ask me why i drive such an old truck. then i ask them why they wasted their money with a new car that decreases in value quickly. too many spoiled brats in high school. thank goodness i graduated. so ready to go cruisin. one thing i'm glad they have is the ignorance to let us have the old iron while they stick with what there daddy bought them.
Hot rod memories are kinda poetic aren't they? You nailed it....sometimes in the middle of the day I fire up one of my cars and head to the local drive-thru and grab a milkshake or better yet a malt (there's a little Mexican place here that believe it or not makes killer malts)and cruise around for 45 minutes or so...just killin' time and relaxin' with no particular place to go...(all the way home I held a grudge for a safety belt that wouldn't budge)
My asshole brother bought her back in September '57. That's when you got your new model year, in September. Brand-new, she was. She had the smell of a brand-new car. That's just about the finest smell in the world, 'cept maybe for pussy.
Yes! Yes! Yes! Nothing better than the feeling of 'using' something 40+ years old for exactly what it was intended for. If you're into the 'hippy' vibe think about the recycling you're doing! if you're not, think about all the gas and oil you're using. Feeling that little v8 power, hearing the sound, chirping gears with a tranny that feels solid as a rock (opposed to a newer fwd cable operated manual, ICK, stir the soup!)... it's all too good. breaking down isn't a fear, it's just a new experience, an opportunity to build it again stronger and bettter. There really aren't too many feelings that surpass it. Everything feels like something in an old car. Reality! i'm sure everyone has said this before, but it's too bad cars practically drive themselves these days, i thnk that's part of the cause for all the accidents; you don't really HAVE to pay attention. and instead of making cars more involved to drive they try to make more safety features to save us from ourselves... cars that park themselves, rain sensing wipers... seriously. if you cant parallel park a car or put the wipers on when you're driving, stay home. sorry, i'll end my rant. Good thread!
Yeah, old cars are great. We have a variety of cars and trucks here. 66 Belvedere, 73 Ford F-250, 90 Dodge Dakota, 94 Dodge Ram 1500 and a 99 Chrysler Cirrus. Which one is driven the most for family outings? The 66 Belle. We enjoy the sound of the exhaust, the room it affords and the feel of safety it provides with all of that metal. I am also aquiring a 1955 Buick Special 4dr Hdtp Riviera. It will be the wife's car when finished.
The Jalopy Journal
