The new Lincoln Continental isn’t made the way they used to… it’s specifically designed for the Chinese market. Blah!
Hey VDC, I don’t even remember what the mpg was on my old cars, gas was so cheap (and my best friends Dad had a car dealership with a gas pump in the back of the garage) that I didn’t seem to care. Funny how it goes, isn’t it? The 'Cuda was a beast, 4 speed 383, burn-outs were a given every day. The Torino was also a 4 speed, I could get rubber in 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Good time for me. DeSoto was a little older than my teenage years. Rocketman
My throwout point of an older car 200k+ is when the AC breaks and costs too much(>$500) to repair. I cannot imagine the “good old days” of no AC or it was an option people would cheap out on. Nothing worst then mid summer humid rain and fogged windows requiring you to run heat/defroster blowing nasty air on you.
I have always owned older/used Japanese cars(purchased with 100k+) but chosen wisely in last 25 years for those with working AC while it lasted.
The A/C went on my wife’s 1976 Ford Granada at 90,000 miles. It would have cost more to fix it than the car was worth, and she used it seldom. We just cut the drive belt to the compressor and she drove it to 108,000 miles in 1988 and then sold it for $750 to a guy who worked in a mountain and ski resort, and seldom needed Air.
It had a great 4 speaker stereo, a real plus at that time and the new owner was very happy.
'Gee our old Lasalle ran great - those were the days!'
Lasalle, DeSoto, Cadillac, Pontiac, Chevrolet - what a lot of French names! Guess I shouldn’t be surprised at that from such a French city as Detroit.
I remember my parents’ Studebaker Champion: I could stand up in the back; probably could have fit a card table for a game of bridge.
The late great Len Frank on KPFK’s ‘Car Show’, responding to a caller-in who wanted to buy a car that would last forever, told her she didn’t, that cars get safer and more-efficient and cleaner and more comfortable, better in every way over time. He pointed out that as long as you knew a blacksmith you could keep your Model T running - but you wouldn’t want to.
My 1973 Dodge Dart (slant six) needed a new starter motor about every 30,000 miles.
I did it myself. Took about 10 minutes it was so easy.
Needed a new ballast resistor pretty often. Car would turn over and not start. So predictable, I kept a spare in the trunk. Still, the car ran for 225,000 miles before I sold it to a Chicago policeman for about the same number of dollars (admittedly inflated) that I had paid for it.
The old cars of the early 50s and earlier stayed surprisingly cool in the summer as long as you were moving. The windows were more upright, sun visors were a popular option and the ventilation was astounding compared to modern cars.
Our family’s 1941 Studebaker Landcruiser Commander had a cowl vent two front side vents, and wing windows. we had it for 18 years and I don’t ever recall the windshield steaming up because there was always a vent or window you could use to get air flow.
I never bought a car with A/C until 1990 because I could no longer buy a car with a ventilation system. Rinning a heater or defroster with the temp turned all the way down isn;t the same thing at all.
We used to call it “4-40” air conditioning; 4 windows open and 40mph.
My first daily driver with AC was my '91 Camry, although the family buggies had it since 1982. Even now I very, very rarely use my AC. In ten years of ownership of my current car, I’ve probably turned it on less than 1/2-dozen times. I simply prefer fresh air.
There’s a assisted living and retirement community near me. There’s an old man and his wife (both look to be every bit of a 100…) and one of their toys is a very slick black 1948 (I think…) Chrysler Imperial with an inline 8.
It’s a real tank of a car and shines like a 2.5 ton new penny. They probably bought that thing brand new back in the day and garaged it ever since.
About once every month or so I see them take it out and tool around in it for a while; never exceeding 30 MPH.
A pretty cool old couple… 
Sweet. Not only the car, but the couple. Couples like that make my heart soar.
I agree. It reminds me of the old farmer here who passed away about 5 years ago. The old guy was loaded and could pay cash for anything he wanted to drive.
He was always in a white tee shirt and blue overalls and a casual observer would think he didn’t have a dime to his name. His one sacrifice to modern life was building a new brick home about 10 years before his death and he paid cash for it…while still driving a beige '65 4 door Bel Air grannymobile daily and a mid 50s GMC pickup now and then. He bought both of those new.
In spite of his 90ish years of age he was as careful and conscientous a driver as could be found anywhere and would never fail to wave at me anytime he saw me.
He drove old sleds and bought his grandson a new 2007 Shelby Mustang as an Xmas gift…also paying cash. The '07 was a bookend to match the grandson’s 1967 Shelby in the same color.
I wish he had adopted me… 
@ok4450–
I’m not trying to play “Can you top this?”, but I think that I can top that wonderful story about the old couple with the '48 Imperial!
About 20 years ago, I was driving on I-90 in the state of Washington, somewhere in the Wenatchee Mountains. I was driving my rental car at a pretty steady speed of ~70 mph when I saw–far ahead–the profile of what looked like a very old car. I was barely gaining on it, and I didn’t want to risk going any faster, so it took me several minutes to catch up with it.
What I encountered was what appeared to be a late '20s Pierce-Arrow 7 passenger open touring car. The paint was mostly gone, and the car looked every bit of its ~70 years, but the old man piloting that massive machine was holding it at ~65 mph, and there was no smoke coming from the exhaust!
He and the elderly woman sitting next to him were wearing goggles, but were otherwise unprotected from the wind-buffeting that they were probably getting at that speed. Their clothing and their hair were literally flapping in the wind! They both looked like they were just out for a drive on the interstate, like everyone else–albeit in a vehicle unlike everyone else’s.
There were few cars from that era that were capable of even short bursts of high speed when they were new, and yet this really old Pierce-Arrow was still capable of the incredible performance that those expensive cars were known for. The quality of Pierce-Arrow cars was legendary in their time, and it appears that a properly-maintained Pierce-Arrow was still reliable–and fast–even after the passage of many decades.
I imagined that this couple had bought the car when it was new, that they had held onto it over the years, and that they still took it out for an occasional jaunt. However, that is just my guess.
Once I focused on the reality that the tires on the Pierce-Arrow were never designed for sustained high speeds, I decided to gun the gas on my car, and put them in my rear-view mirror, as I didn’t want to have to play chicken with flying treads from their tires.
Hopefully those old folks got to their destination safely, and it sure looked like they were enjoying themselves!
On AC they did go downhill in terms of coldness it seems in the mid 1990’s. I know freon was switch over but I remember meat locker AC even on the cheapest junk box from 1980-early 1990ish. After that AC seems to leak a tad easier and not quite as cold.
For those folks who like the window open technique. That is all well and all however in traffic absolutely miserable or the rain. I love the AC in my Acura MDX, I just get in and its set to 70 and works and never fiddle with it. It did break but thankfully a $9 relay was the culprit on my 8yr/150k vehicle.
“For those folks who like the window open technique. That is all well and all however in traffic absolutely miserable or the rain”
Let’s not forget the insect factor!
When I was a kid, it seemed that we were never able to take a drive in the summer without a bee, or wasp, or some other kind of stinging insect getting into the car and buzzing around our heads. It became the job of my mother and me to use folded road maps to “guide” the offending insects out of the car before they did damage to one of us, and it was really nerve-wracking.
I respect those who say that they don’t like A/C, but by setting my Climate Control at 70 degrees, I am able to arrive comfortably at my destination without the back of my shirt (and my pants) being soaked with perspiration, without having to dodge stinging insects, and–thanks to the cabin air filter–not having to deal with as much pollen as I would if I kept the windows open.
Back in the late '80s, I drove from NJ to Maine in a friend’s Tercel, whose A/C wasn’t working. To say that the back of my clothing was soaked with sweat by the time we got to Maine is not an exaggeration. Not only was my clothing soaked, but the upholstery in his car was also uncomfortably moist as a result of having to travel with no A/C. And, I believe that I was more fatigued by that hot trip than I would have been if we had the benefit of A/C.
My 1973 Dodge Dart (slant six) needed a new starter motor about every 30,000 miles. I did it myself. Took about 10 minutes it was so easy.
My brother owned a 76 Volare’ with the slant six. Had the started replaced under warranty at least 5 times. Finally they decided to see if they could find the cause…it was a warped flywheel. In the right position it would not let the starter disengage causing it to burn out.
The ballast resistors - Brother kept 3-4 in the glove box.
@VDCdriver That’s an interesting story about the Pierce- Arrow. I would love to have seen that one in motion.
That tire issue would definitely be a concern and especially so considering the suspension, handling, and tire size common to cars of that era.
The AMC dealer here many years ago got out of the new car business and opened up an independent lot. He owned a slick 1937 Cord which he kept on the showroom floor.
Oddly enough, he actually took that Cord off of the showroom floor very regularly and drove it on errands, on commutes to home and back, etc. That one was no trailer queen.
Cars are a funny thing…they are a very relative item. Relative to when you were growing up…gaining some freedom with your new license and all that license implied.
You could have been given a 29’ AutoCar Semi-Truck as your first vehicle…and for the rest of your life you would have had a fondness for Autocar.
Blackbird
Not me.I had junker Fords to start with and to this day have no particular love for the marque,I used to think you had to spend Saturdays in the Auto parts store waiting in line.I bought a new Japanese truck and never looked back.
The AC suffered when they moved away from R-12,just seems you cant quite get the performance from 134A,now we are moving toward 410 refrigerant,better or worse I dont know
Anyone wanting to see a bunch of Pierce Arrows should visi the Buffalo Transportation Museum in Buffalo NY where they were built. The museum isn’t in the factory where they were built but that building is still in use, It is called the Great Arrow building. Back in 1999 the Pierce Arrow Club had there national meet in Buffalo and there were 100 of them parked around Niagara Square in front of City Hall. What a beautiful sight, not a one of them looked like they wouldn’t make California and back.
I wouldn’t worry too much about the tires, new ones are available for almost any old car thanks to places like Coker Tire and others.
Also, no late 20s Pierce would be breathing hard at 65.