They said they couldn’t do that. They bought an almost identical car. Why would they do that if they didn’t have to?
I miss the Checker Marathons. If you were in New York during the 1960’s, and hailed a taxi cab, chances are you rode in one.
They were the smoothest cars I’ve ever rode in, except for maybe a Cadillac.
I remember the flat floor (no hump in the middle) and the two jump seats (you could fit 5 people behind the front seat).
Checker must have made a consumer version, as I remember their ads in the National Geographic magazines.
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Yes there was a consumer version and a colleague in Ohio bought one for his growing family. The bodies were very solid and the power train at that time was a V8 Chevy with a 3 speed automatic, all heavy duty police version. His wife liked the easy to clean interior and the large trunk.
Since these vehicles lasted for about a million miles in taxi operation, he probably had it for 20 years at least.
Sadly Ed Cole, ex GM, who took over as president was killed in a plane crash and the company went under.
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I don’t think BMW ever got rid of them.
I do like the ease of working on them.
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I don’t mis Big block V8’s. If you can get the same performance (or greater) with a smaller engine then I’m all for it. It was far easier to change the plugs on a small-block 350, then the Pontiac big-block 350.
Don’t miss sealed headlamps.
And I much prefer the keyless start engine. Far more convenient then fumbling through pockets to find keys.
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Wow… you guys sure did stir up a lot of memories
Things i miss?
That distinctly Merican Automobile interior smell of hot vinyl, cardboard, shag rug, dust, a valve cover leaking onto a header and a delicate dash of gasoline smell… ALL inside the safety and comfort of 18-24 feet of Automobile… lol
I miss dipsticks
I miss real keys with locks that accept them
Those old manual vents down in the foot well… that when u pulled on the knob… you got blasted with old Juicyfruit wrappers, leaves, dust and Fresh-ish air… from outside!
I also miss looking over at the other car occupants immediately after pulling the vent knob and watching everyone nod in agreement how that was “better”
I miss R12 … “freeze a side of beef in your Caddilac A/C”. A/C that could actually change the outside temperature on a hot day
Lol
I dont miss needing a computer degree to diagnose cars
I dont miss the vulnerability of wireless “keysl and the people who can snatch those codes easily
I dont miss being tracked… recorded… surveilled.
I guess i will leave it at that
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A friend of mine had a Plymouth Duster (I think…), and instead of having a pull knob for those floor vents, you had to manually open a door on the vent box in order to get air. He decided that this would be a good place to stash a tiny paper bag full of “weed”, but he apparently forgot that he had left his stash in there.
A few days later, he needed to transport his Grandmother somewhere, and it was a hot day. He opened the vent box door on Granny’s side, and the old woman was showered with shreds of “weed”. He told her that she had been showered with dried leaves, and Granny was none the wiser.
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Hahaha… Grannies these days know better methinks!
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@Honda_Blackbird you can get almost all the things you miss in my 62 Caddy. Everything but the floor vents. And you don’t need them with the excellent HVAC. My wife won’t even ride in the car due to the gasoline smell.
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A while back I pulled into traffic behind a '72 Corvette. All those smells came back to me…
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I have to agree on the sealed beam headlights. They took a simple 10 dollar part and turned it into a computer controlled, very expensive bulb with plastic lenses that fog over in a few years. I am particularly fond of 4 bangers so I don’t miss a more pricey massive V8 engine that needs twice as many plugs, wires, more gas, oil just to get me from point A to B.
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Avantis…
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The Studebaker one or the ones independently produced after Studebaker went under?
My Dad was probably one of your cohorts - by the 70’s for sis and 80’s for me, he made sure that my sister and I both knew how to drive a stick shift and gave that as his example. I’m glad he did - because I had a date get far too drunk to drive, and I had to drive his manual transmission Mercedes home to get Dad, to drive him to his home, as I followed in Dad’s car. That young man was wide awake by the time he rode with Dad for a little while, even if he wasn’t sober!
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Both. I thought it was a valiant effort.
It was a beautiful and interesting car.