Real cars!

Anything Corvair related
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classicchevyowner7
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Real cars!

Post by classicchevyowner7 »

Okay all. This may come off as venting, but it's really just something to discuss. What happened to cars? I mean the Corvair is a CAR. It looks different from everything on the road. It had beautiful different colored interiors. It had quite a few options. So what happened from then to now. They are now all dull colors. Interiors are really bland. It just seems to me that cars now are rolling computers. Makes me sick every time I think about it. What do you guys think happened? My guess would be the "safety" of modern cars.
- Allen
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bbodie52
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Re: Real cars!

Post by bbodie52 »

Technology. Competition from Japan, Korea, and Europe. Federal and state safety and emission standards. Executives and bean counters looking for maximum profit. Computer design. New production techniques. 50 years of engineering advances...

:whoa:

I guess those who admire the hand built classics form the early part of the 20th century would have been amazed at the styling and features and changes found in cars built in the 1960s and 1970s.
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classicchevyowner7
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Re: Real cars!

Post by classicchevyowner7 »

True, but it's a shame that quality is compromised for safety.
- Allen
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Re: Real cars!

Post by BIGTWIN »

There are a lot of pros and cons to state the obvious. My biggest ones are replacing the throttle cable / linkage and the steering control with electronics. It's all a good business move though you'll have to admit. They now make a car very few people can work on much past changing the oil. You pretty much have to take it to a shop. If you break down and decide to take it to a shop then most people will take it to who knows the most about that specific car, the guy who built it. Money, money money. Practically everything on a new car goes through a circuit card at some point now instead of the old battery to fuse box to switch to bulb stuff. But, you can't deny the safety advantages with the air bags, curtains, fuel pump shut offs, anti lock brakes, traction control, etc. that this technology has brought about so at least there is a real advantage to it as well. I'm with you on the car vs. rolling computer thing though, the old stuff has character and style, and they're made out of STEEL. I gotta put my family in the safety machine though.
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classicchevyowner7
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Re: Real cars!

Post by classicchevyowner7 »

The main thing that gets me is that they have no style and the interior is all plastic. They are also starting to replace metal body panels with plastic. It's a shame.
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Re: Real cars!

Post by BIGTWIN »

Yep, look at all the cars that have different names but are obviously the same vehicle but with different options made by GM, Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Acura, Ford/Lincoln, Kia/Hundai, etc.
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classicchevyowner7
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Re: Real cars!

Post by classicchevyowner7 »

I think the main reason for the horrible style is government regulation and auto unions.
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Re: Real cars!

Post by crtoons »

I agree with your sentiments about modern cars, no argument there regarding lack of style, especially the interiors, but how are the auto unions responsible for this???The blame certainly is on the auto COMPANIES - their designers and, of course, their bean-counters, as well as all of the governmental safety regulations etc, but the unions, they just build what's put in front of them.
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classicchevyowner7
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Re: Real cars!

Post by classicchevyowner7 »

My reasoning behind that is that multiple car companies in a union share body styles. This cuts down on the variety of style. Vehicles now look the same. You see an suv from lexus and an suv from Toyota and they are almost identical. The unions are partially to blame because they share body styles throughout their company. That decreases the uniqueness of vehicles on the road.
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Re: Real cars!

Post by bbodie52 »

There was always some common ground within an overall manufacturer. Look at the similarities between the 1960s and 1970s Chevrolet/Pontiac or Buick/Oldsmobile, or the various flavors of Chrysler (Dodge/Plymouth). The current market and government regulations have defined the "cookie cutter cars" of the 21st century, with even more common ground found in Toyota/Nissan/Honda/GM/Ford/Chrysler/Acura/Infiniti/Lexus/etc. that crosses over in designs seen in the major manufacturers. It is hard to tell them apart, as they seem to lack any special identity. As soon as some style feature catches on, it is immediately cloned by almost every manufacturer. The interiors are designed to snap together like Legos. Only a very high price will buy you some feature or style exclusivity.

Personally, I like all the attention my Corvair brings in gas stations, restaurant parking lots, etc. A new Corvette or Lexus might get completely ignored while the crowd is drawn to the Corvair!
::-):

:Love it:
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classicchevyowner7
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Re: Real cars!

Post by classicchevyowner7 »

I agree with that. Older cars. Not just corvairs are all unique. They all have a special story. I hope to be able to get my corvair to be my daily driver eventually
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Re: Real cars!

Post by flat6_musik »

classicchevyowner7 wrote:My reasoning behind that is that multiple car companies in a union share body styles. This cuts down on the variety of style. Vehicles now look the same. You see an suv from lexus and an suv from Toyota and they are almost identical. The unions are partially to blame because they share body styles throughout their company. That decreases the uniqueness of vehicles on the road.
Oh okay, I get it.....not labor unions, the collaborations/unions or "connected-ness" of various manufacturers, yes. Heck, some of those newer Jaguars sort of the resemble the Ford Taurus!

I totally agree that many new cars really lack the wow factor of older cars. They're pretty much disposable now, and that's probably how the car manufacturers want it! I've even wondered if, in the future, anyone would even want to collect most any of them, or if they will even be any junkyards in the future. I mostly blame the bean counters and the gov't for interfering.

I've been looking around for a new car lately, and I was commenting to my son about how narrow a selection there seems to be nowadays as far as colors! Almost all cars are now white, gray, silver, tan, gun metal gray or some sort of light misty green. Good lord, it's as if the entire driving public wants to be a low-key anonymous commuter drone. Drive down the freeway and see how many red cars you see. It DOES make you feel that much more cool driving an old corvair, though! :guitar:
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classicchevyowner7
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Re: Real cars!

Post by classicchevyowner7 »

Turquoise. Light Blue. Yellow. And orange are colors of the past. Unless you're willing to pay a fortune for a plastic computer on wheels.
- Allen
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Re: Real cars!

Post by caraholic4life »

bbodie52 wrote: Personally, I like all the attention my Corvair brings in gas stations, restaurant parking lots, etc. A new Corvette or Lexus might get completely ignored while the crowd is drawn to the Corvair!
::-):

:Love it:
I absolutely agree that most newer cookie cutter cars are boring at best. Even though I haven't been driving a Corvair for the past several years, I get similar comments when I drive my Prowler. Most folks don't have a clue what it is and are surprised to hear it is a Plymouth product. Some folks think it is a "Kit Car".
Like the Corvair, I can park next to a Corvette or other high end vehicles and get the attention. I have had other owners tell me some of the Corvette owners get upset and have in at least one case, moved their car to another area. ::-):
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classicchevyowner7
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Re: Real cars!

Post by classicchevyowner7 »

My goal is to eventually own only classic cars. I'd like to get rid of my "new" car and get classics as my primaries
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Re: Real cars!

Post by BIGTWIN »

I finally got to drive mine out tonight, first time since April. Man, I love driving it and getting the notice I get. A lot fullnof cars and strangers stopping to say they like my car.
1961 Monza
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Inside a dog it's too dark to read."
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