Cars Today Are Not Modern

[special-K]

Nope, not at all. Just bigger rims, sleeker bodies, and electronic doo dads stuck on top of the SOS. When will we ever reach the future?? Hybrids? Electric? pffft

Astral - The Atomic Powered Studebaker - YouTube

[Greg58]

I liked the tail fins on the model!

[special-K]

Quite becoming. I'd like to see her fly by her bun wings

Ford did an atomic car, too! Secong half of this is the stude vid

Ford Mystere atomic car - YouTube

Speaking of Studebaker. How about the ones they actually made? Four cool Studebaker songs, too!

YouTube

[joedoh]

more modern in ways you dont see maybe, direct injection is a great thing for powerful turbocharged engines that dont detonate, I cant wait for electromechanical valvetrains. crash protection is lightyears better every year, they have to keep requalifying the old star rating system because 5 star rated cars 5 years ago wouldnt even rate 1 star compared to new 5 star cars. add things like automatic collision avoidance and radar cruise control and even teslas with their autopilot systems and eventually it will change city lanscapes, you will be able to live two hours from work and spend the commute time sleeping, door to door.

i worked in aviation and we had a saying, "you cant pull over at 20k feet", aircraft technology doesnt advance like cars because of the certification effort, they cant have even ONE plane fall out of the sky, killing occupants or harming innocents on the ground. imagine the 150k daily flights becoming 30 MILLION daily flights... unless there is some failproof anti-gravity development, flying cars will remain a pipe dream, gravity is too powerful.

[67C10Step]

joedoh,
I watched a video of a guy training commercial pilots once (not sure why I was watching that) but one statement he made has stuck with me: "No plane ever has to leave the ground. Sure, you may have a few hundred angry people if you don't leave the ground but every plane that goes up, has to come down. The manner in which it comes down depends upon you."

Self diagnosing, crash detection and avoidance, ABS systems, there have been a ton of advancements in the auto industry. Engines that go hundreds of thousands of miles before wearing out instead of shot at 100,000 or less. The engine itself looks a lot the same if you strip all the stuff off it but I'd say what's really inside has changed a lot as well.

I told my wife the other day if we could get a flying car we really would be living in the time of the Jetsons. Video calling, robots vacuuming the floor, working out at home with a video wall, it's all available - just no practical flying car.

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by 67C10Step

Engines that go hundreds of thousands of miles before wearing out instead of shot at 100,000 or less.

thats a great point, and if you look at the price point cars are cheaper these days. my wifes new 1996 honda accord ex was 22k, a new accord with more features and standard equipment, more hp and more airbags, better handling and faster performance is.. 25k. in 1996 dollars thats like 15k.

[1976gmc20]

I'm thinking that oil is better today...

If you took a "brand new" 1975 engine and put modern oil in it, how far would it go without needing major repair?


Our little 2006 Chevy car is wearing out faster than the engine. I expect the car to be total junk before the engine wears out. Back in the old old days they would take out a Model A engine and use it to run a little sawmill or something. Might be hard to do that today with all the electronics.

[67C10Step]

"If you took a "brand new" 1975 engine and put modern oil in it, how far would it go without needing major repair?"

This is a really valid point I should have made as well. All lubrication types are so much better today than decades ago. Grease, gear oil, etc. is now much improved and is a big part of the longevity of machines today as well.

Also, the overdrive transmission is a key factor as well. Engines turning 1800 rpm at 70 mph on the freeway instead of 3000 surely helps a ton as well.

[Dead Parrot]

Not just the oil. Antifreeze used to be little more then just that. Stuff that wouldn't freeze. Modern AF is full of anti-corrosion additives. Fuel is also cleaner. Old style gas with lead carboned up the combustion chambers after a few thousand miles. Once it started flaking off, I doubt that stuff bouncing around in the combustion chamber did much good for cylinder wall wear.

Sad that many modern cars 'die' not because the basic mechanical parts fail but the layers of electronic stuff become too hard/costly to repair.

[GOPAPA]

Originally Posted by 67C10Step

"If you took a "brand new" 1975 engine and put modern oil in it, how far would it go without needing major repair?"

This is a really valid point I should have made as well. All lubrication types are so much better today than decades ago. Grease, gear oil, etc. is now much improved and is a big part of the longevity of machines today as well.

Also, the overdrive transmission is a key factor as well. Engines turning 1800 rpm at 70 mph on the freeway instead of 3000 surely helps a ton as well.

I think back at all the times I had to check the oil compared to now ,,not nearly so much ,, motors does not leak like they did years ago..
I guess thats why modern means relating to the present or recent times as opposed to the remote past.

[Nick_R_23]

Originally Posted by joedoh

I cant wait for electromechanical valvetrains.

This this this this this!

When this becomes commonplace or even retrofittable technology, it will be a gamechanger! Imagine having your cam lobe profile go from this: /¯\ to essentially this: |¯ ¯| using solenoid drivers instead of a camshaft. No more ramping up and down for opening and closing valves relative to crankshaft position. Instead, the valve is instantly open and instantly closed, maximum intake and exhaust flow capacity available throughout the entire combustion process. Infinitely adjustable variable valve timing and seamless cylinder deactivation, neither which rely on oil pressure. I can’t wait!

[FleetsidePaul]

Originally Posted by 1976gmc20

I

Our little 2006 Chevy car is wearing out faster than the engine. I expect the car to be total junk before the engine wears out.

That was the story with my BMW 740i. The car always ran fine but the computer and the electronics kept failing. It was always something.And it was always expensive to fix. And I don't know how to work on that stuff.

I couldn't wait to get rid of that car.

[Nut Case]

I miss waiting for the new year sheet metal and the chrome. There was a time you could tell the year and model not no more they all look like giant suppositories no style. And they are so dumded down. I learned how steer with the rear tires at the same time I learned about throttle control (Idaho snow country.)

We don't teach defensive driving. (Target fixation) DUH

Cars are too modern, example: when you open the hood can you see the asphalt below? Nope. New car repairs, now you need repair insurance due to the ginormance cost to repair a 27 speed tranny.

And that's all I have to say about that. Old trucks rule!!!!!!

NUTZ

[special-K]

Originally Posted by FleetsidePaul

That was the story with my BMW 740i. The car always ran fine but the computer and the electronics kept failing. It was always something.And it was always expensive to fix. And I don't know how to work on that stuff.

I couldn't wait to get rid of that car.

No one knows how to work on that stuff. You can trace and track and read the scanner, but there is no repairing to it and there are no mechanics to it. It's all "parts changing"

[Boog]

Originally Posted by Nick_R_23

This this this this this!

When this becomes commonplace or even retrofittable technology, it will be a gamechanger! Imagine having your cam lobe profile go from this: /¯\ to essentially this: |¯ ¯| using solenoid drivers instead of a camshaft. No more ramping up and down for opening and closing valves relative to crankshaft position. Instead, the valve is instantly open and instantly closed, maximum intake and exhaust flow capacity available throughout the entire combustion process. Infinitely adjustable variable valve timing and seamless cylinder deactivation, neither which rely on oil pressure. I can’t wait!

Hmm. The future? I wish ya'll good luck with all that. One good thing about being my age is I will never have to put up with any of it.

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by FleetsidePaul

That was the story with my BMW 740i. The car always ran fine but the computer and the electronics kept failing. It was always something.And it was always expensive to fix. And I don't know how to work on that stuff.

I couldn't wait to get rid of that car.

So far the electronics are fine, except sometimes they go berserk when the weather is too cold.

Mostly it's crappy door latches that break off in your hands, and control arm bushings or whatever else is clunking underneath. The question is how much money to spend on stuff before you just give up on it.

[72c20customcamper]

The single item that made engines last was fuel injection. Fuel injectors atomize the fuel much better than carbs . Gas doesn't wash down cylinders and dilute the oil. Engines changed to real fuel injection lasts longer just look at the basic 5.7 Chevy when they put injection on it . Not unheard of getting 200k out of them .

[special-K]

^^^^ This is true fact and exactly what I've been saying. I sold my '90 Blazer with a 350 at 193k miles and it never got more than a tune-up, plug wires, filters, belts, and hoses. Still ran great. The GMT400s just go and keep on going.

I am the guy leery of electronics vs mechanical. When electronic messes up, that's it, gone, nothing. Mechanical often lets you know you better start thinking about fixing something. So in the future I am driving a vehicle with electronically operated valvetrain and there is an electrical glitch. I know serious things happen in a mechanical system when valve timing gets off. I can't imagine a full set of valves not knowing where they should be all at once

[Tom]

Originally Posted by joedoh

thats a great point, and if you look at the price point cars are cheaper these days. my wifes new 1996 honda accord ex was 22k, a new accord with more features and standard equipment, more hp and more airbags, better handling and faster performance is.. 25k. in 1996 dollars thats like 15k.

That's a loaded accord in 1996. A loaded accord today is 30-35k.

[1976gmc20]

If new cars are less expensive compared to old cars and inflation, how come folks have to finance them for five, six, or seven years?

Used to be just about anybody with a job could buy a car or pickup and finance it for three years or maybe even two.

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by Tom

That's a loaded accord in 1996. A loaded accord today is 30-35k.

apples to apples please. my 96 accord came with two airbags and a tape deck, no leather. it wasnt loaded, ex meant sunroof back then and VTEC 120hp 4 cyl. loaded was a V6 with leather and a cd changer.

a new accord for 25k comes with infotainment, front seat and front and rear side curtain airbags, 10 spd auto, automated emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control. thats the LX with the turbocharged 4 cylinder 192HP, MSRP 24900.


for what its worth, a fully loaded V6 leather accord in 1996 was 30k. so doubly true was my first post.

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by 1976gmc20

If new cars are less expensive compared to old cars and inflation, how come folks have to finance them for five, six, or seven years?

Used to be just about anybody with a job could buy a car or pickup and finance it for three years or maybe even two.

it used to be you saved up and bought, now everyone just buys. I put a healthy downpayment on that car, and 25% down on my house. no one does that any more. last car I bought at the dealer he was busy selling me on payment when I just wanted to see the price.

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by joedoh

it used to be you saved up and bought, now everyone just buys. I put a healthy downpayment on that car, and 25% down on my house. no one does that any more. last car I bought at the dealer he was busy selling me on payment when I just wanted to see the price.

Lots of new vehicles were financed in the 1960s and 1970s. I was there.

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by 1976gmc20

Lots of new vehicles were financed in the 1960s and 1970s. I was there.

i think you misread my post, I said I put a healthy downpayment but financed the balance, these days it seems to be 0 down. its why they sell payments and not price. look at any advertisement for cars or trucks on tv or local ads, it used to be buy a new whatevermobiile for XXnine ninety nine, now its $408 a mo, $379 a mo.

I have a friend who writes mortgages, he said that the number of people who want to buy a house with no money down is the majority, and that people with equity or downpayments immediately take out a HELOC and just keep spending.

spending habits are different now, people calculate their monthly budgets with no regard for the payment term in years because they trade up every couple years. I was tryiing to answer your question on why people finance for 7-8 years, I guess I did a poor job of it

[MalibuSSwagon]

Flying cars?? People can't handle driving in two dimensions!