[reeftool]

Neat to see all the things that "were". I think I could live just fine without all the newfangled stuff....except microwaves and fuel injection.

Regards!

Right on! I think I would starve to death without my microwave.
I will be very happy to never touch a carburetor again. Fuel Inj. rocks although there were some serious issues in the early days. I will not miss points, or distributor caps either. My new Honda CRv is pretty sweet. There are some things on cars I do miss.
First, I miss the headlight dimmer switch on the floor. It used to be standard but every car had to be a little different now. I have 3 vehicles and each one is a little different. Two moves the blinker forward or back for high or low beam. The new Honda and my GMC truck, the high and low are opposite of each other. On my old 2000 CRv you just pull the lever forward and click it for both, kind of like the old kicker switch but on the column. Where the **** is the horn?
I miss bench seats. No more paradise by the dashboard lights. A whole generation will listen to that song and have no idea what he's talking about.
Good riddance to motorcycle chains too. I know some bikes still need them but none that I own and none that I ever will own again. Belt drive or shaft drive for this old timer.
I miss kick starters. Yes, starters are wonderful things and kick starting wasn't always easy but just picture and old guy pushing a 700 lb. Harley, hopping on and popping the clutch.

[stormtech]

Funny when you said "where is the horn". A good friend of mine who has been a truck driver all his life bought himself a fairly new Volvo recently. Since I've driving newer Volvos for some time, he would call me quite often to ask about where certain controls were. The best was when he asked about the horn - he only saw the switches on the steering wheel for the city horn. I told him to just lean on the center of the wheel where it says air bag. He was sitting in a truck stop, and when he did it he jumped bid time since the horn itself is under the hood right in front of his feet.

Talking about vehicles, I will say that one thing I do not miss is manual locking hubs on 4-wheel drive pick-ups. But I will admit that I had my wife trained pretty well in our younger days to get out and turn the hugs for me.

[mikemike]

Another automotive thing that isn't quite gone but is really close to gone (at least from non-commercial vehicles in the US)

Manual Transmissions

[daacon]

Wow love'em all

Portable 'stereo' with record player - the age of the LP could be identified by the number of pennies required on the stylus.
Local 'sub shop' or 'pizza place' where all the cute high school girls worked (still a few of those around though)
Encyclopedia , Insurance, vacuum door to door salesmen
Rabbit Ears for the television (or a coat hanger)
Milk Cartons used to hold you album collection
Getting car keys cut at your local key cutting or hardware store ....
Mood Rings
Pet Rocks

sooooooooooo many more

[K David]

Films, obviously, but more than that film formats. Sure we can get 120, 135, 4X5, 5X7, and 8X10 readily, for a while at least, but there were a lot of great and now obsoleteformats that would be nice to have revived as limited-run options -- 127, 124/122, and 828 are the ones I have problems finding.

Film cameras, I mean good ones and new ones. The FM10 is kinda junky. Holgas, well, they're nifty for a certain population. But it would be nice to be able to pick up a new film body that's not either silly or ridiculous.

Attractive cars. Computers can make them more slippery and efficient now, but so many looks so much alike that the sameness makes the vast majority of cars simply look blander than a plain yogurt parfait with no toppings.

[condor27596]

I still have my little cartrige camera from 1970. I think 124.

[hks_kansei]

best was when he asked about the horn - he only saw the switches on the steering wheel for the city horn. I told him to just lean on the center of the wheel where it says air bag. He was sitting in a truck stop, and when he did it he jumped bid time since the horn itself is under the hood right in front of his feet.

What on earth is a "city horn"?
I'm guessing a quiet horn for some reason? (modern horns are too quiet, which is why mine have been replaced by air horns)



I do miss many of the old shops, but thankfully I live near a quite traditional Greek area, which means there's still the old fahsioned butcher, greengrocer, and bakery.

[stormtech]

What on earth is a "city horn"?
I'm guessing a quiet horn for some reason? (modern horns are too quiet, which is why mine have been replaced by air horns)

That is exactly right. On our big trucks they are equipped with a city horn and an air horn. The city horn is the same as a regular car horn. I guess it is for a situation like you want to get someone's attention who is walking near your truck the air horn would likely make them jump out of their pants........

[GlennG]

Dunno what green stamps or Big Chief tablets are (I'm in Australia) but the rest are still available. Fuzzy Dice will get you a traffic infringement, though (true). Not allowed to have stuff hanging from your mirror. My local park has both a merry-go-round and a see-saw.

Sounds like I need to move to Australia. You still have the cool stuff there! Honestly, a fine for having dice hanging from the rear view mirror!?

[p38arover]

R
First, I miss the headlight dimmer switch on the floor. It used to be standard but every car had to be a little different now. I have 3 vehicles and each one is a little different. Two moves the blinker forward or back for high or low beam. The new Honda and my GMC truck, the high and low are opposite of each other. On my old 2000 CRv you just pull the lever forward and click it for both, kind of like the old kicker switch but on the column.

I get confused occasionally when I drive my wife's Subaru Forester then get back into my Range Rover.

On the Rangie (like most Euro cars), the turn indicator switch is on the left of the column and the windscreen wiper switch is on the right.

On the Forester (and most Australian cars), they are the other way around.

I regularly turn on the windscreen wipers when approaching a turn.

[hks_kansei]

That is exactly right. On our big trucks they are equipped with a city horn and an air horn. The city horn is the same as a regular car horn. I guess it is for a situation like you want to get someone's attention who is walking near your truck the air horn would likely make them jump out of their pants........

AH, didn't realise you meant truck. That makes more sense!
I thought you meant car, that why I was puzzled.


And yes, the air horns are great for scaring people :P
Expecially since they never expect to hear it come from a tiny car (I have an MX5/miata)

[hks_kansei]

Honestly, a fine for having dice hanging from the rear view mirror!?

I think it's something about obscuring vision.

I've never heard of it being enforced, but then I'm also in a different state to p38rover, maybe they enforce it up there. (after all, those New South Welshman are weird :P )

[Pioneer]

AT&T
American Motors
Willys Jeep
DeSoto
International Harvester
Allis Chalmers
Mack Trucks
Bobble Heads on the dashboard
Canning garden veggies
Using tire irons to pull a tire off the rim
Dual point ignition systems on my Dodge Charger
20 foot diameter satellite dishes
Estes Rockets
Ford Tractors
Raw milk from the farm
Sitting on the blade behind the bulldozer to level the roads and clear the bar pit.
Coal stove to heat the house

And...my dad was the Fuller Brush man, I made the deliveries a week after he made the sales. My grandpa delivered milk house to house and I used to go with him. Early mornings for that one but you were done shortly after the sun came up.

[econojames]

I may be alone in this, but I kind of miss the smell of gasoline from the gas stations...those EPA-friendly nozzles just don't do it for me.

[econojames]

Pioneer, I just saw that you listed International Harvester: I bought a 1950 (April 30, 1950, according to the tag) IH fridge off of craigslist, repainted it, installed a new gasket and some shelf hardware, and am using it right now in my kitchen! It came with a bottle opener built into the latch. This whole thing was inspired by my longing for the "thunk" of the latch on the old GE refrigerator that my parents had for a second fridge in the basement when I was growing up in the seventies.