Who knows what car features today’s teenagers will find nostalgic when they reminisce about their very first cars? Perhaps they’ll miss when vehicles weren’t so “smart” and didn’t drive themselves. Or maybe they’ll miss when driving actually meant wheels on the road.
Nobody knows how drastically automobiles will change in the future. But we do know how much they’ve changed since their invention and even in the past 30 years. Here are 10 car features that no longer exist in new vehicles.
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Download Now!Audible turn signals
Does it seem like more and more people are driving for miles with their turn signals on, apparently planning on making a left turn that never materializes? There’s a reason for that. Many modern cars are phasing out audible turn signals. While those noisy little clicks might seem annoying after a while, that’s exactly what made them useful – they reminded you to switch off your turn signals.
Keys
On most higher-end cars, stamped metal keys are becoming a thing of the past. Instead, start/stop ignitions and electronic key fobs have become the new norm. Vehicle doors automatically unlock when the registered key fob is nearby, and once inside, you simply push the button to start. That’s a big change from the turn-key ignitions most of us are used to. Car manufacturers like Mazda and Ford have even created apps to remotely start and unlock your car using a smartphone app!
Simple controls
Texting and driving is extremely dangerous, and a complicated control system could be just as distracting. In a 2015 AAA study, results showed that mental distractions could last up to 27 seconds after using voice commands on select in-car systems. With many new cars using touch-screen controls, things could get even trickier. AAA suggests putting climate controls, radio stations, GPS and other settings in place prior to driving.
Spacious trunks
We’ve come a long way from massive hulks of solid Detroit steel we used to call cars. Now models are sleeker and more aerodynamic than ever. But that also means less room. Many of today’s car owners don’t know the meaning of a spacious trunk. And unless you’re buying a minivan, you can expect to pack some of those weekly groceries in your back seat.
Spare tires
Here’s a car feature that many of us miss. Some cars don’t come with full-size spare tires anymore because trunks are getting smaller. Other car manufacturers are trying to reduce vehicle weight. No matter what the cause, buying a new car with a full-size spare is a rare occurrence these days. In fact, spare tires have been replaced by tire inflator kits on 29 million vehicles in the last 10 model years. But if you’re lucky enough to get one, today’s tiny doughnut tires are only designed to be used for short distances and under 50 mph. Even with run flat tires, buying a new tire or getting a patch becomes pretty urgent.
Ashtrays
Equipped with electric lighters and ashtrays inside the dashboard, old cars were a smoker’s heaven. Those in-car ashtrays were even great for non-smokers as the ultimate coin compartment. However, most car manufacturers have shied away from ashtrays and opted to install more tech-focused car features, like phone charger ports.
Radio antennas
If you remember when cars had ashtrays, then you probably remember when cars used to sport whip antennas. Were they unsightly? Kind of. But most people used those long radio antennas as a chance to give their cars a little spunk. Back in the day, you could spot countless raccoon tails, smiley face balls and other neat trinkets on top of those wiry menaces. Now most cars have much shorter fixed antennas.
Vent windows
Vent or “wing” windows are another one of those car features staple to older cars. The small triangular windows were found on both the driver and passenger sides and could be rotated inward to get some fresh air. On days that weren’t too hot, you could skip opening the main window and still get some ventilation going without messing up your hair. So, what happened to all the vent windows? Two words: air conditioning.
Hand-cranked windows
Today’s teenagers probably don’t know what a hand-cranked window is. But yes, at one point in time, people had to manually roll their windows up and down. This car feature is almost impossible to find nowadays and that’s probably because most people don’t miss them. In fact, new car owners can rejoice in the power of the window lock. No children will play with the back windows on our watch!
Bench seats
Before seat belts were included in cars, bench seats allowed three people to fit comfortably in the front of most vehicles. You could even fit a fourth passenger if they were small enough. Today’s kids will never know the feeling of squeezing up front with mom, dad and their siblings, but modern cars are definitely much safer!
Can you think of some other car features that no longer exist in new vehicles? Tell us in the comments!
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I hate that I can’t find a vehicle without a console that blocks me into a little box. I have tried many models and SUVs, but the console feels like it is pushing in on my right leg. It is too confining. That is one reason I have held onto my 2003 Taurus. I dread having to buy a vehicle with such a constrictive console. It gets more annoying with every minute.
Also, they need to go back to dashboard controls (like radio, heater & a/c) that give you tactile feedback. That way you don’t have to take your eyes off the road. If I want the radio station that’s on the third button, I can feel it.
Last year I rented a subcompact and it had crank windows! Guess they took one look at my gray hair and figured I’d know how to open the window. I immediately upgraded!
Haha, Janis! That’s hilarious. I’m glad you upgraded!
-Dana 😉
Are we seniors the only ones commenting 😊
Cassette players. My car is a 2006. It has a cassette player, an AM/FM radio and a 6-CD changer. If I buy a newer model how will I hear my music??!
I have Lincoln Town Cars, love the spacious trunks, I keep a full spare, a dinging turn signal. The feature not mentioned, and I have it, is a clock with actual hands (not digital). I like it. I do not find any new cars that I have been in to be smooth – I feel every bump. I’ll take a smooth ride in an older, used car any day over new bouncy vehicles. My third Town Car will be next in a few years. When did we agree to sacrifice comfort for gadgetry?
I had a 1967 Mercury Cougar with a three-speed stick shift on the floor and one of the best features was a pedal on the floor for the windshield wipers and fluid. You didn’t have to take your hands of the wheel to go find a switch and turn it.
Now that is a cool feature! I’m forever trying to figure out my windshield wipers.
-Dana 😉
Anyone remember the “cat whiskers” curb feelers that would audibly scrape the curb so you would not hit it when parking. Side view mirrors that reflected the true distance of the car behind you in the next lane. Why not a backup camera that stays on when driving?
wide whitewall tires!!
I have a 2010 Camry that has a fully-automatic/manual transmission, so the tach is very useful in the manual mode.
How about being able to change a headlight bulb or front turn signal bulb without needing to remove a bunch of stuff like air cleaners,, etc. Also don’t like the change to a knob for selection of drive, reverse, etc. as you need to look to make sure you select the correct position.
The hand throttle was a good thing that most likely not many people remember
Many cars have eliminated the emergency mechanical parking brake. I find discomforting the fact that I don’t have one if the hydraulics fail. Also the stick shifter for automatic transmissions is gone in some cars and I don’t think you can standard transmissions anymore.
Thanks for the correction. It was an odd numbered year, so probably ’65. Before that we had a Plymouth car the size of a boat. It had push button gear selection built into the dash to the left of the steering wheel.
I’m old enough to remember horn rings which worked no matter where you pushed on them. I’ll be darned if I can ever find which part of my combo horn/airbag I’m supposed to hit. Bring back horn rings!
I don’t like to see cd players go.
I must have been dreaming, but I thought I just saw some car that actually has vent windows once more! Hahaha! I was happy to see someone with a brain had realized how great they are for saving fuel rather than using the AC! I want it all:
Vent windows
Roll down windows- if you happen to go into the drink, you can at least get them open to let water in so you can get the door open to get out and swim to the surface!
Non auto-locking to avoid locking your keys inside! (When you have unlocked the hatch to let the dog out and have laid the keys down inside to put his working vest on and grab his BOS (Bag O’ Stuff) , close the hatch and it locks itself… with your keys inside! Grrr
Big trunks
Full size spare tires
Audible signals- which were useless with a car full of teen friends singing along with the radio!
Rain Gutters over the doors!
Antennas to mark your car in the lot!
Floor air vents – to blow up mom’s shirtdress while she slept in the front passenger seat when your sister was driving just for laughs
A “six-body” trunk (salesman’s description for a Chevy Belair in 1961… even though I was 7, I was thinking “Holy Smokes!”
I would retain from the present:
Back up cameras
Seatbelts
Sunroofs
Adjustable outside rearview mirrors (which by the way, I thought up when I was 7 when my dad roll down his window to adjust it and the rain/snow would fly in on me in the back seat..really annoying! I still “invent” things all the time!”
A definite Bring Back item at the top of my list:
A manual choke (had 2 Renault Le Cars with manual transmissions and fold back sunroofs!) the best, even in traffic!
Hi Mary!
Whoa! I’d love to see that. I haven’t seen a vent window since the ’70s. 😉
-Dana
LOL – I remember defining trunks by “numbers of bodies” – too funny!
How about opening windshields, running boards, fender skirts, 4ply tires, point ignitions, round headlights, drum brakes, enamel paint, amp meters, 6volt battery, tons of chrome and AM push button radios.
Hi Kenneth!
That’s quite a list! 😉 Thanks for reading.
-Dana
We called the little windows the elephant ear windows.
We had a early VW Beetle with no gas gauge. If you ran out of gas you would flip a switch on the floor for a little gas so you could get to a gas station.
If you think old cars were safer check out the 59 vs2009 Chevy crash test on YouTube.
66 was the last year for Starfire. They may have recycled the name on some later lesser car.
We had two 66’s. 425 375 HP. Amazing the
I loved the 4 barrel Holley carburetor on my 67 Olds Starfire. Depressing the gas pedal slightly to pass another vehicle would result in a low rumble and silky smooth acceleration.