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I will agree that old Frigidaire A-6 is a wonder. It’s crushingly heavy but very reliable and it will sure put out. Even Rolls-Royce used them for years since it was the best that could be made for a large car application.

I’m not as enamored of the York that Ford used. It will indeed put out but seems to have high cyclical loads and takes a lot of power: I’ve watched the idle speed on a Ford 351 Cleveland V8 drop 300 rpm when a York cuts in! The Sankyos seem much smoother, happier to run high RPM and I’ve had pretty good luck with them cooling well though one might not be suited to a Lincoln-sized interior.

IIRC the compressor on my ‘02 VW has some variable displacement system that adjusts capacity as the compressor speed changes; I remember reading a technical description of it. All I know is that it really cools well and fast even in hot temperatures and so far hasn’t demanded any maintenance, something you can’t say for most of a VW.
 
The York compressor was also kind of rough compared to the Frigi. In the Seventies, Lincoln started using the Frigidaire compressor, as I recall, even though it was made by GM.

My '89 Peugeot 405 had a ZF automatic trans that was troublefree. I did change the fluid frequently as insurance.

As for the '88 Fifth Avenue, Iacocca really knew what appealed to old people, didn't he? I wouldnt have been caught dead in one of those back then, but now that I'm older they're starting to look better! Lol.
 
We own an '03 Corolla as one of our cars, and I find that A/C on the really hot Australian days is never lacking, even in Fresh-Air mode at idle. Will easily cool to 68° on the hottest of days.

What seems to help when in any traffic or idling circumstance is giving the car some gas - it raises the engine rpm and seems to increase the efficiency of the A/C. If you have a model with a clutch-fan, you also increase the airflow at the same time, thus cooling the air further.

 

The older Landcruiser we have is also quite good in hot weather, when the thing actually doesn't leak its charge away (Its been to the shop over a dozen times in the last 10 years and NO ONE has been able to find the leak). It doesn't have the electric fan, but a simple direct-driven fan. Works fine, and blows ice-cubes even on hots days. The A/C REALLY takes it out of the Non-Turboed (110hp) Diesel in there though. You can't expect reasonable economy pulling ANYTHING with the A/C on these days.

The car has over 400,000km (~250K miles) - so maybe that explains it.

 

The 93' Bimmer that also hangs around here is reasonable at idle. I don't think that clutch-fan can draw enough air over the car for the A/C to be good in hot weather. Cue the sounds of a RACING electric fan and a squeaky alternator belt... Lol

At highway speeds, the car DOES automatically alter Recirculation rate to some extent, although true climate-control functions only work properly in Fresh-Air mode, which usually works fine at speed, but not speeding-speed...

 

Getting back on topic - Things I like about modern vehicles:

~ Automatic Climate Control (When done properly - mixed air not blowing on your face, ala BMW)

~ Auto-electric windows

~ Extended service intervals (Not the 10-15k miles on BMW from 1990's when Dino-Oil was still used, but today when GOOD synthetics are used)

~ Smooth automatic gearboxes - Not the Double Clutch, Non-Slushbox things... With varying driving habits, they can be "troublesome" and jerky at times (Friends 2011 Ford-Focus)

~ Powerful, yet efficient engines

~ Automatic Intermittent Wipers, Air-Recirculation (Draft-Free)

 

What I don't like:

~ Cars lack individuality (Sounds, Looks, Design etc.)

~ Too many electronic doo-dads... Emissions I can live with - when that extends to ATC, ABS, CSC, DDD and whatever other letter combinations you can imagine, I worry. What if the computer dies in 10 years time? How do I fix these systems? What if the car "loses control" in emergency situations?

~ Cheap, rattly interiors.

~ Cruise-Control controls are not mounted on the indicator stalk, but instead underneath or to the lower side of the wheel, like on a friend's '06-V6 Camry Altise (LE)
 
Automatic transmissions..

IMHO...The best all around gearbox ever made was a Torqueflite, almost its equal would be a C-6 Ford or a Turbo 400 Hydra Matic...for FUN...a pre 1956 Hydra Matic.. they will jerk the paint off the car!LOL, the very WORST EVER, 1961-1964 Olds and Pontiac 4-s Hydra Matic...It was a three speed thing made to be small so the floor tunnel could be lower, ok for someone who drives EASY! but it wont stand up to abuse.."Ask me how I know!" A Torqueflite on the other hand..will take whatever a teenager gives it...how do I know!LOL.
 
I like engine management systems that make newer cars pollute less, perform better, start better and need less fuel and maintenance. But I hate when the "Check Engine" light comes on on many OBD2 cars as they get a few years old! I also like ABS brakes and safety features as well as Bluetooth radios that sync with your phone or Ipod. I don't like FWD cars, transverse-mounted engines, rack and pinion steering, weak FWD transmissions and their limited towing capacity but my daily driver has all these features I don't like as I can't afford any fancy newer all wheel drive vehicle!

 

I don't drive my old cars in winter anymore but I used to and while they started even in very cold weather (I didn't use their block heater), they had some driveability issues while their engines were warming up at -20°F!

I even had a remote starter installed on my 1968 Buick Wildcat along with keyless entry system that I connected to the vacuum-operated power door locks in the late nineties. The remote starter was quite tricky to use and I had to use a solenoid activated by the unused trunk release button of the remote to depress the accelerator a few times to pump the gas and engage the choke/fast idle and to depress the accelerator again after a minute or two of fast idling!  That required recalibration of the high rpm shutoff safety feature of the remote starter to a higher point as the motor would stop when I depressed the accelerator with the factory settings of the remote starter! Making the engine vacuum-operated power locks work with the remote also needed some work but I was able to fix all the small leaks in the system so they would unlock for 2 days after the engine was shut down and I added two electric vacuum valves and reprogrammed the remote control so the impulse for the locking/unlocking sequences would last a few seconds (that was also required for some German cars that had a vacuum/pressure system driven by an electric pump).  I have the same style of power door locks in my 1967 Riviera but I never cared about installing a keyless entry system in it or a remote starter in any other car I had since!

 

I still enjoy using my 1965-75 cars occasionally but I just can't afford it anymore! Those that I have are gas hogs but they don't lack many features from modern cars. My 1965 Buick Wildcat has the mandatory front seat belts, power steering and power aluminum brakes, a variable pitch 3 speed transmission, 2 speed wipers and washer, tilt steering wheel, a remote outside mirror and a day/nite inside mirror, backup lights, chrome plated wheels, front and rear center armrests, a clock, cruise control, a trip odometer,  a two-speaker AM-FM radio, map and courtesy lights, two lighters (that now serve as power outlets!) 6 way power seat,  power windows (and power vent windows), vacuum operated power trunk release, power antenna (that's getting old school as new cars don't have long antenna masts anymore!), a limited slip rear axle and a rear window defogger (blower).

 



 

My 1967 Riviera GS has the previous features (less the trip odometer that wasn't available in 1966-69 Buicks, less center armrests and a 4-way-only power driver seat as bucket seats couldn't get 6 way power like bench seats had). In addition, it also has power disc brakes with 4 piston calipers, vacuum operated power locks, 2 rear seat belts, cornering lights, full instrumentation, console shift, fast ratio power steering, a factory stereo radio and air conditioning with manual controls.

 



 

My 1975 Electra lacks about 1/3 of the power that my older cars have with just 205 horses and 345 lb/ft of torque...It's smog-era 455-4 barrel engine has to move an extremely heavy body and unhappy 2.73 gearing (still has a limited slip axle though), it has no variable pitch torque converter (cost reduction) and no tilt steering wheel (because it has airbags) but otherwise has all the options the Wildcat has. In addition it also has power disc brakes with single piston calipers, an heavy duty 80 amps internally regulated alternator, cornering lights, a 4 speaker stereo radio, a split seat with 6 way power on both sides and seat belts for all 6 passengers, automatic level control, firm ride suspension, a speed alert with trip odometer, a fuel economy gauge (!), a "low fuel" warning light, a headlight-on reminder (buzzer and indicator light) automatic climate control, an electric rear window defogger (not a blower on this one!), dual exterior remote-controlled mirrors, automatic power door locks (that allow to unlock all doors from outside with the key and that unlocks/locks doors automatically as you shift in and out of park), driver and passenger side airbags, 3 speed wipers with variable delay and a mist feature, HEI ignition, door warning lights, an illuminated vanity mirror and a light monitoring system. 



Many idiot lights but still no "check engine" light!



 

Many of the features above are lacking on my daily driver (an already 13 years old base model Camry V6)! The features that I miss the most are the automatic a/c and map lamps... I had these in many old cars but my Camry lacks them, it's also the only car I have that has wheelcovers rather than aluminum or chrome-plated wheels! I also hate the look of most modern plastic wheelcovers! Even old dog dish caps looked great compared to plastic wheelcovers!

philr++3-5-2014-22-58-21.jpg
 
Stan, what's the engine in your '76 Grand-Prix? 350? 400? 455? My father had a '77 base model with the 350 when I was born. the 1973 Delta 88 is one of my favorite Oldsmobiles. 

 

One of the few I saw with the base wheelcovers, a cloth bench seat and no SJ or LJ package.  Here I was 1 1/2 years old with my then 4 years old cousin who's still a great friend of mine!

 



 

My first car ride ever!



 

Well, in fact, it was in this car but I wasn't born yet! I did ride in it quite a few times after I was born as my parents had sold it to my uncle (my cousin's father and another great friend of mine) by the time I was born but he kept it many years and I liked it very much (probably why I owned so many Buicks)! My mother didn't like the vinyl bucket seats that were cold in winter, that's why they got a Grand-Prix with a cloth bench seat just nine months after they purchased the 1976 Century!

 
I guess my wire-grid rear defroster!

The 1st my family had was on our 1986 Chevy Celebrity! We NEVER had to scrape that backlite, only move that bit of frost over the 3rd taillight to that heated area!

Funny how my mom in her later years, despite having cars w/ that feature DID scrape that window even w/ it on! (I tell my wife not to--just help the windows that don't have that advantage!)

And my idiosyncrasy with it, is that I count on it to remove even heavy snow--which unfortunately it's not really designed to do...

-- Dave
 
Depends on how far back you want to go.

There's no question to modern mid-range cars are far more reliable and efficient that cars of yesteryear.

I have several cars, ranging in vintage of 1950, 1964, 1967, 1978, 1997, and 1999. The '99 easily is the most reliable, comfortable, and efficient of the lot. And it would qualify almost as a vintage car now!

Things I like about cars of 90's and later vintage: disc brakes (drum brakes tend to require more maintenance and do not perform as well as discs), four or more speed transmissions (automatic or manual), much improved occupant protection (several of my cars have metal dashes etc. and could be killers in a crash one would walk away from), greater reliability, greater ability to extract more kinetic energy from a gallon of gas, better rust-proofing, better handling, etc. A car from the early 50's might last 70,000 miles before it needs a major overhaul. The parts and alloys and engineering just don't last as long as modern parts.

What I like about older cars: no need to smog them every two years, easier for an owner to work on (no complicated computer controls, emission gadgets, etc), less plastic (in the case of the 50, very little plastic - mainly on emblems, signal light lenses, and some door and control knobs). And yes, they can be real conversation starters.
 
Yes, reliability ...

Cars that start on the first try.

Tires that never get flat!

I love how well-engineered and solid the doors are. Even the better cars back in the '60s and '70s had doors that slammed shut with a tinny clang. Today, even the cheapest cars have doors that shut with a hushed "WHOOP", just like the Mercedes of old.

As much as I hate the needless computerized complexity, I DO love satellite radio, and being able to sync my iPhone with the sound system.

Electric side mirrors. Sounds like a silly extravagance until you use them just once when parallel parking.

Remote control door locks and trunk access. Nothing was more maddening during the winter when your locks iced up and you couldn't get your key in.
 
John, if you're curious to see more GM cars with airbags, have look at this group on Flickr:

 

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1619498@N22/

 



 

Dave,

Electric wire grid defrosters became available in the mid-late 1960s. If I recall correctly, Volkswagens (who had poor heating systems) had them by 1967. It became an option on many american cars in that period.

By the late-seventies, the blower-type was quickly disappearing from the option list of most models and the wire grid even became standard in some cars. As an example, it was standard on all full size Buick models by 1976 (but the blower-type could still be ordered for those who wanted a small credit!). 

 

 

 

The text is in French but look for

"Désembueur de glace arrière (ventilateur)" (blower)

"Désembueur de glace arrière (électrique)" (wire grid)

 "L" is for Optional and "S" is for Standard.



 

 

 
 
Phil . . .

I'm curious, why don't you like rack and pinion steering? Steering precision is one of my pet peeves and I've found it hard to really warm up to a car without rack and pinion steering. It's been around that I know of since before WWII so is hardly new.

 

BTW the Camry during the time yours was built was available with a very good climate control system. My mother insisted on climate control when she bought her 2000 model, and like most of the car it has been trouble free.
 
As someone who drives new cars as part of my job I really appreciate all of the technology and safety features.  One feature/option I don't think has been mentioned is how some vehicles are equipped to adjust their height once they reach a certain speed to improve the aerodynamics and gas mileage.  The Jeep Grand Cherokee's I've driven have this feature, and it really helps improve fuel economy.  Satellite radio, hands free phone, cruise control, better soundproofing, and many other goodies have made driving today a whole lot more pleasurable and safer.
 
Aerodynamics . . .

Although today all manufacturers pay attention to aerodynamics, quite a few have been doing this for decades. Saab, Porsche and Citroen all tested cars in wind tunnels at least as scale models before 1960, building on studies done by various others (Paul Jaray and Wunibald Kamm come to mind). In the case of Citroen although the hydropneumatic suspension didn’t adjust car height as a function of speed it did automatically level both front and rear whenever the engine was running and so assured that the car was level under all conditions, an important concern with aerodynamics. They also used aluminum underpans under the engine compartment to reduce drag, and provided discrete ducting for airflow to both the radiator and front brakes. Photo is of an SM model in the wind tunnel in the late ‘60s, when introduced in 1970 the SM achieved 135 mph with a 170 hp 2.7 liter V-6. That increased to 142 mph with the introduction of fuel injection in late ‘72 which allowed an extra 10 hp for 180 hp. The SM is a rather large and plush car and could not have achieved this without excellent aerodynamics.

Without question the fastest SM ever is the Bonneville car owned by Jerry and Sylvia Hathaway here in LA. During the ‘80s Sylvia achieved 206 mph in that car with a heavily turbocharged 3 liter engine. Much work was required on the engine but the body shape is virtually stock and had no stability problems. For convenience with the turbos Jerry replaced the stock triple Weber DCNFs with a Holly 650 carburetor, he told me that he tried a Holley 750 but it was too large even at those speeds due to the overall efficiency of the shape.

hydralique++3-6-2014-10-50-25.jpg
 
I have some mixed feeling on the reliability issue. Yes older cars did require more frequent maintenance but how many times did you hear "the engine still ran but the body fell apart" On newer cars it seems like a hit or miss. Some are really good and others not so good.

The biggest problem i have with most newer cars is the size. Being a tall male limits how many vehicles i can fit in comfortably. It seems like Crew cab trucks have replaced older large Buicks, Olds, Caddys....etc

In any case, i like most of the features mentioned by others but have been really spoiled by Automatic climate control, power running boards, and when i put the key in the ignition it remembers all of my settings, seat adjustment and so forth. Oh and lets not forget the automatic wipers. I also believe safety has come a long way.

Does anyone remember the heated windshield from the late 80's and early 90's?
 

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