14 OBSOLETE Car Features... No One Wants Anymore 

Things I miss the most from cars and trucks back in the day. Vent windows. Crank windows. Dimmer switch on the floorboard. Full size spares. Cigarette lighter and ash trays. Manual transmissions. AND, most important, vehicles that could be worked on without the use of a computer.

Dad's statement when teaching me to drive was if you can drive a stick, then you can drive anything.

I actually preferred the manual crank windows. With electric windows, if you want to just crack open the window just a bit, you have to be pretty quick with the switch. Hold the switch down a split second too long and the window wants to go down all the way. Plus, alll of the additional switches and motors used to roll down your window just add to the things that can go wrong. The main thing I miss about older cars is the ability to work on it yourself with just a handful of basic tools.

Manual transmissions are still pretty popular here in the UK, still making up over 50% of new sales.

How about 10 things newer cars have that I don't want?

I was in a tour group of Greece in 1994. We reached Corinth and listened to the tour guide speaking on the area. One member of our tour, asked the tour guide, in all sincerity, if this is where Corinthian Leather originated from. We couldn’t stop laughing. The power of Ricardo Montalban and Chrysler advertising

Having gears rather than an automatic is still the norm in many European countries. Some cheaper cars still have wind-down passenger windows. The new cars don't have any spare, not even a smaller doughnut wheel. They have what looks like a spray can which you use to reinflate the type or you press the button in the car which calls roadside assistance. This is in my 10mth old car.

Learning to drive a straight shift is an experience you’ll never forget! Good memories!

The donut spare tire or some cars don’t even come with a spare is a real disservice to the user. It forces the driver to immediately stop wherever he or she is going and find a place to repair the flat . Back in the old days you would simply put on the full sized spare and just keep going on your way and not have to do anything for a few days or at least until you got to your final destination.

The best part of the old radio was the way you knew how to work it with your eyes on the road. Left knob for on/off/volume and right for tuning. With some of the aftermarket radios and even new car radios you need to pull over and find the operator's manual to figure how to work them.

Oh my goodness the memories! I used to flip the ashtray open and closed when I was in the back seat and drive my parents crazy. Now I am 64 years and have to do something different to make them crazy. Mom insists on setting all clocks five minutes fast so she will be on time, which makes me crazy! We still can't make the car clock the correct time.

Hood ornaments were used to help you keep those big land barge cars in the lane you were supposed to be in. The ornament would be on the line of the edge of the road from your line of sight

I'm still driving a stick shift. A '98 Honda Civic. I purchased my first car many years ago from a coworker. It was a stick, and I had no idea how to drive it. She took me out to a big empty parking lot, gave me about 10 minutes of instruction, and left me to practice. I was pretty comfortable in a couple hours.

I like the CD player there's nothing like going down the road listening to your favorite album on CD 💿

I still miss the stomp switch for the high beams. it always seemed so much safer than having to shift your hand on the steering wheel to get to the switch on the steering column.

The manual transmission is not yet obsolete or unwanted. While it appears to be on life-support, they still exist in new cars. I bought a 6 speed manual 2021 model willingly and enthusiastically (and cheaper than an automatic) knowing it will almost certainly be my last. I hope to keep this car for the remainder of my driving days. I wish manual windows could be found on a car too. All these overpriced "needs" make cars thousands of dollars more expensive which is fine if willing and able to pay for it all but many people can't or should not. Overall a nostalgic look back for those of us old enough to have grown up in cars with these features.

In the 70’s when I got my first job I used my Mom’s car when I had to close. It didn’t have automatic transmission. Then, my boyfriend had a 3 speed manual. He tried to teach me while I would either pop the clutch or burn out from an intersection. He left the car with me one weekend while both of our families went camping. I had to use it for work. I got up at 5 am and drove the car around when the roads were deserted. No one in the car yelling at me if I did it wrong. I learned that weekend. My stepdad always had to have these big Lincoln Town cars. It had a big hood ornament. One morning he gets in the car and starts pulling out of the garage. The hood ornament had got caught under the lip of a table saw. As he backed out he was pulling the saw with him. Then, the saw bumped a tall cupboard. The cupboard fell on the hood and all the stuff in the cupboard fell on the car hood. A Clark Griswold moment. 😂

Ah, the high-beam switch. I remember when they first started moving it to the turn signal lever. You could always tell if you were behind a driver who had just gotten a new car with the high-beam switch on the turn signal, because whenever they dimmed their lights they also turned on the left turn signal. Every single time.

I remember all of these things (I have been driving since 1975). I learned how to drive a manual transmission when my dad bought me a manual transmission car after I learned on an automatic. Took me about an hour. My first car didn't have a radio or cigarette lighter at all; I had to buy and install them. The only thing I really miss from this list is the full-sized spare.

This made me feel even better about my 1950 and 1955 Studebakers with three on the tree, cigarette lighters, crank windows and wide whitewall tires. A little piece of heaven.

I was born in 1985, but this has me feeling so nostalgic and sentimental for all the cars I rode in as a child and early teen. Especially the Change in the Ash Tray and the Way Way Back!

I love the standard transmission, and the cigarette lighter, it was great for getting a fire started when camping

I saw an old Rambler in the grocery store parking lot the other day. I almost wept. I hadn't seen a Rambler since I bought a used one in 1978. It was my first car and I loved it. The power, the comfort, the roominess, and yes, the crank windows.

I remember cars that had the gas filler hidden behind a taillight. :) If you weren't aware of this feature, you could look for a LONG time before being able to fill up a customer's car with gas (this was in the days of full-service, whippersnappers!).

Growing up in the 70’s, this hit different!

I'm almost 70 but learned to drive on an automatic. When I bought my first car, teaching myself to drive a stick only cost a new transmission.

I want to start a petition to get the floor high beam switch back! I feel it was easier and just more convenient.

My first car was a 1956 Chevy. The gas tank was almost dry before I found the gas tank, behind one of the taillights.

I currently own an 03 tacoma. It's a 5 spd manual. It also has crank windows, an ashtray with cigarette lighter, cd player, 1 regular key to unlock it from outside n to start it up. It actually came with tape deck n cd player but that died few years so replaced with aftermarket. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE my ol simple truck!😍👍

In our old 70s family cars, the front ashtrays were filled with cig butts, the back trays filled with used chewing gum 😜

Thank you so much Recollection Road for uploading this great video, I appreciate it!

I still remember Ricardo Montalbahn in the commercial, I remember it like yesterday. Yes I'm old.

In the late 90's I bought a 75 chev 1/2 ton pick up with a 3 in a tree. It was fun watching passengers grab the dash and brace them self's when I changed from 1st to 2nd thinking I was throwing it into park when driving. I remember one of my grandads cars that used to throw the cigarette lighter onto the floor after heating up, you had to be quick if using it

Wind wings are something I miss.

I loved the brights being a button on the floor of the car. Way easier for me to just use my foot.

I am 49 years of age, born in Nov of '73 and I am glad I remember the old cars and trucks, they were easier to manage and nicer to drive.

My car has manual window handles. I love them. They work every time I try to use them.

Most of my cars still have these features. The newest one has four cigarette lighters/ashtrays and a radio/ cassette/ CD player. Talk about a bonus… My first car was a ‘ 64 Nova V-8 with a three on the tree. Pretty good burnouts when you dumped the clutch

Great video! I'm in my 60s, and remember the world back then. I miss it!

I remember vividly checking any car I was driving (owned, borrowed, or rented) for the location of the gas cap, to prevent what I called the "Texsco Two-Step" pulling to the pump and realizing that the filler was on the other side, then having to pull away and come back in the other direction or to the other side. I have had friends who worked at stations tell me that some people would have to try two or three times before they matched the right sidde of the car to the right pump. Now there is a little picture of a pump on your gas gauge to tell youu what side the filller line is on.

I learned to drive a stick shift in a Volkswagen Beetle in the ‘70s. Years later, I taught my son to drive a stick shift in a mid-80s Ford Escort. I owned many cars with crank windows and no air conditioning. I am old so I remember the days when the notable options for a car included “radio, heater and whitewall tires..” And don’t forget the 8-track player and c b radio.

I learned on a stick and used my Cig lighter all the time. ( I do not smoke anymore, gave that nasty habit yo 25 years ago) My boat had four ashtrays , it was a white 76 Ford Galaxy 500. With red seats🤣. I remember the leather ( plastic) seats in my dads black Chrysler New Yorker with , you guessed it RED interior. Boy do I remember those wind up windows ! My Galaxy 500 had the high beam switch on the floor on the left side it used to go clink clink real loud 😅. My outboard Pioneer supertuner radio was the thing to have back then. Honda still provides a full size spare. My Honda Accord has a full size spar tire, not many companies do that any more. As always thank you for these great videos !

Pop-up headlights are definitely something I wanna see come back.

The gear shifter in column and steel keys are so cool

Anybody remember the cowl vent, some referred to them as floor vents. I guess they were dropped when a/c became more popular. I’m 75 and wish the cowl vents were still incorporated as well as highbeam light on the floor and the small vent window on the front doors and brung back the horn ring

I would still want all of these options!!

I was born in 92, but I grew up with cars from the 70’s and 80’s. The way back reverse seat especially was something I loved as a kid and miss. Especially when I bought a 95 Accord Wagon a few years ago: I was so disappointed to see it had no 3rd row. Great video

Standard transmission was great! Lots of torque too!

I remember my first car when I was 16 in 1982. It was a black El Camino with slotted mag wheels and headers with cherry bombs. It had an aftermarket 8 track player. The previous owner left an 8 track of The Essential Jimi Hendrix Experience . I was hooked and bought the 2 record set!

I had several stick shifts in the day, but a knee problems ended those days. One thing I don’t miss is manual windows. Took a while to remember the high beams weren’t on the floor. I miss the fuel filler behind the rear plate, didn’t matter which side the pump was on.

So many iconic accessories that are now obsolete. You nailed the essence of this video! Well done, as always!! The one thing that precedes me is the bigger hood ornaments. I remember my Dad's 70's Lincoln Mark IV having the Lincoln logo for the ornament, also his 70's Cadillac had the classic Cadillac logo as well. If I remember correctly those hood ornaments were stolen quite often by kids who'd then sell them to junk dealers, or others who "needed" them. I say needed because one group probably stole it, and another group probably sold it back to them? As you mentioned with stereos, theft was rampant in the 70's, 80's and 90's. Especially the late 80's and 90's. I had about 4 or 5 stereos, equalizers, amplifiers, and speakers stolen from my cars. My 1974 Firebird was the worst. I had an Alpine💿CD💿player, a 500 watt Yamaha Amplifier, and a set of MTX Terminator box speakers. One huge box, two 15" woofers, two 7.5" midrange, and two 3" tweeters. It was a amazing stereo system. Even my Mom loved it. BUT she blew my Midrange speakers listening to Mötley Crüe's cover of Elvis Presley's Jailhouse Rock! I remember when she got home. She came inside, a foreboding look of grief on her face. UH-OH, what's up? She said I'm sorry but somethings wrong with your stereo. Ugh! We went out to the car. I started the car and YEP, LOL, she blew the midrange speaker. The speakers had a lifetime warranty so no biggie. She was afraid I'd be mad? Nah. But when I got the speakers back after they were repaired, LOL the receipt said due to owner's excessive volume and use. I showed that to my Mom and said YOU, I'M WATCHING YOU! and laughed my butt off. I even did the two fingers to the eyes then at her motion. Then I gave her a huge hug and said it was fine, go jam some more! And she DID! Again these are some great memories except for the theft and stealing!

Parents had a 73' Cadillac El Dorado, white with a black landau top and black/white interior. The hood ornament was so damn big, Flava Flav was like..."Damn!!!!" Loved that car. Back in the 70's they knew how to pimp out a ride straight from the factory 🙂

Never heard of a hood ornament that injured someone, unless it was from a person being shot at for trying to steal one .

The manual transmission also known today as the Millennial Anti-Theft Device.

Another great video! 🚙 👍🏻

I had a couple of older trucks that had the starter on the floor next to the gas pedal. You would turn the key on, hold your heel on the gas pedal and use the toe of your shoe to contort your foot and hit the start button. Those older trucks had a manual choke you had to fool with when you were starting them.

I miss interiors that were other than the boring beige, grey, and black that are all-too-common today.

I miss window crank handles! Really hate the automatic open button. Yes, I remember Three on the Tree--my stepdad had a car with that feature and when a neighbor borrowed the car he trashed it because he didn't know how to shift; dad never got over that. Also really liked the high beam button on the floor--easy to use. Car radios: anyone else remember that the radio had to "heat up" before it would play?

The vent window was the best If you cracked it open just right the semi vacuum of the outside air would draw the defroster air closer to the drivers side of the windshield to defog it quicker Another thing you didn’t mention were the power radio antennas

Great stuff! Thank you for bringing up these memories. As to hood ornaments? I think it had more to do with car washes than pedestrian safety. With the increase in the number of car washing stations and their automated cleaning brushes and wipers, car owners were finding their hood ornaments getting stuck in the brushes or ripped right off their vehicles. Over the years, car manufacturers have responded to that by making their car exteriors ever smoother with fewer protrusions that can get caught or damaged as you drive your vehicle through a car wash. Windshield wipers, radio antennas, and door handles - among others - all have joined the hood ornaments in becoming more blended with the car's body and less likely to be damaged as you clean your car.

Yes, loved that burgundy Rich Corinthian leather. And don’t forget the Landau roof.☺️

Cars also had personality when you looked at their fronts. Look, that one's smiling with bright eyes.

There was an old model of car that had a little blue dot in the middle of the round red tail light. This made the light look purplish/magenta when both colors lit up. I loved seeing those as a kid. I think they were on 1950 Pontiacs and were sometimes installed on hot rods to add extra style. Some sources say they were also on 1930s Packards and Cadillacs to set them apart as luxury cars.

You all remember back when turning on the headlights meant pulling on a knob? Maybe it was a Ford thing (my dad always bought fords). Then eventually one day the knob would come off in your hand, no headlights and you had to get your wife/girlfriend with thinner fingers to grab the rod and pull it out to turn the lights on until the next day when you super-glued the knob back on.

I think that windows should have a hand crank in case of emergency, or if the power windows stop working. At least you can work the windows until you get them fixed.

I learned how to drive on a Stick shift in the early 70s. Was fun to drive. I sure as heck wouldn't say "no one wants anymore". I'd be happy as heck to drive another one again in a new car. Your opinion sir.

Remember the little wing windows at the front? You’d crack it open to your desire and catch a nice breeze without having to lower your window. That window was really handy when you didn’t want to get your hair blown every which way.

When you mentioned that people who don't smoke used the ashtray for change, I laughed because it's so true! I had forgotten about that. Just recently, I was talking to somebody about the two keys that cars used to have. I remember those days so well!

I wonder how many accidents happened when the driver dropped a red hot lighter in their lap!

Rich Corinthian Leather (LOL), Thank You 😀

My first car was a 1967 Mustang. It had a windshield washer (one of the early ones!), but didn't have a pump motor. It had a pedal that was located where the parking brake pedal is nowadays. You'd press on it with your left foot to squirt the windshield! The parking brake was an "umbrella handle" just below & to the left of the steering column. Love your videos, just subscribed!

Another feature, specific to the AMC Pacer. Lots of window glass. Two nicknames for the Pacer were Fish Bowl and Space/Mother Ship

I learned to drive in a 49 Dodge Coronet with Gyromatic transmission. I won't even begin to describe how it worked. Crank handles may have been less convenient but I'd like to have the money I've spent on repairing electric windows. I also liked the floor button for high beams and the fullsize spare tire. Both were safer. If they made larger trunks instead of these chopped of rear ends and small openings you could get a full size tire in it.

Speaking of old sound systems in cars, before the 8 track tape, record players were available for vehicles. And also before the 8 track tape, it was the 4 track tape. For a while, tape decks known as a 48 was available, which played both 4 track and 8 track tapes.

I still have an old Delco AM radio from my dad's 50s Nash along with the speaker. I got it running with a transformer that plugs i to the wall.....works great!

My first car had a column shifter. No column shifters anymore but to this day I still drive a stick shift. Love the little triangular window that you manually pushed open after you unlatched it. (Open this little window and it drew the cigarette smoke out very well also good for flicking your ashes as they would be sucked out. The button on the floor for high beams was cool also.

Terrible joke of the times, as heard in Indiana - Bill: Hey, Bob! You know those new cars where they moved the dimmer switch to the turn signal lever? You know, on the column? Bob: Yeah? What about it? Bill: Well, they had to outlaw that in Kentucky. Bob: Oh? Bill: Yeah. Folks kept getting their foot stuck in the steering wheel! Of course, the same joke was told in Kentucky about Hoosiers, I am certain.

I miss vehicles like this instead of the touchscreen, distraction central, spyware with auto on/off crap in newer cars.

Man, I lived thru all of those! Shows how old I am...I even remember when getting gas the attendant washed the windshield!

Ahh yes, my first car was a 1965 Ford XP Falcon, complete with 3 on the tree , was fun to drive. Thanks for the videos, cheers CB Australia 🇦🇺

Your voice is as comforting as rain on a tin roof...as are the subjects of your videos! I LOVE this channel! I would love to see a survey of the demographics of your subscribers. I bet we're all Generation X! Lol! Thanks for taking us back!

Love all these videos. Thank you. Also I could listen to you all day. Soothing voice. Miss those single sided keys. I used to just look at a GM key and read the codes. Stopped when the double sided came out in 1995

Remember all of it as a child that grew up in the 1960s, I had 3 on a tree & 4 on the floor, I lived in N.California, so it would get hot in the summertime and my parents never had ac in their cars growing up, I even bought a 1986 Honda Civic with 4 on the floor, and 1990 Nissan mini truck, no ac, it was still more expensive to buy a car with ac. My very first car I could afford with ac was a used 1994 Acura in 2000, that’s how long I went without ac in a car……..hey I survived! These are great videos of our memories, love your channel!!

My dad really like car decorations, so I remember curb feelers, those leather straps that dragged on the road, and those windshield-wide sun visors. We never owned a hatchback, so no blinds on the back window.

Thank you for more wonderful memories 😊

I prefer the older cars, they had you more involved with driving. You have to keep your mind involved especially with a standard. I went from 5th to 1st on a mountain once. I hate donut tires they are a pain. When you have a flat you still need to carry the flat

I well remember all of these. I learned on a three-on-the-tree stick shift. I taught my two sons to drive with a four-on-the-floor GMC truck. every one should know how to drive a manual transmission, just in case.......... I don't miss the lighters and ash trays, as I've never smoked. A feature you didn't mention was the vents you could open to allow fresh air to enter the vehicle, on non-AC cars, which were abundant in the '50s. Nice video.

I miss the air vents near the floor where you could open/close them with you foot. Also my first vehicle was a used ‘64 Chevy truck with three on the tree AND a chrome foot for the gas pedal

6:55 Also worth mentioning was all the "hidden" gas fillers. Think '50s Cadillacs, '55, '56, '57', '58 Chevy's, etc.

How about radio antennas?

Modern cars don’t seem so futuristic until a video like this reminds us how old older cars looked

i miss the side window vent. I used it all the time back then.

Seen them referred to as cigar lighters in some 30's-40's advertising.

Another big change in cars is the shaping and placement of lights; older cars the body was shaped around the lights, particularly the headlights; but newer cars the lights are molded into the lines of the body. Also, the front parking lights were usually below the front bumper, but now they're right up beside the headlights.

Good compilation

Am I the only person in his 70's that never rode in a station wagon? Another thing that I remember wasn't exactly part of the car but was the sound of winter to me: chains on the tires to help the rear wheel drive navigate on snow and ice.

After mentioning the “pedestrian danger” of hood ornaments, I was sure you’d have segwayed to the pop-up headlights popular on many sporty cars in the eighties. Cool video though! I remember sitting in the back seat playing with the ashtray on the back of the front seat when I was a wee lad…

The square key, at least in the GM cars I drove in the ‘70s, was for the doors _and_ the ignition.

You should have included vinyl roofs and opera window with the Corinthian leather! LOL!

My Dad had a powder blue 1976 Cadillac Deville. I learned how to drive in that car and drove it for my junior and senior proms in it. Best back seat in the world!