The good ole days

[64\/54Cadillacking]

As I was sitting inside my 64 Cad earlier today, it just amazes me, even after many years of owning this car, how beautifully constructed it is. The quality of the materials, the fit and finish, all the chrome details, how solid everything feels, the thickly padded leather seats, how solid feeling the control knobs are just everything about it far surpasses anything made today.

Same feelings can be said for my 54 as well with its Sherman tank like build quality. It shocks me how much steel, leather, chrome and everything else it must have taken to build these cars when new.

My daily driver is a 2007 Lexus LS460 L, and its a wonderful car to drive with air suspension and every luxury option you can think of, 4 zone climate control, reclining rear seats, a small cooler in the back, it even parallel parks itself, a first of its kind back in 2007. You simply float down the road like an old Caddy does, but even though the car is well built and has been very reliable, not every piece in the interior feels high quality. My 64 Cad blows away 99% of interiors in new cars today, this includes my Lexus.

It's so sad to see how disposable newish vehicles have become, sure they're more reliable than ever before to some extent, but everything is snapped together with cheap plastic components not screwed or bolted down like they used to be.

Too much hard grainy plastic even on high end luxury rides. Seats are still hard as rock, window switches, seat switches, are made out of thin plastic and feel flimsy. Cars today are built  without much craftsmanship at all. Too many things flex and move when grabbed and tugged upon.

Also, the fact that Cadillacs from the 1920's all the way up into the 90's with the 96 Fleetwood being the absolute last year used a full body-on-frame design.

This gave ours cars such an advantage over anything else on the road. You could tow a trailer or a small house with such design. The cost to build and construct our cars today would literally be financial impossible for GM to do. The ride quality,  quietness and NVH completely surpass even the newer unibody vehicles built today.

The older I get, the more I appreciate my cars. As the newer stuff simply has never excited me even when I was a teen and in my 20's. 1990's-2000's vehicles lack any sense of great styling for the most part. The 80's sorta still continued with the typical Cadillac traditional styling. But for the most part, it all ended by the late 70's.

I never grew up around any old Cadillac, my parents never owned one. My dad however owned a 83 Olds Cutlass Supreme which was really nice, but that's about it. When getting behind the wheel of my Cads, especially during Christmas time, playing some Frank Sinatra, Nate King Cole, Andy Williams, takes me back to a time when I am sure, were the good ole days.

[cadillac ken]

^^^ Absolutely sir.

I have noticed the same-- and my appreciation of it only grows with every year of ownership when comparing it to the newer cars.

The only thing I can grant the new cars is the mechanicals of the engine.  When we were kids we'd look at a car with 100K miles on it as done for.  Now properly cared for engines can run nearly flawlessly for over twice that.  Think about it, how many newer cars do you see smoking from the tailpipe burning oil?  I don't see many anymore.

[signart]

I think you will find that the two and three hundred thousand mile engines began with modern fuel injection, including throttle bodies.
The carbs were never as efficient even when new and progressively worse as time went on, keeping the cylinder walls rinsed of the lubrication needed for longevity.

[wheikkila]

I can't agree more. I love driving my old cars. Most of the time. There are times in the summer it is hard to enjoy them when the heat is over a hundred degrees. But I would still rather drive them over anything. My newest vehicle is a 1990 Chevrolet truck. I know, one day I will have to replace it as my daily driver. When it comes I guess I will be looking for an EV. Happy motoring everyone.
                   Thanks Wayne

[64\/54Cadillacking]

I want to take my 64 out for a short cruise, but it's raining today in SoCal. I love the rain as we desperately need it out here so I can wait.

What I find fascinating is how for many years Cadillac only offered a V8, the brand knew that you can't get the same kind of refinement from a V6. The whole point of driving and owning a luxury car at the time was for pure comfort, performance, lots of interior room and iconic styling.

This has all changed thanks to the EPA control.  Modern cars built since the 90's with fuel injection truly made a much more reliable vehicle. No issues of fuel leakage, or seepage, they are much more efficient for sure and are smoother running overall with no need to adjust any idle mixture screws. Everything was computer controlled.

But the nature of having something all mechanical makes for a completely different experience in a good way. Our cars are treasures and a piece of history. They will never build anything like them ever again.

[pmhowe]

C. Asaro, You pretty much captured my feelings, as well: I love looking at my car, I love sitting in it and imagining its history, I love working on it, and I love driving it. Mine is a little older (1935) and hence a little more mechanical, but the beauty and the quality are definitely there. Thanks for posting, and have a great Christmas and new year.
Phil