We didn’t realize how good we had it

[64\/54Cadillacking]

I just realized something. After owning vintage Cadillacs for most of my life, including other cars from different years, it has struck me how amazing our old Cadillacs really are, and how even with all the cost cutting that took place during the 70's and 80's, the fundamental belief of the big 3 for many decades was to still build the most solid, smooth comfortable riding cars in the world.

And honestly, I don't think people back then knew how good they had it when it came to buying full sized Cadillacs until the end of the '92 or '96 Brougham/Fleetwoods.

Compared to a modern day Cadillac or even some Cads and regular cars built in the mid 80's on up, the US auto industry moved heavily towards FWD platforms which is a cheaper more cost effective way to build a car.

But since the 1920's up until the '96 Fleetwood, all Cadillacs were extremely massive vehicles that were BOF, with a very large wheelbase that was designed for extreme comfort. This was an expensive proposition and you can also say this was the standard way of building cars in general from GM to Ford to Chrysler/Dodge for many decades and it was the best way in terms of durability.

Did it ever occur you, especially for the older gentleman and ladies (Laurie  ) here, that you saw a serious decline in the way cars were built over a period of time?

I'm not necessarily talking about the quality of the cars, but more in terms of the platforms? All American mid to full sized sedans for many years were all RWD V8 powered BOF construction.

But by the 80's with all the downsizing and CAFE standards implemented by the U.S. government I personally think this is why we currently have cheap unibody FWD cars today. It all started about 40 years ago.

Flash forward today and the majority of all sedans from small to midsize, are all FWD unibody cars that will never ride as smoothly as a big full framed Cadillac. You're going to have to step into a new $120,000 S-Class or 7-Series for that to experience something equivalent to our vintage Caddy's.

Taking a look underneath our full sized Cads, you will see a large durable frame with a double wishbone front suspension and rear 4-link coil spring suspension or leaf springs depending on your year with no plastic or aluminum parts to speak of. It's as simple as that, yet its simplicity is currently too expensive to build today for a full size luxury sedan and I'm not talking about new trucks which have kinda taken the place of our old big Caddies.

The cost to replicate what was a standard way of building Cadillacs back in the 1920's-70's would be astronomically expensive today for GM. This is why I feel that our vintage Cadillacs are that much more special to own because of how they used to make cars back then. Today, it's all about maximizing a profit, build a car as cheaply and quickly as possible and focus your marketing efforts and engineering team to make sure the vehicle is as technologically advanced as possible, and let's not care about true riding isolation and supreme comfort.

I still get amazed and excited when I drive my Cadillacs. Even after all these years, it's like the more time passes on, the more I realize how much I cherish and appreciate them. New cars are getting uglier and cheaper feeling, and when I step into my '54 or '64 Cads, it always dawns on me "how were they able to make such high quality beautiful cars with such precision"? That will never get old as I am continuously impressed by what used to be the "standard of the world".

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Body on frame has several inherent advantages including durability, noise isolation and is more or less a required design for front engine RWD configuration which is the best for weight distribution. It is also far more suitable for towing/hauling.

The advantages of unibody/FWD are mainly lower manufacturing costs and better crash protection. That said, unibody-FWD has come a long way over the years but front suspension will not tolerate harsh use/road conditions as older RWD cars can.  Towing capacity is minimal, if at all.     

[z3skybolt]

Never to be again,

Even my 1940 LaSalle sedan gives an impressive, smooth ride.  To say nothing of my 1985 "Brand X Cadillac competitor" which amazes me with it's smooth ride each time I drive it.  Owned it since new.  256,000 miles and still rides like a .... well.."like" a Cadillac.

Bob R.

[64\/54Cadillacking]

Exactly, both of your statements (Eric, Bob) completely resonate with me.

Although I love the full size Lincoln's as well, and in many cases, they had a better ride than Cadillacs starting from the 70's
thru the last Town Car made, they really screwed up going to a unitized construction in 1958-69 with its 4 door Continentals.

I used to own a '61 Lincoln Continental for about 10 years, and although it was a very well made car, it looked elegant and rode nicely, it never gave me that isolated "floaty" feelings like how my '64 Cad does. You felt more planted to the ground in the Lincoln.

The body was very rigid and I don't remember it ever squeaking or rattling, you just felt the little vibrations and cracks from the road that you don't feel from their later BOF models of the 70's, including Cadillacs. Rust was always a major problem for those cars too.

I will say that modern unitbody construction has improved in rigidity and road isolation. One example is the awesome and very smooth Lexus LS430. It takes great engineering and high build quality to make them ride the way they do.

At the same time however, more sound deadening materials need to used to quiet down the interiors which can get very expensive. BOF vehicles don't need as much of it to get the job done.

Hail to our big ole beautiful Cadillacs. 

[jwwseville60]

The old Caddies get serious respect.
Everyone at the gas station always have great stories to tell.
Modern cars including Caddies look like sci-fi space ships with insect eyes.
Id rather drive my 1963 Fleetwood than own the newest Ferrari or premium SUV.

[billyoung]

I do not have a problem with modern safety factors built into cars,  the problem I have is ALL modern cars are generic copycat boring disposable conveyances that lack any individuality or style. They remind me of the Groucho Marx scene where he is selling suits and a guy walks in and says I am looking for a suit and Groucho says here is a nice suit $50.00 and the guy says I was looking for something a little nicer and Groucho says alright it's $100.00. A brand new Rolls Royce passed me the other day all black no chrome anywhere and black wall tires. I said who in the hell would pay a fortune for that?. A friend of mine took a picture of two Cadillac's at his local dealer and at home photoshopped Hyundai grill's on them I honestly could not tell the difference. Back in the day when there were a choice of 21 colors and several different interior color and fabric choices as well as options you could order your car personalized to you. EXCITING ! now BORING ! Oh, and the Escalade is an expensively trimmed Suburban ( The King's new clothes ), One Mans Opinion

[bcroe]

There is another problem in that when all that
latest tech stuff starts failing, it will not be
possible to maintain a car any more.  DISPOSABLE,
unrepairable long term.  AND some no longer offer
a factory service manual.  You must be a dealer,
pay a big fee, go on line to get info.  When the
mfr dscides the car is too old, that support will
just vanish.  Bruce Roe

[billyoung]

Correct Bruce, and also plastic everything that when ultraviolet rays dry it out the plastacisers leave and it becomes brittle as well as discolored.

[2011DTS]

Thumbs up to what everyone said. The sad truth is that cars today are appliances. When was the last time a neighbor came over when you drove a new car home and spent 30 minutes looking at it and saying good buy?? As Bill said you use to go to the dealer and pick from 30 differnet colors and half a dozen types of interiors, not today. And not to go off on a tangent but when was the last time you purchased a car and the salesman or saleslady knew anything but the basics about the car, and most importantly could make a deal?? Yes cars are many times safer and are better put together but for the buying experience might as well be at Sears getting a washing machine (if they were still around). Ok I will put my horn down now.....   

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

These days, cars are just a means of transport.

They are computer designed to meet all Federally required constraints, hence they all look the same.   Painted in the most dangerous colours for road safety, especially at dawn and dusk, and one buys them by choosing what the dealer has in stock, and wants it now, and how much the Monthly Leasing costs are.

In a lot of cases, if one dealer hasn't got what you want now, they walk across the road to another brand, and eventually drive away.

No brand loyalty now, just how cheap, no matter which foreign country it comes from.

If a foreign country feels like it, they can simply turn off the computers that control the car, and it don't go.   Remember that GM can remotely start your car, but that also means that they can also stop it.

Bruce.

[billyoung]

Correct, I tell people my 1968 Cadillac is not a smart car it is a dumb car. if you don't turn the key it just sits there and when you do NO ONE knows when and where you are going.

[jwwseville60]

Bruce is right. You all are.
My wife's Mercedes is a hornet's nest of issues with these new big screens. They tout it as having "artificial intelligence." Horseshit. Its monstrous. Just changing the radio channel is a pain. Dangerous stuff.

Grey, white and black....most people choose these colors. Yuck. Grey interiors. Sorry, "charcoal."
Big giant dumb wheels are not needed at all. That trend came from moronic music celebrity demands in Los Angeles. Engineers will tell you no car needs more than a 20-inch rim for brakes/handling.
All black everything cars are a dime a dozen. Is this a conspiracy? Im depressed just looking at them!
Modern cars ride HARSH.

It never ceases to amaze me how some Caddies survive so well. Yes, Ive bought rust buckets too, but when I bought my 61 with 46K miles on it, it shocked me how good it was all over. People by and large took great care of Caddies; they were a keepsake item, an heirloom. GM never thought they would survive more than 25 years at most, but they did, and with dignity.

When I was in high school in 1980, people chose their rides out of passion and love for design. Respect for Caddies was huge.
I'd rather sleep in the back seat of a derelict Caddy by the side of the road broken down than drive a Lyriq or some other tech monster. I love being a Luddite.

[Lexi]

I'd rather sleep in the back seat of a derelict Caddy by the side of the road broken down than drive a Lyriq or some other tech monster. I love being a Luddite.

Back in the day I once had to spend the night in a derelict Caddy. Long story short, I loved it and even then remembered thinking that was cool and glad it was not a newer car. Clay/Lexi

[billyoung]

Doing the months of backbreaking sweat work rebuilding my 1968 Convertible alone has been a vertical uphill climb at age 68 however I am starting to get fired up about saving this car and what it will look like in the not to distant future. Maybe I had to rescue just one more of these monumental works of Automotive art. Nothing looks like em, rides like em, smells like em and drums up such emotion as they do. If I had a time machine all oiled up I would go back to 1968 and stroll into Valley Cadillac and sit down with a salesman and order my brand new one built just to my specification. I can think of few things more exciting than coming in to pick up my new 1968 DeVille Convertible and firing it up and driving it out of the Dealership for the first time and cruising down the Boulevard. They truly were the best that America had to offer.

[64\/54Cadillacking]

I'm enjoying reading all the awesome comments! 

It's so strange at times when I take my '64 out to drive, it's like people are shocked to see a car that old and big on the streets.

Because where I live, you don't see classic cars on the road at all. Only at the local car show but that's like once a year.

So the majority of the time, all I see is modern cheap rolling pieces of plastic driving around everywhere.

What I love about our old Caddies too, is the solid feeling of all the materials, the heft of the doors, chrome metal door handles, heavy hood and trunk, even all the switches that used to be metal. Thick plush pile carpeting vs the fuzzy mouse hair crap that you get today.

I've also seen a newer Rolls Royce recently and to be honest, my 78 Lincoln Continental with the RR grill, looks a hundred times better than the modern version. At least on the Lincoln there's still lots of real exterior chrome, classy touches such as opera windows, B pillar lights, and stainless trim. Not so on that new RR. Plus the Lincoln's were even longer overall than the Rolls at 233 inches.

Our cars are definitely gems, and need to be preserved and cherished as such forever as long as we are all still kicking and breathing.