I will say I borrowed an 04 Accord V6 EX and the radio controls are on the left hand side of the steering wheel... That being said it felt very unnatural to use them on that side. Before steering wheel controls your whole life you have changed the radio with your right hand... They just moved it closer to you keeping the natural motion.

 

OMG those steering wheels scare the heck out of me. I would be scared to have all that stuff in the place that I am using to steer the car. I have enough trouble with just the cruise controls. I always have to look to make sure I press the right button. Those steering wheels are just too distracting. BTW Martingz, yea you're right that interior was pre 8-track, pre stereo, pre FM band.

Dave, I agree our interiors are way more comfortable and luxurious compared to the older cars. When driving an older car you have to put up with little rattles, shudders and inconveniences we don't have today. Unless you are a purist, or dead broke I see no reason for driving a classic (or older) car as a DD. They are nice to take out on a sunny day and just enjoy what you have, but I like my new car also.

incorrigible, I prefer either the 58 Vette or the 84 Vette for interior and exterior styling. One has classic lines, and the other is way futuristic. I find it funny that back in the 80's the future was supposed to be digital dashes, (and a few cars tried them), but for some reason they all went back to analog. Maybe people had trouble reading them, I dunno.

 

67 stingray was best. with a 427

 

Chronos - Laugh, you're right "pre-FM"; I forgot about those days. Some of those wheels do look scary but I like at least one of the layouts. Now this one surprised me! - it is "The Car"... I so wish I had one of these...but as of 09 it had NO controls...



Lax - well that is sort of my point, my right hand is already very close to the radio controls. It just seems very natural for me (and maybe because I grew up with manual transmissions), to have one hand on the shifter and one on the wheel. In that configuration, having the radio controls on the left is perfect. When one is cursing, you are not shifting and as such it doesn't really matter which side those controls are on... If I want to move my hand to change a channel, I'll just reach for the radio not the steering wheel.

 

Owned several pickups prior (for towing), of which the gen 3 v8 Dakota was probably my fav, but so unreliable... One day I turned on the defroster and the windshield wipers came on... I was like geez, what control do I try next!!! lol... last ride was actually a Titan, what a guzzler, but comfy. So really the v6 is my first 'car' in a while. Years ago (ahem...) I did have a 2.6l 4spd capri - so ugly but it would get it.. lets not talk about the 4cyl monza I had for a while after the capri fell apart....

But I have always wished I could have a stang in the stable, but both my and the families priorities won the daily driver budget. I started 'gawking at stangs' with the fox bodies on up and finally grabbed this 09 when I had a chance (great price 17.5k for a v6 premium auto), so you can tell I've been watching them for a few years.... when I say gawking, I mean saying I wish I could buy that right now, but I also need...

 

Dude you had a Dodge Dakota that was trouble? That's sad to hear. I have had a Dodge Ram 1500 (2nd gen) for 13 years and it has been one hell of a great truck. Only trouble I have had is a bad water pump, other than that it has been solid. The 318 I understand is bullet proof.

 

People revolted, that's what happened.

All of a sudden these "Buck Rodgers" interiors started popping up and drivers were saying WTF? Nissan was one of the worst offenders, BTW.

It only took a few years for automotive designers to catch on that almost nobody wanted them.

(Spoken in robotic voice) "Door is ajar......Door is ajar...."
Hey car, STFU!

 

It's been a few years but I think the Dodge K-Cars had the most annoying voice alerts. Then I think the Ford Taurus came in close behind. The K-Car had an annoying voice alert for everything from "Door is Ajar" to "Lights are on" to the seat belt alert also I believe.

 

[QUOTE=martingz;6905706]I was joking about the CD's - that car is older than 8-tracks. 05GT - Even in an automatic, I tend to rest my hand on the shifter. I'm not always driving while clutching the wheel in a 10-2 / 9-3 - sometimes, especially in traffic, one hand is on the wheel, one is on the shifter. Of course I can now hold a beer, shift and change the radio... OK, that was a joke for those without a sense of humor.

Hahahaha. too funny . Remember when we had to hold a tallboy between the legs, shift gears & tune the AM radio with just a ****(no buttons on radios yet)? Yeah, we're slowly getting too pampered as a culture, but evolution cannot be hindered, right?

 

Along with those annoying motorized seat belts!!!!! The digital dash was doomed by glare, changing technology & the resurgence of performance cars that demanded gauges that are fairly accurate, easy to read & can all be viewed at a glance IMO. Mid 80's Jap Crap cars were the worst offenders of interior decadence