10 Old Car Features Readers Want Back

Ask a room full of car people what they miss, and you will need a pot of coffee. Everybody has a favorite feature that vanished from the dashboard.

A red steering wheel inside a vintage car interior.

That is exactly what Hagerty did. In February 2024, Hagerty Media’s Sajeev Mehta published “According to You: Long-Lost Automotive Trends You Miss,” a roundup of reader answers to the question of which trends they miss most.

The column drew comments from readers across the country, and a lot of them agreed with one another. The common thread is a love for cars that felt simple and a little bit wild.

Many of the readers who wrote in remember the cars of the 1960s and 1970s. Here are 10 features they want back, in their own words where we can.

1. CB Radios Left Us Too Soon

Mehta says CB radio’s popularity “left us too soon.” Readers @70AMXguy, @DUB6 and @Dan recall CB radios as useful for road information and trucker camaraderie.

Reader DUB6 describes trucking in the late 1960s and 1970s, when CB use peaked. Reader Dan tells of a cross-country trip when a local trucker, reached over CB, led a convoy around an interstate closure.

Reader hyperv6 added that CB radios are still sold, so the trend is not fully gone. For many readers, the appeal was the feeling of being part of a rolling community on the highway.

2. Wing Windows Were Free Air Conditioning

Readers JohnG, DUB6 and NovaResource all miss vent windows. DUB6’s whole comment was “Wing windows Baby!”

Mehta suggests that their loss tracked with air conditioning becoming standard. NovaResource noted they were likely lost for aerodynamic reasons.

3. Analog Gauges You Could Read At A Glance

Reader Ryknot’s entire comment was “Analog gauges.” Readers TG, TJRL and Trekker made the same point about mechanical simplicity, according to Hagerty.

The contrast is with today’s digital instrument displays. Reader TG went further and asked for “Completely analog vehicles,” using a 1972 F350 as the example.

4. Real Buttons And Knobs Instead Of A Touchscreen

Reader TJRL wrote, “Real buttons, analogue gauges and separate radios & satnav ‘screens’!” The complaint is that a single infotainment screen replaced separate controls.

Hagerty notes the readers who miss physical buttons and knobs in place of touchscreens, and the same roundup counts manual HVAC controls among comments that followed later.

5. Bench Seats Made Room For Everybody

Reader William misses the extra front legroom and the easy slide from passenger to driver. Reader Dennis wants bench seats so a dog can ride alongside.

It is a small feature, but anyone who remembers a bench seat knows exactly what they mean. A front bench let three people ride up front, or let a dog keep the driver company.

6. Colors Beyond Blue, Silver, Red, Black And White

Reader Steve DiNino wrote, “Colors. Try to buy any vehicle that isn’t blue, silver, red, black or white.” He describes modern palettes as very monochrome.

Reader DUB6 recalls distinctive company paint jobs on trucks, which gave fleets free advertising before cheaper all-white trucks took over.

It is hard to argue with that when you look around any parking lot today and see a sea of silver, white and black.

7. The Floor-Mounted High Beam Switch

Reader hyperv6 wrote, “The one thing I wish would comeback is the floor mounted high beam switch.” The commenter contrasts it with stalk-mounted switches and today’s automatic high beams.

It is the kind of detail that only owners of older cars remember, and it comes with fierce loyalty.

8. Three On The Tree Shifters

Reader Jack Daniels Dukes simply wrote, “3 on the tree.” The column-mounted three-speed shifter is linked by the commenter to the 1960s and early 1970s.

For many readers, those three words say it all.

9. The Ball Chiller Air Vent Below The Steering Column

Reader Mike wrote, “I miss the ‘ball chiller’ air conditioning vent right below the steering column.” Not many people would put that on a wish list, which is what makes it fun.

It points to how much personality older dashboards had.

10. Simple, Mechanical Cars You Could Understand

Reader Trekker wrote, “I miss the simplicity of older cars before the advent of everything ‘computerized’.” Trekker also cited visible engines, distinct designs and manual roll-down windows.

Not everyone agreed on everything. Reader Steve Terry, who bought a 1972 Corvette in 1973, said he agreed with everything Trekker said except the power windows, which he sees as a convenience.

Reader Chris Little, remembering the 1970s, wrote that he felt like less of a passenger than a “co-pilot” when riding up front as a kid. Hagerty files that under the heading “The Devaluation of Child Safety?” and notes it is a practice that is now discouraged, so nobody is asking for that one back.

Reader WRLotus asked for turn signals to make a comeback, and Mehta notes that Tesla removed the stalk from the Model 3. Reader Tom Coradeschi pointed out that the old turn signal flasher was a bimetallic strip relay, purely thermal and mechanical.

Readers also mentioned hubcaps, sidewalls, fins and chrome in later comments. These are opinions from readers of Hagerty’s site, not market facts, but they show how much people love the old cars.

Steel Horse Rides