Interactive Quiz. A little humor for those over 50!

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Travelafar:

I had your problem, but in reverse.  I bought an '84 Monte Carlo, brand new, first BRAND NEW car in my OWN name.  Driving it off the dealer's lot, it was just getting dusk, so I turned on the headlights.  They came on bright, and I was searching all over the floor for the dimmer switch.  I just couldn't find it, and before we should have an accident, I pulled off the side of the road and we got out the manual.  Found it on the steering wheel.  What a dumb place to put a dimmer switch.....  ;D  But I LOVED that car anyway and I got used to finding the dimmer switch on the steering wheel.

Daisy
 
My buddy has a 58 Edsel with the push buttons in the center of the steering wheel. Anybody have one of those? It has been a long time since I rode in a car that big. Talking about clutches reminds me of my Cortina which was an English Ford. Worst car I ever owned :-[ The clutch cable had a habit of breaking at the worst possible moment, I came close to stuffing the vehicle in front a couple of times. To get home I would start the engine in first gear, shift without the clutch then try to avoid stopping at lights.
 
Well, I'm old and have had many cars & trucks with the dimmer on the floor.  I don't remember when they stopped & switched to the steering stalk, but I still have a '81 Ford PU with the floor button.
 
I am running around in a 1985 Jeep CJ-7 with the dimmer button on the floor,
and I like it there. . . . .As God intended.
 
I'm with you Larry, my 1996 Ford Windstar has the dimmer, the wipers, the windshield washer and the intermittent wiper operation and of course the blinker lights,  all on one little handle at the left of the wheel. I am sure most cars are that way now. In the olden days I did not have to put my brain in gear to dim the lights. I love technology.. ;)

Carson

 
Ray D said:
I first drove a Model A in 1943. I was 8 years old. Lived on a farm. I'm not too clear on the levers, but think I recall that they were gears. I remember a sight glass for gas, but not sure that was on the Ford. Mostly, I drove the horses and the mules, that being in SW Missouri. When I went to town to sell produce, I drove the horses, towing a wagon. Coming home, I sat on the back and watched the scenery. The horses knew the way, knew to stay on the right side of the road.  ;D

Ray D  ;D
Click to expand...

One is the throttle and the other was the distributor advance.
 
So who remembers these? 13 HP, air cooled single cylinder, 4 speed manual trans, 4 wheels (rears 22 inches apart making it look 3 wheeled. 3 wheel models available in Europe, never "officially" imported to US) Enclosed oil bath chain drive with solid rear axle. Shift with left hand, headlight dimmer on stalk on steering column, Dyna-start (starter and generator combination) steering wheel swings out with door. In stock condition 0-60 is impossible, stated max speed is 54 MPH. 65 MPG, 3.4 gal fuel tank, 10" wheels/tires. 770 pounds, all models had sunroof as second exit from vehicle.

Wish I had my other computer with more pictures, but this one gives you the idea.
 

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They were made by Heinkel, and were known as the Cabine, or the bubble car. It's possible that Chris' Pennings' family Rover business gave one away with every Rover they sold.
 
I had one in 64 or 65 . Bought it for $50 in perfect condition. More fun. It was a toy, and that's all. No room for much more than a briefcase behind the seat.  ;D

Kept it for 3 or 4 months, and sold it for $200.

Constantly aware than in any kind of collision, I would take second place.  :eek: 

Ray D
 
How about a Messerschmitt? I have one although it is mostly (all) rust and in pieces. It was my first car and I have never been able to part with it. 1955, they were called cabin scooters, 200cc 2-stroke motor that rotated in opposite direction in reverse. That gave it 4 speed forward and 4 speed reverse. The top lifted off and swung to the side. 2 wheels in front and one in  the back....it sure was alot of fun when I was a kid.
 
bucks2 said:
So who remembers these? 13 HP, air cooled single cylinder, 4 speed manual trans, 4 wheels (rears 22 inches apart making it look 3 wheeled. 3 wheel models available in Europe, never "officially" imported to US) Enclosed oil bath chain drive with solid rear axle. Shift with left hand, headlight dimmer on stalk on steering column, Dyna-start (starter and generator combination) steering wheel swings out with door. In stock condition 0-60 is impossible, stated max speed is 54 MPH. 65 MPG, 3.4 gal fuel tank, 10" wheels/tires. 770 pounds, all models had sunroof as second exit from vehicle.

Wish I had my other computer with more pictures, but this one gives you the idea.
Click to expand...
I do remember those. We purchased a new one (red). I think, maybe 1958, maybe around 900.00. Believe it was called an Iseta or something similar.
 
On a 48 Austin they had a flag well it was metal that flipped out from the door post area to signal a turn. Straight out for left or straight up for right. :eek:  Or anyone remember how to hand signal, left turn right turn and slowing down?
 
[quote author=ironrat].... they had a flag well it was metal that flipped out from the door post area to signal a turn.[/quote]

Used to call them semaphore signals.
 
We had an old Henry J Kaiser when I was in high school. quite a little car.  Was a stick shift, had a funky after market heater that was wierd.  Also had a choke.  My dad had been a body man at some point in his life and if I remember correctly, he fixed it up and painted it.  we drove it for a few years.  he had another he was going to fix up but never did. 

Kids teased me in the year book and said I was driving in the Indianapolis 500 with my Henry J.  They were a car before their time.

I learned to drive on an old 52 Ford pickup
 
I learned to drive in a '48 Packard Limo. (jump seats and all) that I found in a field and bought for $75 (about '57). Later bought a Cadillac V12 out of that same field; today it's probably worth more than I am!
Actually, one of the better cars I have owned; interior was perfect and it had a big straight eight that would hum along at 70-80 MPH all day (once it got there!).
Ernie
 
My first new car was a 1960 VW Beetle; no heater (manifold blower doesn't count) and no gas gauge (just the reserve lever accessing the last inch or two of gas in the tank). The car never failed to start and I was really upset when it was -15?, I was the only car on the block to start and had to drive 20 miles to an appointment, the manifold heater useless. Also, Marlene always managed to be driving when the fuel cut off requiring the fuel reserve lever, but never seemed to remember to fuel up right away. But she always managed to run out of fuel in front of a gas station and was able to coast to the pump. I wasn't so lucky and came up with the brilliant idea of refueling every 250 miles on the odometer. Worked well for a few months and then missed the refueling stop and had to go to the reserve. After a long period of non-use the nozzle on the tube had clogged and we needed the fuel tank cleaned. :'(
 
BernieD said:
My first new car was a 1960 VW Beetle; no heater (manifold blower doesn't count) and no gas gauge .......
Click to expand...

Bernie, my NEW 1963 VW Beetle was the first to have the gas gauge. 

I remember that the gauge was mounted so that the needle indicated full when it was at the TOP of the gauge, where as the gauge on my old Oldsmobile was indicating empty when the needle rose to the top.  I remember pulling into a service station (that's what we used to call them) one cold morning and saying "fill 'er up", only to have the guy struggle to put in exactly 11? worth of gas. :-[  Gas was only 37? per gallon at the time.
 
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