# Foibles and Quirks about Makes of Cars **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 13, 2016, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844 "2016-03-13T06:31:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/21 "2016-03-13T14:56:09Z")
I used to have a Toyota Cressida wagon which had the spare tire mounted _underneath_ the back part of the vehicle. Great if you have to get out and change a wheel at night. And when I first got the car–and inspected it–I found some wise guy put the wrong rim down there-- with four holes (the Cressida had a wheel that took 5 lugs)–with a useless tire on it, to boot. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/22 "2016-03-13T16:48:27Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > … Saabs, from what I understand, had the key on the floor between the front seats. … A feature they maintained for decades across several models, and claimed it was where the key belonged so the dangling key didn’t bang against your knee. In later models, it was up higher because cars started having center consoles, and the key was in the console. That was actually fairly convenient. One consequence was that Saabs didn’t have steering locks. THAT was kind of nice, but also somewhat annoying on manual transmission Saabs I owned because they had a transmission lock instead which forced you to park the car in reverse, and you had turn the key to get it out of reverse. So much for my age-old training about parking with the transmission set in first if pointed uphill. Saabs also kept a transmission freewheel for a long time after they had stopped using two stroke engines, where it was needed. Up to midway through the model 99, IIRC, they still had the freewheeling, which could be engaged and disengaged. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/23 "2016-03-13T16:52:12Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > The original VW Bug also did not have a fuel gauge! You were supposed to guess how much gas (petrol) you had left by the miles on the odometer. > When you ran dry, you could pull a lever-- which opened an additional gas tank (or maybe a compartment inside the main gas tank), to allow an additional gallon or so of fuel to flow. > > Now, sure, I understand…it was a cheap car. But would a simple gauge and electrical circuit cost much more than the extra mechanical stuff(the lever inside the car and the compartment in the fuel tank?) carbureted motorcycles worked this way too. If the Beetle did it the same way, it wasn’t a separate tank or compartment. The primary fuel pickup was simply higher up in the tank than the reserve, so when the car/bike started to stumble you had to turn the lever to switch to the lower pickup. And go get gas now! edited to add one of my own: when Chrysler brought out the “Stow ‘n’ Go” feature in 2005 (minivans where all of the rear seats can fold into the floor) they no longer could put the spare tire underbody in the back by the liftgate. So it was moved forward, under the body between the _driver and front passenger seats._ the crank to lower the spare is between the front seats, and it’s not pleasant to try to get it out. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/24 "2016-03-13T17:05:12Z")
> [@steatopygia](#): > > Continuing with the VW Bug. And I think this is a one of a kind… > > The windshield washers were run off of air pressure from the spare tire. At least in my '72, there was also supposedly a cut-off valve which kept the pressure in the spare tire from dropping too far. You got used to “Windshield washer’s not working … I need to put some air in the spare tire.”. Bugs didn’t have oil filters. You changed the oil by loosening a plate held in place with six hex nuts, which the oil came gushing out around. The oil screen was held in place by the plate, and you were supposed to clean that rather than replacing a filter. At one point they put a drain plug in the middle of the plate, but stopped doing it because too many people were just draining the oil without taking the screen out and cleaning it. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/25 "2016-03-13T17:24:37Z")
My father’s '62 Chrysler had a push-button tranny on the [left side](http://www.motorstown.com/images/chrysler-300h-02.jpg) of the steering wheel, and the turn signal lever was on the dash: slide left to turn left, right to turn right (it actually made sense). It also had a [futuristic looking bubble](http://www.secondchancegarage.com/articles/mopar-dashes/Mopar-Dash-04.jpg) over the fuel gauge indicator, speedometer, etc. The old Ramblers had front seats that folded all the way back to create a sleeping area. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/26 "2016-03-13T17:34:55Z")
BTW, if you aren’t familiar with transmission freewheeling, it means that if the car’s speed is overrunning the engine rpm, it does not hold back against the engine - it’s as if you are in neutral - no engine braking. You can step on the gas and “catch up” the engine rpm to the speed of the car if you like. The wiki article on it, which also confirms that Saab kept it up through the early model 99s, touting it as a “fuel economy” feature, as opposed to a feature to keep you from ruining your two stroke engine: > **[Freewheel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freewheel)** > > In mechanical or automotive engineering, a freewheel or overrunning clutch is a device in a transmission that disengages the driveshaft from the driven shaft when the driven shaft rotates faster than the driveshaft. An overdrive is sometimes mistakenly called a freewheel, but is otherwise unrelated. > The condition of a driven shaft spinning faster than its driveshaft exists in most bicycles when the rider stops pedaling. In a fixed-gear bicycle, without a freewheel, the rear wheel drives the peda... ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/27 "2016-03-13T17:41:53Z")
The Daf Variomatic was capable of going at the same top speed either forwards or backwards. Glancing at Wikipedia, they note that uniquely the Daf could INCREASE it’s speed if, after reaching the maximum with a floored throttle, the throttle was slowly and gently eased off. TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/28 "2016-03-13T17:50:48Z")
The Prius has a “joystick” control for a shifter. It has positions of D, R, N and B. The ‘B’ is for “braking”. Like most auto tranny cars, Priuses tend to pick up a lot of speed on downhill grades, but there are no lower gear shifting options. Rather than ride the brake, flicking the joystick into ‘B’ significantly slows the vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/29 "2016-03-13T17:58:49Z")
The BMW Isetta ‘Bubble Car’ had a front mounted door and no reverse gear. Famously if the driver somehow parked nose against a wall they would be unable to open the door nor could they reverse out. Meanwhile my father owned a Bond Minicar - relatively common in the UK. Although Bonds had a starter motor the motorcycle sourced engine retained a kick starter. In the event of a flat battery the driver could open the bonnet (US: Hood) climb astride the tiny engine and kick it into life. TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/30 "2016-03-13T18:05:29Z")
Subaru uses a Boxer engine in I think all their cars, and all are AWD standard except at least the BRZ (which is partly a Toyota). I think of all mainstream makes, VW “goes their own way” the most with styling and form. Sometime it works, sometimes it doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/31 "2016-03-13T18:17:17Z")
Although several different companies built prototypes with this mechanical layout I believe - and I am prepared to be corrected on this - that Citroen are the only company to mass produce a car which used two petrol engines. One in the rear driving the rear wheels and the usual one in the front driving the front wheels. The car was the Citroen 2CV Safari and ‘mass production’ might be overstating it a bit as they only produced a few hundred in a decade. TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/32 "2016-03-13T18:18:04Z")
After reading that the Edsel had a push button transmission on the steering wheel I can’t help think of Speed Racer. Guess it’s one of those things that look neat but don’t work well in real life. Some VW’s had the engine in the back. I remember stopping at a full service gas station and the guy spilled gas all over the trunk. Was it the Studebaker that had a headlight in the middle? Or was that the Tucker? The 1960 Lincoln Continental had a straight 8 engine making one of the longest cars ever built in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/33 "2016-03-13T18:47:10Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > Was it the Studebaker that had a headlight in the middle? Or was that the Tucker? That was the Tucker. Of course, there was also the [Sir-Vival](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/eb/48/4a/eb484a19617b5789620a0f84239b3ba0.jpg) which had a middle headlight and an articulated body. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/34 "2016-03-13T19:01:45Z")
Mazda with the beautiful rotary engine installed on the rx7, some sedans (rx3 and rx4) and a pickup truck. Not to mention all of Mazda’s current offerings have a front end that appears to be smiling. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/35 "2016-03-13T19:07:58Z")
> [@Fridgemagnet](#): > > I’m on my seventh Citroen, me, so I’ve got quirks coming out of every orifice. > > My favourite though was the handbrake (parking/emergency brake) arrangement on the XM. For a start this went to the front wheels instead of the usual rear, and was operated by a fourth pedal to the left of the clutch pedal in conjunction with a locking lever on the dashboard. To apply the handbrake you would push down the foot pedal and then lock it with the dashboard lever, and to release you would pull on the dashboard lever and the parking brake would be fully released with a loud THUNK! That arrangement for the parking brake is quite common in American vehicles. I also have a Mercedes 300D with a brake like that, but it’s only a third pedal, since it has an automatic. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/36 "2016-03-13T19:14:07Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Reported for forum change. You couldnt have just reported it? You had to brag about your report? And, it’s not a _Question_? ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/37 "2016-03-13T19:24:56Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > The battery on my BMW is in the trunk. There is a compartment under the hood where it looks like a battery could fit, but it’s empty aside from two shielded connectors–so that jumper cables can be used. My Mercedes has the battery in the trunk. The fuse boxes–two of them!–are under the hood and in the trunk, near the battery. The seat adjustment controls are on the doors and, like most of the controls, are not marked. The VW Squareback I used to have, had the battery under the rear seat. The one I bought had the usual ignition switch, but the car had been customized–the starter switch was a button on the transmission hump in the middle. Later it was moved to the dashboard (the starter button). ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/38 "2016-03-13T19:48:41Z")
The seat belts on every Toyota I’ve ever driven seem to have an extremely delicate locking mechanism, meaning them you have to pull them ever-so gently and slowly if you’re trying to put them on while the car is already moving. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/39 "2016-03-13T19:52:10Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > My Mercedes has the battery in the trunk. The fuse boxes–two of them!–are under the hood and in the trunk, near the battery. The seat adjustment controls are on the doors and, like most of the controls, are not marked. > > The VW Squareback I used to have, had the battery under the rear seat. The one I bought had the usual ignition switch, but the car had been customized–the starter switch was a button on the transmission hump in the middle. Later it was moved to the dashboard (the starter button). GM also put the battery under the rear seat on cars like the G, H, and K-body cars. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/40 "2016-03-13T20:04:38Z")
I had a 1984 Ford Tempo that was a fairly normal front wheel drive compact except for one feature. The horn was activated by pushing _in_ the turn signal stalk on the left side of the steering column. Many’s the time I tried to blow the horn by pushing uselessly on the center of the steering wheel. The horn was moved back to the normal position on the 1985 Tempo. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844.md?page=3)