# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Nefario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/59ef9b/32.png) [@Nefario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefario)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/61 "2016-03-14T10:19:29Z")
My '67 Mustang may have had one of the first “intermittent wipers”. The windshield washer was a small pedal at the far left of the footwell that operated a _mechanical foot pump_ that sprayed washer fluid and triggered a few sweeps of the the wipers. You could just tap the pedal an get one wiper sweep as you needed it. Strangers thought the tiny pedal was the emergency brake. ---
**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 14, 2016, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/62 "2016-03-14T14:30:54Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > A friend of mine had a Land Rover. Among its quirks was the wiper motors (there were two) were mounted under the windshield; there was no linkage, the wiper arm mounted directly to the motor. And there was a little lever on the back of the motor. (All visible [here](http://www.landrovercentre.com/NEWS/images/xfo318-04.JPG).) This turned out to be a useful feature, because when the motor broke he could just reach forward and twist the lever back and forth to move the wiper. That reminds me of public buses–with separate wipers (each with its own wiper motor) on the two halves of the windshield. ---
**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 14, 2016, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/63 "2016-03-14T14:31:54Z")
> [@DMC](#): > > Unless there is a function I’m not aware of, the Volvo doesn’t mimic this feature. With this enabled on a Saab, the ONLY gauge visible in the instrument cluster is the speedometer. The rest aren’t dimmed, they are completely turned off. If another gauge becomes important, such as a high rev or low fuel condition, then, and only then, do they illuminate. Which Volvo does this? Sounds like “idiot lights.”:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/64 "2016-03-14T19:24:58Z")
I had a 1972 Impala that had the heater controls to the left of the steering wheel. It also had a little fan in the back deck for a rear window defogger that was turned on and off by a toggle switch on the dashboard. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/65 "2016-03-14T23:53:42Z")
My brother had a 1967 Oldsmobile Toronado - a 425 cubic inch V8 front-wheel drive monster; it was front-wheel drive before front-wheel drive was for econo-boxes. It was sleek, low-slung, powerful and futuristic, with features like hidden pop-up headlights. The most unusual feature though was its [rolling drum speedometer](http://www.automobilemag.com/news/1966-1967-oldsmobile-toronado/). My brother got it up to 127 MPH, trying to roll the speedometer back around past 0 (it went to 135). He drove over some railroad tracks and seeing sparks in the rear-view mirror he decided he should probably slow down. It was a great car, except for the 9 MPG. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/66 "2016-03-15T00:27:25Z")
Battery in the trunk? Hell, my Corvair had the whole engine in the trunk! 😃 Lot’s of oddness with those cars - but a joy to work on - and drive! Loved driving it with the rear seat folded down and my dog hanging out in the back… ---
**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 15, 2016, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/67 "2016-03-15T00:32:50Z")
The VW Squareback I used to have, had the engine in the back. The two pairs of cylinders were horizontally opposed. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/68 "2016-03-15T01:16:50Z")
Some VWs have lug bolts. Not nuts. Real headache when you work in a tire store, and you are trying to put four wheels back on one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/69 "2016-03-15T16:15:24Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > GM also put the battery under the rear seat on cars like the G, H, and K-body cars. Which generation of the G-body would that be? I’ve had/have 2 G-bodies and my brother had one and I’ve been in various others and none had the battery under the rear seat. All those were from the 1978 to 1988 generation. Other people may have moved it under there for racing but GM didn’t put it there. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/70 "2016-03-15T16:22:04Z")
My first car ever was my grandfather’s '62 Rambler American that had a push-button transmission. I saw people mentioning the Chrysler above, but the Ramblers had them, too. My next car was a '67 VW Beetle that had an auxiliary gas tank that contained 2 gallons of gas that you could access by flipping a switch on the floor. That saved me from running out of gas any number of times. ---
**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 15, 2016, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/71 "2016-03-15T16:26:17Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#): > > My first car ever was my grandfather’s '62 Rambler American that had a push-button transmission. I saw people mentioning the Chrysler above, but the Ramblers had them, too. > > My next car was a '67 VW Beetle that had an auxiliary gas tank that contained 2 gallons of gas that you could access by flipping a switch on the floor. That saved me from running out of gas any number of times. What was your gas mileage? ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/72 "2016-03-15T16:36:50Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > What was your gas mileage? Oh lord - I have no idea after all these years. I was just your typical teenager who didn’t pay attention to the gas gauge the way she should and often came close to running out of gas. :o ---
**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 15, 2016, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/73 "2016-03-15T17:06:29Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > Which generation of the G-body would that be? I’ve had/have 2 G-bodies and my brother had one and I’ve been in various others and none had the battery under the rear seat. All those were from the 1978 to 1988 generation. Other people may have moved it under there for racing but GM didn’t put it there. late '90s through mid-2000s. ---
**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 15, 2016, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/74 "2016-03-15T17:17:32Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#): > > Oh lord - I have no idea after all these years. I was just your typical teenager who didn’t pay attention to the gas gauge the way she should and often came close to running out of gas. :o Well…I have come close to not practicing what I preach. The Mercedes I bought had an instrument panel with some parts that didn’t work, including the fuel gauge and the speedometer. (And a tachometer–I don’t know why a car not designed for high performance would need one.) I have been impressed with the car’s excellent gas mileage and have given it the benefit of the doubt concerning the amount of fuel in the tank–but this morning I had the faulty instrument panel replaced. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/75 "2016-03-15T17:54:34Z")
The 90’s Pontiac Gran Prix, Grand Am and some other models, as well as the Crossfire had body panels and hood that were ribbed - obviously designed for your driving pleasure. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/76 "2016-03-15T22:27:48Z")
I had a 1969 [Rover 2000 TC](https://www.google.com/search?q=1969+rover+tc2000&prmd=isvn&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ), LHD U.S. model, and it was nothing but quirks. The “TC” stood for “twin carburetors,” so you needed a carb balancing tool to tune it. It had four-wheel disk brakes (the rears were inboard, not in the wheels) and [De Dion tube](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Dion_tube) rear suspension. Inside the cockpit, the turn signal stalk was on the right, instead of the usual left side, and the left stalk was the horn. You pulled it towards yourself (the way some cars flash the high beams) to sound the horn. The headlights were controlled by two toggle switches on the dash. You clicked both into the down position to turn them on. The car had a device called ice alert: a sensor that flashed a yellow light on the dash when the outside temp approached freezing, and went on solid at freezing or below. Many modern cars have a display for outside temperature, but in the 60s and 70s it was very rare. For all that, it was a fun car to drive. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/77 "2016-03-16T04:38:03Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > 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. My cousin’s Mustang had this type of horn, too. And 1984 sounds about right. Maybe earlier; I think it was a replacement for her very short-lived Fiat. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/78 "2016-03-16T16:38:54Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > The original VW ‘Bug’ had residual running boards - right down to the ribbed rubber covering. > [@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?) > [@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. They also had [semaphore turn signals](http://www.oldbug.com/59juliob052.jpg). Citroën HY vans had these as well. ---
**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 17, 2016, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/79 "2016-03-17T14:43:09Z")
We once had a Lincoln–I think it was a 1948. It had a real quirk–practically everything was controlled with buttons. Even the doors–they were opened from inside and outside with buttons! ---
**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 17, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/80 "2016-03-17T16:16:26Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > They also had [semaphore turn signals](http://www.oldbug.com/59juliob052.jpg). Citroën HY vans had these as well. Note that some of these “VW Bug quirks” are of vastly different vintages. They were produced for over two decades with many incremental changes. The “semaphore style” signals were only on pre-1961 Beetles. That type of turn signal wasn’t unknown on cars in the 1950s. The “spare tire powered windshield washers” was on my '72, which had a fuel gauge, etc. My '72 was a regular Beetle, not a Super Beetle. Flat windshield. That was actually a good thing when I moved to CO, and safety inspections forced me to replace it because it had small crack in it. Very cheap replacement. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844.md?page=5)