[Jerry H.]

Sitting here this afternoon in the quiet of my home it hit me how much I missed the mid 80's to mid 90's. Not even considering that was the time when my kids were young and running around the house, my businesses were doing good and my wife was in good health. I'm talking about technology and how it has effected the old car hobby.

Now I understand that some of you can't relate because you are too young are may not have even been born, but hear me out. There was no internet, therefore no Ebay, no Cars-on-line, and most of all no PY Forums. No cell phones, no texting, etc. Every month we had to wait for whatever monthly publications that we subscribed to. Hemmings Motor News was waited for with baited breath. Those that could afford it paid for 1st Class delivery; they got a few days head start on the desirable cars and parts that way. At it's heyday it was probably 4x as big as it is today. Pontiac lovers waited on the Smoke Signals, HPP, The Legend; plus Kirban's monthly newsletter. Dennis always had a few choice hard to find parts for sale each month. If we needed pictures of a car or part that was for sale, the seller had to have the film developed, then mail the pictures. Sometimes it would take weeks to get these. Remember, no email.

Getting back to my 'quiet' afternoon. I guess that's what I miss the most. Even though most months my phone bill ran in the 100's of dollars; I miss the time I spent every day talking to other car folks. Generally I would spend 2-4 hours a day on the phone looking for cars, parts, etc., or fielding calls from car friends looking for the same.

Now days it's an email or a text. So impersonal. I sure miss the 80's!

[TheSilverBuick]

Heck same here and I was born in 1980. I miss the days BEFORE the internet and cell phones. Looking for my first car in various papers in 1996 (though I know a rudimentary internet was going by then). But even as a kid, playing outside, etc, just more laid back than it seems now.

[Ram4king]

Couldn't have said it any better. I miss those days too.

[dennis kirban]

Interesting concept one I can relate to. Appreciate thread starter mentioning my GTO monthly publication. Concerning that I do a weekly free email to my turbo buick customers comes out every Wednesday and since its free (tough to complain what I write about) I cover different things of interest and also try to include memories from my past. Of note recently as many of you may know Hemmings turns 60 years old this year and I touched briefly on how I would put my cars for sale in Hemmings having sold around 30 GTOs and maybe two dozen Mopars.

I definately remember cameras with film...first as a wedding photographer while in High School. This would have been 1964-65 time frame and in Vietnam as that was my job in Vietnam being a photographer and editor for the 17th Aviation Group.....(only black and white film in Vietnam).

I can remember struggling to get $3500 for an all original 1970 GTO Judge Ram Air III 4 speed low miles in the early 1980s the one that is on that huge poster under a different name but photographed on my street.

Wanna really cry...I remember owning a black on black original paint 1966 GTO hardtop 4 speed tri-power with Hurst wheels on it. Think I paid around two grand for it.....

More examples when I first started to strip GTOs and Lemans I had a GTO that had those red plastic fender liners on it. I thought they were aftermarket so I never removed them.

In some respects I did make the right decisions and equally made a bunch of wrong ones.
Trick is to get thru life on the plus side.

sorry for being a little long winded.

denniskirban@yahoo.com

[400 4spd.]

I can relate to all of that myself, Jerry. I remember how proud I was (1983?) when I found a nice, original pair of elusive rear courtesy light lenses for my '65 GTO convertible. Cost was $10, but I gladly paid it. They were in a mid 60's Chevy in a secluded, private "junk yard" that very few locals knew of, and the last pieces I needed to finish my car. Reproductions? Didn't know there was such a thing until I started getting my Paddock catalog in the mail.
If I was sending pictures of parts, the Polaroid was a high tech time saver.

[60sstuff]

Yes Jerry, you nailed it with that thread!

The late 70's and through the 80's I was walking away from tons of OEM parts in wrecking yards because I just couldn't carry all of it. I would zero in on the Rally Gauges, Wood Wheels, AM-FM Radios, 4 Spd. Consoles, Aluminum Drums and leave behind standard steering wheels, mint door panels, seats, outside trim, rally wheels, posi rear ends. I would fill my pockets with OEM screws, bolts, nuts, clips for free. It's sick what I didn't go back for.
I would come home with truck loads, clean the parts, take photos, develope the film and make phone calls all over the country to send the photos to interested customers via US mail.
I miss all of what you mention, but especially the RUSH of walking up to a complete early GTO that just came into a yard. What a blast!

PS - When the Hemmings showed up "first class" my wife knew to leave me alone for hours.

[60sstuff]

Hey 400 4spd. - How did you join this site in Dec 1969???

[GOAT WHORE]

Nickel ads and Auto Trader, Wednesday and Thursday iirc. Auto Trader had a parts section long ago and you could put parts in for free.
Swap meets!

[7t8ta]

HOW ABOUT WANDERING AROUND LOCAL AND NOT SO LOCAL JUNK YARDS FOR MISSING TREASURES. YOU WOULD NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU'D FIND. KNOW A DAYS ITS HARD TO FIND PLACES THAT WILL EVEN LET YOU WALK AROUND THE YARD BECAUSE OF LIABILITIES. HAD MANY A GOOD TIME WITH MY BROTHER AND CUZ WANDERING AROUND BONEYARDS FOR HOURS, AND HECK WE EVEN HAD MY MOM TAKING US BEFORE WE COULD DRIVE!

[400 4spd.]

Originally Posted by 60sstuff

Hey 400 4spd. - How did you join this site in Dec 1969???

I invented the internet.
I just kept it a secret for a while.

[The Boss]

I can remember getting Pete McCarthy's book and felt like I had insider information. Looking at all of those "Ram Air" or "Super Duty" engines and having to tell the owner what it really was - then show him in the book.

Honestly I speak to some of you guys more than I did back then! LOL, but with unlimited voice & text that's easy!

[pontiac1981]

The 60's and 70's were the best of times. If you put these kids of the 80's 90's back in the 60's and 70's they'd wonder how we got a long without all the gadgets. We simply spent quality time with the family and friends. Working on the family car with dad out in the driveway or having a game of catch while mom fixed dinner for the family so we could all set down at one time and one table together as a family. The good old days, things seemed a lot simpler back then.

[gto4door]

I miss those days too! Finding deals in the local newspaper, Penny Saver, etc. I would go to smaller markets and cities and buy cars and parts for cheap. Then sell for more in the larger markets. The "hunt" for a Ram Air IV, LS6 or a W-30 was a challenge back then and when you found one it was like you hit the jackpot. The internet and eBay pretty much leveled the playing field. Now you log on and find 5 or 6 of them for sale on any given day.

[Ben M.]

Originally Posted by GOAT WHORE

Nickel ads and Auto Trader, Wednesday and Thursday iirc.

That's how I did it! Bought quite a few vehicles from those ads. Although if I hadn't ever had the internet I wouldn't know s*)% about cars and probably would never have had half of the ones I've owned (and definitely not done any of them right).

[1966geeto]

We had 2 local junkyards as that's what they were called back then I would treasure our weekly trek to see what was brought in I knew the owner of one and he would call me anytime something good would come in what treasures what prices I bought a 64 Chevelle SS that had the front and rear glass busted out and the wheels missing stolen recovery put some maypops on it and I drove it out of the yard the old man who owned it didn't want to replace the glass this was in 72 paid 500 for the car a/c 283 auto console am/fm car is still in the family up in N.Y. funny but we never worried about numbers matching anything who would have know always had a few 455/s laying around walked past bunches of 389's wood wheels were 10 bucks the thing I loved best was seeing the really old stuff that by now would be part of the earth but back then wasn't really that old I'm talking 30s 40s 50s may dad passed when I was 9 I stumbled upon one of his stock cars way back in the yard I had Johnny pull it out was a 53 Chevy 2 door he raced at Riverhead L.I I remember when polaroid came out we could take pics and get them out to buyers right away lol sad the young guys will never experience those things it was fun to drive them when they were new now you have to restore one or spend a crapload to get that feeling oh well time marches on.

[Captainofiron]

I miss the "simplicity" of those days as well.

Crazy how nowadays its not safe for you to leave the house without a cell phone... haha I drove cross country when I was graduating from high school and had no cell phone

Technology has added some convenience to our lives, but at a price

[Region Warrior]

Miss the days when muscle cars where in nearly every driveway. Least where i grew up.
Where driven every day. And cost under $2k after only couple yrs old.
Oh ya, the drag strip, drive theater and car hop's. All gone from here now.
Friday/Saturday cruise/grudge race nites.
Also had the time to hunt and fish.

[Icefan71]

I remember being a kid in the 80's and being fascinated by muscle cars. I learned all about them from magazines, library books (remember them?), and staring at them as they drove around the neighborhood. I aslo remember all the cruising and drag racing that went on especially Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown and East Meadow, NY. That faded away some time in the early 90's.

[Formulabruce]

10 years ago we said this about the '70's too!! and it WAS simpler.. no ECM in cars! back to the '80's now.....

[ho428]

Before my grandmother died a couple years ago at age 96 we used to talk about how her generation had probably seen more innovation that any generation ever will again.
But, my brother and I were talking the other day at how much we were witnessing, it's more in advances than break throughs though.
TV was black and white, rabbit ears, our phone was an exchange, and only one phone in the house. Cars had little technology, computers took up an entire building. A Timex watch was a major innovation.
Leap into 2014, internet on your watch, watch TV anywhere, anytime, more computing power on your phone now than the entire country had combined.

The one thing I don't like about the new digital techology is it evolves too fast, and we're really forced into it the way everything operates.
The late 80's were a good time of innovation, wouldn't say it was the prefect era, but darn close, things advanced but didn't change quite so fast as they do now.
It took us decades to get from a black and white TV to the first VCR, records to CD's, now it's jumped 10 fold beyond in just the last few years. Great for the new generation but tough on some of us older guys.

The biggest issue I have though is the digital information thefts. If as a society we're going to be forced into this, which it appears we are, they damn well need to make it fully secure.