automotive feature changes that make you go "HUH?" - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

Dave McFly · 03-14-2008, 12:55 AM

a couple of years ago my dad bought a mid late 80s buick lasabere sedan and like most cars of that era the fuse box was under the dash near the pedals. not on this car the fuse box was on the dash under one of the 'woodgrain' panels that were on the dash surface. you opened the drivers door and turned these little plastic screw things a quarter of a turn and they popped out on a spring and the panel swung down revealing the fuse box and a diagram of what fuse was what on the back side of the panel. me and my dad thought this was pretty damn brilliant design. well the car went to car heaven a few years after that and my dad got a mid 90s olds 88 royale which even though the car had all new sheet metal and interior it was the same platform underneath. but when a fuse stopped working we dug out the manual cause we could not find the fuse box on the dash or on the side of the dash like they are on current cars. we found the fusebox all right, back under the dash near the pedals

.

sorry for the long post, but have you guys ever seen a change to car that got rid of a good feature or design for one like the one i mentioned? another "HUH?" moment was my dad's current car a 2004 monte carlo which has the ignition key in the dash near the HVAC and stereo panel which he LOVES. well he was thinking of trading it in for a 2007 which i think was the last year. well in 2006 the impala and monte were redone. but the monte only got a new front clip and a new interior, which put the key back on the column

.

stovt001 · 03-14-2008, 01:03 AM

Styling on the new WRX versus the old one. I know its not a feature, but really, what were they thinking? Still a great car, but the styling just killed a lot of the appeal.

Dave McFly · 03-14-2008, 01:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stovt001

Styling on the new WRX versus the old one. I know its not a feature, but really, what were they thinking? Still a great car, but the styling just killed a lot of the appeal.

are you talking bout the current style that got away from the horrid '3 nostrils'?

CaptianSam · 03-17-2008, 01:33 AM

the subies new new style is great.. its newer old style is horrid but the bug eye etyle is nice generally speaking as cars go later generations without significant updates they get bigger, slower, and lose refinement... that makes me go wtf...

09'Z28 · 03-17-2008, 01:44 AM

my biggest "huh" would have to be the Mustang to Mustang II, not interior or anything, but it was STUPID

*DGthe3* · 03-17-2008, 10:02 AM

#1 Building the Aztek. Not quite what you are looking for, but it still makes me go "HUH?"

#2 Chryslers habit of mounting barreries such that you need to remove the wheel to change the battery.

The_Stache · 03-17-2008, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DGthe3

#1 Building the Aztek. Not quite what you are looking for, but it still makes me go "HUH?"

#2 Chryslers habit of mounting barreries such that you need to remove the wheel to change the battery.

How about that aztek where you had to remove a structural brace to change the battery? There are a lot of cars out there with the "WTF factor" in some things..

Phantasm · 03-17-2008, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DGthe3

#2 Chryslers habit of mounting barreries such that you need to remove the wheel to change the battery.

It's funny you should mention that. Just yesterday I was watching an episode of Mythbusters I'd DVR'd (they were doing the taxi behind the jet thing) and Jamie was going on a mini tirade about the battery placement on the Intrepid they were using.

Dave McFly · 03-17-2008, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DGthe3

#2 Chryslers habit of mounting barreries such that you need to remove the wheel to change the battery.

dude, don't get me started,as a former dodge owner that had the battery inside the left front wheel well you had to remove the wheel to get to (which is NOT fun to do in the winter

).

*The_Blur* · 03-17-2008, 10:00 PM

My base Cobalt had crank windows. I kind of liked them, but very few cars in 2005 had crank windows.

juSStin4171 · 03-17-2008, 10:15 PM

Oh I'm going to get a lot of static over this... How about a cup holder right behind the shifter... on a car that loves to be driven and when you shift you instantly feel better about being you!

Phantasm · 03-17-2008, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by juSStin4171

Oh I'm going to get a lot of static over this... How about a cup holder right behind the shifter... on a car that loves to be driven and when you shift you instantly feel better about being you!

+1 One of my only complaints about the GTO.

*TAG UR IT* · 03-18-2008, 01:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phantasm

+1 One of my only complaints about the GTO.

Um...hello? 4th Gen?!?

Sure, it's got two more in the back and one off to the side, but right behind the shifter in the 4th Gen? I HATE having to put cups in there and then having to drive. My right elbow is like, way up in the air...

Dave McFly · 03-18-2008, 12:41 PM

oh i have that one beat, i had a 95 thunderbird coupe. the cup holder was inside the center armrest console. you opened it and the cup holder folded out from under the console cover and had a metal bracket below the openings to rest the drinks on. it was not a bad idea except you had to keep the console lid open when using it and the hinge was on the DRIVERS side of the console

. ford i guess got a lot of pissed off people about that because in 97 and the last year they relocated the cupholder do a sideways 8 looking indentation in front of the shifter but in front of the stereo. while this was nice they also got rid of some features my car had that i really liked: full gauges, a message center that let you know when you were low on fuel, washer fluid and (when equipped) when the adjustable suspension was on or off.

03-17-2008, 01:33 AM	#4
CaptianSam Car Garage Drives: 350z,A4,SRT8...see sig Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: north west Posts: 830	the subies new new style is great.. its newer old style is horrid but the bug eye etyle is nice generally speaking as cars go later generations without significant updates they get bigger, slower, and lose refinement... that makes me go wtf... __________________ 2012 2SS RS Ordered Black on Black 6 speed Coupe Artic Lid Stripes Yes I Supercharge Everything On My Ipad Xbox McLovin1515 Ps3 McLovin1555 Current Autos:68z28,03viperSRT10,04escalade,05RangeRoverSport SC Project Autos:80corvette350-500hp 6speed,06charger S'C 6-speed posi,74Firebird400blue,69chevelle572 707 New Autos:2012CamaroSSRS,09ChallengerSRT8 Past Autos:....too many to list "i told you it was gettin' an LS3" Go down deep enough into anything and you will find mathematics. Dean Schlicter B.Sc. Hons. Mathematics

03-17-2008, 01:44 AM	#5
09'Z28 The "Mad Hamster" Drives: '71 Camaro, '90 mx5, '71 2002 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Placerville, CA Posts: 1,610 View My Garage	my biggest "huh" would have to be the Mustang to Mustang II, not interior or anything, but it was STUPID __________________

03-17-2008, 10:02 AM	#6
DGthe3 Moderator.ca Drives: 05 Grand Am GT Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Niagara, Canada Posts: 25,372	#1 Building the Aztek. Not quite what you are looking for, but it still makes me go "HUH?" #2 Chryslers habit of mounting barreries such that you need to remove the wheel to change the battery. __________________ Note, if I've gotten any facts wrong in the above, just ignore any points I made with them __________________ Originally Posted by FbodFather My sister's dentist's brother's cousin's housekeeper's dog-breeder's nephew sells coffee filters to the company that provides coffee to General Motors...... ........and HE WOULD KNOW!!!! __________________ Camaro Fest sub-forum

03-17-2008, 10:00 PM	#10
The_Blur Moderator Drives: 2018 Harley-Davidson Street Bob Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: San Diego Posts: 14,769	My base Cobalt had crank windows. I kind of liked them, but very few cars in 2005 had crank windows. __________________ RDP Motorsport//GEN5DIY//Cultrag Performance//JPSS//Rodgets Chevrolet// Operation Demon//Buy at Invoice//RACECARWEAR RESPECT ALL CARS. LOVE YOUR OWN. warn 145:159 ban

03-18-2008, 12:41 PM	#14
Dave McFly new car smell Drives: 2007 Ford Mustang 'Natasha' Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Jamestown, NY Posts: 2,127 View My Garage	oh i have that one beat, i had a 95 thunderbird coupe. the cup holder was inside the center armrest console. you opened it and the cup holder folded out from under the console cover and had a metal bracket below the openings to rest the drinks on. it was not a bad idea except you had to keep the console lid open when using it and the hinge was on the DRIVERS side of the console . ford i guess got a lot of pissed off people about that because in 97 and the last year they relocated the cupholder do a sideways 8 looking indentation in front of the shifter but in front of the stereo. while this was nice they also got rid of some features my car had that i really liked: full gauges, a message center that let you know when you were low on fuel, washer fluid and (when equipped) when the adjustable suspension was on or off. __________________ "May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house." George Carlin

03-14-2008, 12:55 AM	#1
Dave McFly new car smell Drives: 2007 Ford Mustang 'Natasha' Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Jamestown, NY Posts: 2,127 View My Garage	automotive feature changes that make you go "HUH?" a couple of years ago my dad bought a mid late 80s buick lasabere sedan and like most cars of that era the fuse box was under the dash near the pedals. not on this car the fuse box was on the dash under one of the 'woodgrain' panels that were on the dash surface. you opened the drivers door and turned these little plastic screw things a quarter of a turn and they popped out on a spring and the panel swung down revealing the fuse box and a diagram of what fuse was what on the back side of the panel. me and my dad thought this was pretty damn brilliant design. well the car went to car heaven a few years after that and my dad got a mid 90s olds 88 royale which even though the car had all new sheet metal and interior it was the same platform underneath. but when a fuse stopped working we dug out the manual cause we could not find the fuse box on the dash or on the side of the dash like they are on current cars. we found the fusebox all right, back under the dash near the pedals . sorry for the long post, but have you guys ever seen a change to car that got rid of a good feature or design for one like the one i mentioned? another "HUH?" moment was my dad's current car a 2004 monte carlo which has the ignition key in the dash near the HVAC and stereo panel which he LOVES. well he was thinking of trading it in for a 2007 which i think was the last year. well in 2006 the impala and monte were redone. but the monte only got a new front clip and a new interior, which put the key back on the column . __________________ "May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house." George Carlin

03-14-2008, 01:03 AM	#2
stovt001 Drives: 2006 Cobalt, 2004 Taurus wagon Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: California Posts: 3,812	Styling on the new WRX versus the old one. I know its not a feature, but really, what were they thinking? Still a great car, but the styling just killed a lot of the appeal.

03-17-2008, 10:15 PM	#11
juSStin4171 waiting to owe $35k+ Drives: 2001 Camaro SS Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 6	Oh I'm going to get a lot of static over this... How about a cup holder right behind the shifter... on a car that loves to be driven and when you shift you instantly feel better about being you!

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