15 Things Older Cars Got Right That Automakers Should Bring Back

You shouldn’t need a tutorial to turn down the radio. Somewhere between the vent window and the touchscreen, carmakers solved some problems while making a few simple jobs surprisingly complicated.

Older cars had useful ideas worth keeping: controls you could feel, cabins you could see out of, and parts you could actually replace.

These 15 deserve another look. Some still survive on select models; we’d like to see them become ordinary again, with today’s safety and reliability.

1. Real Knobs for the Things We Use Every Day

An old radio’s volume knob had one job, and it was usually pretty good at it. Turn left for less noise, right for more. The heater controls didn’t disappear when you opened a map, either.

The Mercedes-Benz W123 controls pictured here put the radio and climate settings in fixed, physical locations. After a little familiarity, your hand knew where to go.

Physical climate buttons and Becker radio knobs in a Mercedes-Benz W123

Temperature, fan speed, defrost, and volume deserve dedicated controls. A screen can handle navigation and the settings you change twice a year.

Even Volkswagen’s 2023 ID. 2all concept paired its display with physical climate buttons and a volume thumbwheel. New technology and an understandable dashboard can happily share the same car.

2. Little Vent Windows That Aimed the Breeze

That small triangular pane at the front of an older car’s door wasn’t just decoration. Swing it open and you could direct outside air toward yourself without lowering the whole window.

The 1965 AMC Ambassador’s vent window shows the idea beautifully: a separate piece of glass, a simple latch, and a useful adjustment you could make by hand.

Triangular opening vent window on a 1965 AMC Ambassador

On a pleasant day, a little directed airflow was all you wanted. You didn’t always need a full blast through the cabin or the air conditioner running.

The extra seals and hardware brought their own rattles and maintenance. Still, a well-engineered modern version would be a lovely option on a relaxed cruiser or pickup. Keep the excellent air conditioning for August; give us the little window for April.

3. Windows You Could Actually See Out Of

Sit beside an old, upright wagon and notice how much of its upper body is glass. The windows look like windows, rather than narrow openings cut into a tall wall of sheet metal.

This Volvo 240 makes the appeal obvious. Its generous side glass and upright rear body give the cabin an open appearance, with useful views in several directions.

1993 Volvo 240 wagon with large side windows and an upright roof

Being able to see the surroundings directly is a feature. Cameras help enormously, but visibility should start with the driver’s seat, dashboard height, window shape, and mirror placement.

That doesn’t mean bringing back weaker roof structures or abandoning modern crash protection. It means treating a clear view as a design priority alongside the exterior styling. A family car needn’t make every passenger feel as though they’re sitting below the windowsill.

4. Enough Tire Sidewall to Soak Up a Rough Road

Older sedans often wore modest wheels surrounded by a reassuring amount of rubber. The tire was an obvious part of the car’s comfort equipment, rather than a thin black outline around an enormous rim.

There’s a practical reason to appreciate that look. Michelin explains that taller sidewalls absorb road impacts more, while lower-profile tires can feel sharper in steering response but harsher over rough surfaces.

Whitewall tire and wheel cover on a 1967 AMC Marlin

For a daily driver, a comfortable factory wheel-and-tire package should be easy to choose, even on the nicest trim level. Wanting heated seats shouldn’t automatically mean wanting the biggest wheels.

Suspension tuning and tire construction matter too. The request is for automakers to engineer sensible options, with proper brake clearance and load capacity—not for owners to bolt on whatever smaller wheels happen to fit.

5. A Proper Spare Tire and Somewhere to Put It

Lift the trunk lid on this 1970 AMC Hornet and there’s a wonderfully straightforward backup plan: a spare wheel and tire. It takes up space because it does a real job.

A compressor and sealant can help with certain punctures, but they aren’t substitutes for every failure. Ford’s tire-kit instructions, for example, exclude sidewall damage and severely damaged tires.

Full-size spare wheel mounted in the trunk of a 1970 AMC Hornet

A compatible full-size spare deserves to be an available factory option, complete with secure storage and the necessary tools. For people who travel far from help, that trade in cargo space can be worthwhile.

It still needs pressure checks, an age check, and a safe place to change the wheel. The appeal is having another option when a bottle of sealant can’t solve the problem.

6. Front Seats That Didn’t Build a Wall Around You

A bench seat in a Mustang? This classic Ford shows how different a sporty car’s interior can feel with a broad seat across the front. There’s no tall console turning the cabin into two separate compartments.

Not everyone wants a deeply bolstered seat and a cockpit wrapped tightly around their knees. Some people would happily choose a comfortable split bench for an easygoing daily driver.

Front bench seat in a classic Ford Mustang

The best part to revive is the sense of space and freedom around your legs. A folding center armrest could still provide somewhere for a drink and a phone.

Any modern center seating position would need proper restraints and thoughtful airbag design. Even with only two front occupants, though, a lower, less intrusive console would recover some of the old bench-seat roominess. Comfort doesn’t have to imitate a sports car.

7. Gauges That Stayed Put and Made Sense

Look at the instruments in this MGB. Each dial has a clear purpose, and the information stays in the same place. The driver doesn’t need to pick a theme before finding the engine speed.

Traditional gauges also make changes easy to recognize: a familiar needle position can tell you something before you’ve consciously read the number.

Analog instrument dials in the dashboard of an MGB

Keep the important information visible and consistent. Speed, fuel, engine temperature, and clear warning messages shouldn’t be shuffled out of sight by an entertainment screen or a decorative animation.

A modern digital cluster can follow exactly the same principle. We’d welcome an uncluttered, permanent layout with readable labels and a simple brightness adjustment. The old idea worth keeping is clarity, whether the needle is physical or drawn on a screen.

8. An Oil Dipstick You Could Pull Out and Read

A dipstick is an unusually satisfying piece of car equipment. Open the hood, follow the checking procedure, and see the oil level on a physical object in your hand.

Electronic measurements can be useful, especially when they remind an inattentive owner to check. We’d still like a straightforward manual check alongside the electronics on engines where it’s practical.

Engine oil visible against the level markings on a dipstick

This feature hasn’t vanished. Ford still describes dipstick checks in its owner’s-manual instructions. It’s an old idea that remains worth preserving.

Make the handle easy to reach and the level markings easy to read. Owners should follow their particular engine’s instructions for temperature, waiting time, and level ground; a rushed reading can mislead you. Simple hardware works best with clear directions.

9. A Manual Transmission in an Ordinary Car

A stick shift once belonged in all sorts of everyday transportation. The Dodge Rampage interior pictured here puts a manual lever between two unpretentious seats, without a luxury performance package in sight.

The attraction isn’t a claim that manuals always accelerate faster or save more fuel. It’s the small pleasure of choosing the gear, working the clutch, and participating in the drive.

Manual gear lever in the interior of a 1984 Dodge Rampage

That enjoyment shouldn’t require buying an expensive sports car. A modest hatchback or compact pickup can make a perfectly good home for three pedals.

Manuals do still have supporters: BMW introduced a six-speed option for the 2025 Z4 M40i. We’d like the same enthusiasm applied farther down the price ladder, where drivers can enjoy shifting without needing a weekend toy.

10. Door Handles That Explained Themselves

The chrome handle on this 1965 Pontiac Bonneville doesn’t need an instructional video. There’s an obvious place for your fingers and an obvious button to press.

That sounds like a low bar until you watch a first-time passenger trying to work out whether an unfamiliar handle wants a push, a pull, or a touch in just the right place.

Chrome push-button exterior door handle on a 1965 Pontiac Bonneville

A door should be easy to open on the first attempt. Big, graspable handles and understandable interior releases are particularly welcome with cold fingers, gloves, or limited hand strength.

Modern locks and keyless entry can stay. The useful inheritance is a shape and action people immediately recognize, plus a clearly identifiable mechanical release where one is needed. A sleek body panel isn’t much of a victory if your passenger can’t get in.

11. Protective Trim That Could Take a Scuff

The dark bumper surfaces and side moldings on an older Volvo have an honest, workaday look. They acknowledge that cars spend time in parking lots, beside shopping carts, and near other people’s doors.

A strip of protective material can be a more sensible surface for those encounters than another beautifully painted panel that an owner is afraid to touch.

Black bumper trim and side moldings on a Volvo 240 sedan

Bring back useful, separately replaceable rubbing strips where they can protect vulnerable areas. They should be positioned to do something, rather than added purely to suggest ruggedness.

This isn’t an argument that old bumpers made old cars safer in crashes. Modern impact structures and pedestrian protection matter. It’s a request to design the outer, cosmetic pieces with small everyday scuffs—and eventual replacement—in mind. Practical trim can still look good.

12. Headlights Designed to Be Serviced

An old sealed-beam headlight made replacement a familiar task. The lamp came out as a standardized unit, rather than being part of a uniquely sculpted light assembly spanning half the front corner.

That serviceability is worth remembering even if nobody wants to give up good modern illumination. HELLA’s conversion-lamp range illustrates how established headlamp sizes can accommodate replaceable-bulb designs.

Rectangular Sylvania sealed-beam headlamp and its surrounding trim

A failed light source shouldn’t automatically mean replacing every surrounding part. Accessible bulbs, serviceable modules, and clearly documented replacement procedures would make long-term ownership less frustrating.

Keep the beam control and visibility improvements that newer lighting can provide. Borrow the old commitment to repairable parts. Designing a car to look impressive on launch day is one challenge; designing it to remain straightforward to maintain years later is another.

13. Room Under the Hood for Routine Maintenance

Open the hood of an older car and you can often identify the basic pieces before reaching for a diagram. There’s the air cleaner, the battery, the radiator, and the space your hand needs to get between them.

Some old engine compartments were cramped nightmares, too. But the open layout shown here captures an idea worth defending: leave useful access around components that need regular attention.

Accessible engine compartment of a 1975 AMC Hornet with a 232 inline-six

Service access should be part of the original design. Oil filters, belts, batteries, and air filters shouldn’t be afterthoughts hidden behind unnecessary layers of trim.

Modern engines have good reasons for being complicated, and we’d keep their cleaner running and convenient cold starts. The request is much narrower: make the routine jobs approachable, with sensible fasteners and clear access. Engineers and the person doing the next service should be on the same team.

14. Square Wagons That Put Cargo First

The old Volvo wagon’s shape told you what it was for. Its roof continued toward the back, and the tailgate stood nearly upright. The luggage compartment got to keep its corners.

Volvo’s own estate-car history credits the boxy rear bodywork of its classic wagons with helping them carry substantial loads. The shape was part of the equipment.

1993 Volvo 240 wagon with a tall square rear body and upright tailgate

A wide opening and usable space can matter more than a dramatic roofline. Suitcases, a folded stroller, and a bulky chair don’t conveniently taper to match the styling.

We’d welcome more reasonably priced wagons with a low loading edge, straightforward folding seats, and cargo areas designed around actual objects. You shouldn’t need off-road styling or a tall step up just because the family needs to haul a little more than groceries.

15. Paint Colors With a Little Personality

You don’t have to want a muscle car to appreciate a purple Plymouth. A memorable color turns an ordinary glance across a parking lot into a moment of recognition.

Older cars could be brown, gold, pale blue, bright green, or just about anything else a showroom sample book could tempt you with. The car’s personality wasn’t confined to its wheel design.

Purple 1971 Plymouth Road Runner at a car gathering

Give regular buyers a few cheerful choices on regular trim levels. A distinctive blue or green shouldn’t be reserved for the most expensive version or a special edition with equipment you don’t want.

There are still colorful new cars, of course. We’d simply like a broader invitation to choose one. After all the useful hardware on this list, this last request is easy to understand: make the car pleasant to look back at when you park it.