In general, I agree. However, many older cars were small, light, simple, and raw - characteristics that have largely disappeared from modern cars. Automatic transmissions from the mid-90s and earlier generally sucked, though good old manual transmissions are not much different from good modern ones.
As an example, I owned a W126 S class from the late 80s, and it was fun in its unique way and no modern cars replicate its experience. It had somewhat heavy and very feedback rich steering feel, and Porsche-like firm and tactile pedal feel, while having a super supple ride over the most awful roads with SUV-like ground clearance and tremendous suspension travel. The car was also super simple and reliable; my 300SE had nearly 400k km with all original powertrain when I sold it, it never let me down, and it weighed less than a modern A class or CLA. While not as safe as modern cars, it was exceptionally safe for its era and comparable to normal cars of the early 2000s for crash structure safety.
The W140 (I used to own one too) had a much better powertrain, but it lost the raw tactile scrappy nature of its predecessor, and nor could it handle super awful potholed roads as well as the W126. There are no modern cars that combine the rich raw tactile control feel and super supple ride the W126 had.
Look at cars like the BMW E30, or Mercedes-Benz 190E (W201), or the superbly engineered workhorses that the W123 and W124 were. There are no modern cars that replicate the genuinely delightful driving experience of those.
Oh yes, preach the gospel of the W126. I had a 1986 300SD for a while, and I’d own one again in a heartbeat. I’ve never felt safer, or cooler, driving a car. You had a gasser, which I bet was faster than mine, but the sound of that diesel spinning up the turbo was something else.
I agree about the W123 as well. I’ve owned half a dozen of those. For a couple generations there it seemed that Mercedes had cars just about solved.
My daily is a W126 with the OM603. It's getting harder every day to find parts (when I need them, which is infrequent) but it's worth the hassle because like you say there is nothing modern that has the same combination of feel and ride quality. Or visibility! I can parallel park this car (long wheelbase too) in tiny spots easier than a modern compact because you can actually see.
I've got a W140 with the M120 and a W123 with the OM616 and a 4-speed too, and while they have their charms (especially the W123) nothing tops the W126. It truly was not just the finest production sedan Mercedes made, but ever made by anyone. (Other contenders being the W100, the W140, and the Lexus LS.)
> However, many older cars were small, light, simple, and raw - characteristics that have largely disappeared from modern cars.
I feel parent's point still stands.
Sure, you won't be able to go to a random Ford dealership and go home with a small light and simple car, but there are plenty of modern car accessible through a modicum of effort. Even buying something new abroad and bring it back home will probably be less hassle than restoring an old car.
I wonder if buying a kit car would still be simpler, for still better results.
Aside from the Mazda MX-5 (which isn’t the most practical car), almost all small, simple, and light cars made today are econoboxes. They’re not designed to have the rich control feel, balanced and satisfying handling near the limits, responsiveness, material quality, suspension sophistication, etc. compared to say German luxury compact cars of the 1980s (BMW E30 or M-B W201). Even cars like 90s Hondas, while front wheel drive and built to a much lower price point, had rich control feel, liveliness, and agility that modern cars don’t give.
Modern luxury cars from essentially all brands around the world have become huge, heavy, numb, and over-complicated. They’re much faster and quieter than the say the old Benzes and BMWs of the 80s, but they don’t have the fun raw feel, small size, light weight, tossability, and simplicity of the old cars.
A BMW E30 or M-B W201 have a weight somewhere between a Mazda MX-5 and Subaru BRZ, but are far more practical than either for passengers and cargo despite being around the same width and only slightly longer.
The only modern cars with similar size and weight are some European market compact cars and econoboxes like the Mitsubishi Mirage, Nissan Micra, and Chevy Spark (which are also disappearing from North America). For steering feel, handling, general raw and connected driving feel, powertrain responsiveness, and interior quality, these modern economy cars can’t compete. Some of the European market specific B-segment cars come closest to those older compact luxury cars, but they still don’t match them for the qualities I described.
Kit cars generally suck from a practical perspective compared to well engineered 80s/90s cars and aren’t a very practical option either.
> They’re not designed to have the rich control feel, balanced and satisfying handling near the limits, responsiveness, material quality, suspension sophistication, etc.
Sounds to me like you're looking for a Lotus or a 911 at budget prices. I agree with you that's pretty far from the "simple, simple, light" vehicle, and it's fully in the hobby realm.
If you're that deep into cars, I'd say more power to you, and spending ungodly amount of money time and effort on vintage cars is probably a pleasure as well.
That’s the thing - old German compact luxury sedans from the 80s had the control feel, balance, and light weight you get from a Porsche, while also being practical family cars. There’s nothing like that made today. They were also decently safe and comfortable and reliable and generally just good.
Also the bigger ones like the W126, while not as light and agile as a Porsche or Lotus, still had similar control feel, very comfortable and spacious interiors, and could glide over the worst most broken and potholed roads better than any modern car I’ve driven. They’re also much simpler than any modern luxury cars, much less to break, and they just keep going and going as long as you take basic care. From personal experience, a much younger used W220 or W221 S class needs far more maintenance and repair than an old W126.
The more powerful but still reliable engines and nicer transmissions of the late W140 or W220 would be nice to have in a W126 though. My problem with the newer S classes is the complexity and fragility of the rest of the car.
Of course, these are 40 year old cars and need more care and maintenance than a new car, but they’re not too bad either as long as you get a good example of the car. They’re pretty reliable once sorted, and can last a very long time and very high mileage as long as they’re at least somewhat cared for.
As an example, I owned a W126 S class from the late 80s, and it was fun in its unique way and no modern cars replicate its experience. It had somewhat heavy and very feedback rich steering feel, and Porsche-like firm and tactile pedal feel, while having a super supple ride over the most awful roads with SUV-like ground clearance and tremendous suspension travel. The car was also super simple and reliable; my 300SE had nearly 400k km with all original powertrain when I sold it, it never let me down, and it weighed less than a modern A class or CLA. While not as safe as modern cars, it was exceptionally safe for its era and comparable to normal cars of the early 2000s for crash structure safety.
The W140 (I used to own one too) had a much better powertrain, but it lost the raw tactile scrappy nature of its predecessor, and nor could it handle super awful potholed roads as well as the W126. There are no modern cars that combine the rich raw tactile control feel and super supple ride the W126 had.
Look at cars like the BMW E30, or Mercedes-Benz 190E (W201), or the superbly engineered workhorses that the W123 and W124 were. There are no modern cars that replicate the genuinely delightful driving experience of those.