If you could go back, or pick and era to grow up in...would you you?

Would you go back?

  • Go back?

    Votes: 93 67.9%
  • Stay here?

    Votes: 33 24.1%
  • Care less?

    Votes: 11 8.0%

  • Total voters
    137
  • Poll closed .
-
I would have loved to go back and be a teenager in either the 50's or the 70's. Yep I would have been a greaser! Otherwise the movie dazed and confused looked like such a good time to grow up in.. Granted I was born in 75 but didnt get to enjoy it like the kids in the movie!
 
I'd go back in an instant. Life was much simpler then. 50's and 60's were great times for me. Didn't have cell phones, computers and had only three TV channels. Gas was 29.9 and you could cruise all day for $3.00. Simple things were enjoyable. Today it's tough to find anything enjoyable except maybe Mopars. :eek:) :eek:) :eek:)
 
I'd go back to the late 40's thru the early 60's. I'd also love to have been around to see early Los Angeles, back around the turn of the 20th century. I can't imagine anyone looking back to this time right now as the "golden years", but you never know....
 
Great topic. The similarities in our youths and experiences is amazing. OC's comment about the getting home before the streetlights made me laugh. I too was born in 1948 and got to enjoy all of the 60's and 70's and was deeply entrenched in all of it. We played baseball and football in the streets every day it didn't rain. Cars came before we could drive and I had a 57 Savoy with a flat head six that used a quart every 100 miles and when it blew up I put a 361 wedge from a commando in it and thought I was bad. My 65 Coronet had a dual quad 383 that I built from paper route money. It took all summer to save enough to buy the Isky and adjustable rockers. I still have the Offy manifold and the AFB's. Drags everynight during the summer racing the rich kids driving the factory muscle. It was a great time to grow up and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I wouldn't want to re-live it either specially the 1970-1973 draft years. What a waste of 50k young men. Met my first love at 13 the summer we built the flathead for my friends 50 Ford. The Ford's gone but my sweetie and I are still together. All and all I'm happy with the past and although I'm apprehensive about the future we've had a productive full life so far. Dan
 
No thanks, people love to romanticize the past, but really, other than the car culture...most of the times from the past sucked. Why leave when we live in the times of the best medicine, best scientific knowledge, best technology and things only get better every year.

Not to mention, cars today are getting better by the minute. Sure go back to the late 60s, but then you miss the days of daily drivable 650hp monsters on the road...and why would anyone want to lose that?
 
I would go back in a heart beat. I would still have my dad who died when I was in my mid 20's and I sure miss him. I was born in 1954 so grew up in the muscle car era and had a few mainly a bodys. Veitnam war kinda winding down and I drew high lottery number in the draft 72&73 so I did not get drafted. Growing up we did lock our doors and didn't even have a key. Played ball in the street and my brother and I rode our bikes all over North Miami Bch. Didn't fear getting kidnapped or shot in the street neighbors keep a eye on all kids in the neighborhood. We were raised to respect our elders unlike today. Bad things did happen Veitnam, Cuban missile crisis, JFK shooting and RFK shooting. Life still seemed a lot simpler grow up then we never had drills in school to lock the doors and hide from some loon shooting at us but did have bomb drills hiding under desk. I guess every era has its bright and dark times. But I would get to see my dad and brother again. So in a heart beat I would go back!
 
Sex was safe and motorcycles were dangerous! In '74 I had a '69 Dart 340, auto on the floor, B5 Blue, a/c car which I sold for $1500.00 in late '75 in order to buy a '69 Camaro RS 396/375 Horse 4 Speed for $2500.00. Back then you could go buy Sunoco 260 Premium Fuel which was 110 Octane, but someone came out and pumped it for you and washed your windshield while you, were there. My winter beater was a '72 Chrysler Town and Country Wagon with a 440 of course. I paid $400.00 for it with 67,000 miles on it. It could hold nine people, each with a quart of Bud, on our way to see Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith and a few other shows. As John(Cougar) Mellencamp put it: "I'm surprised that we're still liven"
 
I would pick being 19 in the earlier 80's so I could have banged all of the loose metal chicks in the back of my Le Car.

renault-lecar-08.jpg

Loose metal chicks?


A co worker had a Le Car. One day we went out to the lot while he was working, and put masking tap all over that thing, and wrote "Le hood", Le door", "Le fender,", Le Windshield", "le Bumper", and so on. I think there were about 50 or 60 pieces of tape on the darn thing.

...and we all denied any involvement. ;)
 
Have read most all the post.

Would I want to grow up in a different time?

Well, as many have said there were good and bad. Born in 58, so got to watch the end of the muscle car craze, buy my 1st cuda at 15, year later trade it for a 69 roadrunner, graduate high school with a 2 year degree in auto mechanics, 5 days after turning 18 get a job at Chrysler making $4.89 and hour. Bringing home $200 a week and wondering WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THAT MONEY? Well buy more cars, 70 340 Challenger, 54 Chevy Belair, 72 barracuda, 70 grand coupe barracuda, 69 Charger SE, 69 SS Chevelle 375 hp/396, 74 Camaro, 71 Mach 1 and that was in just 6 months

Beginning 77 ordered my 1 st new car, bought a 67 Formula S 273 4 speed, so when my 77 Aspen LOADED WITH ALMOST EVERY OPTION had couple of cool cars. Got engaged so lost my new car to HER ..... LOL sold her nova ( bet her dad was mad since he worked for GM) my payment ( ill never forget $173.40) for 36 months, how was I ever going to be able to pay that?

Yeah would like to have been able to bought a new 70 HEMI cuda, or you name it, but if I had been a few years older I might have been one of the 50k that never made it home. The draft had ended by the time I turned 18. Also having the money to by a car like that, yeah in today's dollars they are cheap, in 1970 dollars a new Cuda even without the $850 HEMI option was out of reach for most young adults. Before getting my job at Chrysler I was pumping gas for maybe $1.65 an hour, the manager was pissed because I got the job at Chrysler and he was making less money as a manager and had wife and 2 kids at home, so 2.00 and hour in 1970 you might bring home $60 week

So in reflection life has been good. I made some stupid mistakes, wish I had bought more cars but been able to keep them. 1979 bought 1971 383 auto curious yellow 'Cuda convertible for $ drum roll please .......................... $850, dent in right front fender min. Rust bad power valve in carb.

OK want to go back to 1986 and keep my cuda

Life today is good for the most part

Got a good wife, nice house, 67 340 4 speed dart convertible, 99 Plymouth Prowler and 81 Imperial plus my daily drivers and truck

Watch Mr. Destiny, Its a Wonderful Life or Back to the future and see if it really works out, in each things are not what they thought it might be.
 
OK, question for the Young Guns here. (Not to hijack the thread, or should this be another thread?)

How much of your perception of earlier "glory days" are strongly influenced by TV and movies? I recognize you might not have a lot of other sources to go on, other than the yarns us old guys spin?

How close is perception to reality?
 
As a young gun from the year '93.....
Damn kids........ >:\


i was born in 86 so i would definately go back .....i would go back so that i would be 20 years old in 1966 so that way i could afford a high profile car by the early 70s ....everyone knows an 18 year old in 1970 is just as broke as an 18 year old in 2013 LOL

YES!!!!! ANOTHER 86ER! Omg, remember Chernobyl!? Or Challenger!? Or the Bears winning their last Superbowl!? :D I sure don't, but everyone told me it was pretty horrible! :D

Really don`t think it would be the same!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Moe
Move to Trashcanistan... It's JUST like it was 1500 years ago, except with cell phones, AK's, cars, and explosives.... That's it.


- CK
 
If you want to go back in time, just move to a third world country.

Some places would refuse to let us in, lol Heck being from the USA I can't even go dow to Cuba like my Canadian friends can. Florida is cool this time of year, Cuba is hot and budget friendly but then who flying would visit Florida when Cuba would be just 45 mins away while in the air ? That is why I believe we still have that Cuba ban, to help out Florida's tourism.
 
...
Not to mention, cars today are getting better by the minute. Sure go back to the late 60s, but then you miss the days of daily drivable 650hp monsters on the road...and why would anyone want to lose that?

I agree about modern cars. I have a 66 barracuda, an 81 Mirada, and my 73 408 stroker with a 5 speed. Each is great in it's own way, and my Duster is better in every way compared to the old muscle cars: 12.0 quarters, great handling, and 23 mpg hwy @ 65 mph.

HOWEVER, I also have an 08 LS3 z51 Corvette. 436 hp, 12.6 traction limited quarter, and 185+ (I've had it to 164 on Talladega's back straightaway!) Driven it at Road Atlanta, and it's a phenomenal handler. Oh, and 28+ hwy mpg.

Today's muscle cars outperform the old cars in every way, are more comfortable and quiet, with Climate Control and cruise to boot.

That said, I still wish I had lived through the muscle car era. I graduated HS in 82, and had a 318 Duster. I longed for the "Muscle Car Era" as mentioned in the car magazines, and thought there would never be cars like that again. Bought my 340 Duster 6 years ago, made all kinds of modifications, and plan to never get rid of it. Something just "cool" about it that the Vette can't match.
 
Sex was safe and motorcycles were dangerous! In '74 I had a '69 Dart 340, auto on the floor, B5 Blue, a/c car which I sold for $1500.00 in late '75 in order to buy a '69 Camaro RS 396/375 Horse 4 Speed for $2500.00. Back then you could go buy Sunoco 260 Premium Fuel which was 110 Octane, but someone came out and pumped it for you and washed your windshield while you, were there. My winter beater was a '72 Chrysler Town and Country Wagon with a 440 of course. I paid $400.00 for it with 67,000 miles on it. It could hold nine people, each with a quart of Bud, on our way to see Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith and a few other shows. As John(Cougar) Mellencamp put it: "I'm surprised that we're still liven"

I'm old enough to recall the late 70's, a quart of beer was 99 cents and a liter of coke cola was around 60 cents. The older guys would laugh at us drink soda when beer was cheaper per oz.

Rock concerts were kickass, I almost seen Led but their dummer died and the show was off. I did see Foghat, Rush

But we are forgetting the bad stuff, the 55 mph limit--yeah everybody went over but you could not sail passed the police at 72 mph like you can now.

My min wage job paid $1.70 an hour and gas was $1.50 and my car got 13 mpg. Today min wages are around $7.50 and gas is $3.50 and cars get 20 mpg, its cheaper to drive if your car is paid off and you got basic insurance.

Remember trying to call your friends and if they were not home, you had to go out and try to find them, that stunk, I wasted time and gas when now you just carry your phone with you.

Life is pretty good today, IMO The internet makes life easier, I can book a hotel room at a good price by not even calling anybody. If your car gets a flat, you need not even to get out of the car, just call AAA and kickback and wait for help to come (yeah we would change our tires but you need not to)

Chicks, well heck things are different today in that dept but you just got cope with the changes. Tattoos on chicks I had to get used to but its grown on me, lol

Music, well I grown used to Hip Hop, classic rock was cool but you gotta be willing to try new stuff. The Who is back on stage the next couple of months but I don't believe I be seeing them, I was going to Hamilton ON in Feb but the more I thought about it and reading the reviews, yeah Pete and Roger have grown old and it would not be the same as it was in the 70's- early 80's. Maybe I still go but many wrote they wished they didn't go ?

What i don't like now is a few things but then life is never perfect is it ?
 
82-86 High School was a *****, I had a very heavy honors/college prep load (the joined the Marines...who knew?) Good gas was about .90/gallon, I was making 3.35 and hour 20 hours a week. I was driving a car that got about 15 mpg. My buddy was sort of a dork but cool as hell and was a chick repelent, we didnt drink yet so we didnt party. Most of the girls at school were into surfers and VW's and lowered dually or mini trucks, no muscle car chicks.

I was thinking about this the other day before I saw this post and was thinking maybe 1964-65 if there was no red scare, Vietnam war or Civil rights violence! Cars were just starting to get exciting again, There was can am racing, fast jets, just seemed clean cut in all the videos but of course it was probably just as seedy as the 70's....I think the 80's were fun, 50's might have been funner, Dad always told good stories.
 
As car culture goes, 1964 to 1972 works for me. I was born in 1958, so when I came of driving age, the real muscle cars were already a few years old and the "oil crisis" was making those old gas guzzlers affordable for a young driver. I remember 1973 as being quite a disappointment because of those ugly 5 mph bumpers, but I still got to buy one of the last muscle cars new in 1977, (Pontiac Firebird, 400 4 spd. sorry).

Music was a big part of my youth. Biggest disappointment was disco, but still grew up with that great 60's rock and experienced the likes of Montrose, Van Halen etc. during the latter part of the 70's and of course, 80's hair metal.

I'd have to say that I hit it right. I would not change the era I occupy.
 
I voted go back, way back
 

Attachments

  • 556646_10200270985247236_675464372_n.jpg
    55.2 KB · Views: 322
My high school was great until around 1981, all the cool long hair freaks were gone--I got out in 82. I heard from those who were still stuck there it started to be a drag, smoking even got banned--that was big news back then, today even teachers can't smoke in school zones, lol
 
i was born in 75. and grew up in the 50's and 60's from my dad telling me stories so vivid i felt like i was actullay there. taking mom out on a friday for dinner and a movie, fillin up the 57 ford, droppin her off early to go get beer and hang with the fellas just on 5 bucks. or going to the ford dealership to help my uncle pick up his new 66 427 4spd fairlane having a blast with it all the way back too grampa's place and hearing about his thoughts on the car. needless to say the fairlane wasnt a 427 for long. being relived that the kind indian that hit my dad in a 56 pontiac wagon and broke his leg made him unable to be vietnam.or sitting in front of the t.v. all day on his birthday to watch people walk on the moon he even knew neil he grew up in the next town. he was the american graffiti, and my uncle was the hippie of the group but i didnt really get to hear his stories until his passing from his friend snake who was a nam vet. definetly some great times back then also some bad. i also had the privledge to grow up in the 70's and 80's from my brother and sis. mostly my brother. one time i whined to mom about wanting to go out with my brother and cruise with his friends and was great until they made me stuff myself under the seat along with the 12 pack of beer so i wasnt seen while they looked for chickies.another time of my brother was when he got pulled over and was drunk with his buddies in his 64 comet there was 12 packs of beer in his car along with alot of empties the officer made him follow him back to the station. thankfully for him, mom got the call to pick him up. would i go back nah i already been there i'll stay here and pass on my time machine to my son when he is old enough
 
I didn’t have to choose a button…I lived it, being born in ’41. One room country school with no electricity, no running water, and backbreaking farm work from dawn to dusk, kids included. Three channels of TV didn’t arrive until ’55, and our telephone was a party line with a half-dozen other families.

Adversity is good. Worried about where your next meal is coming from, and no unemployment benefits to fall back on? You worked hard at any job you could get, and were thankful for what you had.

Worried about the economy or war? You paid attention to what the politicians were doing and voted with your brain, not your feelings and someone else’s bank account. Military service was paying the country back for our liberty. Nearly all the boys in my high school class served, most volunteered. None died in service. I enlisted at 17 and made it a career.

Cars? Got my license and my first car at age 13. The POS ’41 Chevy cost $75. First new car I ever drove was dad’s ’56 Plymouth replete with tailfins and pushbuttons. I loved it, and abused it horribly when he let me borrow it.

All my buddies and I owned cars from the forties or early fifties, and we all modified them. Except for a few hotrod engine parts, there was no aftermarket source. If you wanted it, you made it, or adapted it, or modified it yourself. Ditto for customizing.

I wouldn’t change growing up in the fifties and sixties for anything. Those were the golden years.
 
-
Back
Top