Do you remember….
 

When you could tell one car from another??? Sitting here watching cars go by, and they all look alike and 80% are suv

If I say I remember I am probable dating myself, but I agree with you I would add that most are WHITE.

Just to put a TV spin on your observation ...

I think you just identified why "Street Rods" is no longer doing business in TV and have basically lost any panache or interest they might have had, around the country.

There have been very few vehicles, post 1964/65 Mustang, that had/have what would be considered "Iconic styling", enough so it could translate into a custom golf cart.

Other than perhaps, Jeeps, Corvettes and possibly Dodge Challengers what other American cars are there?

In the imported class, maybe VW Bug, various Porsches, BMW Z3, M-B 280 SL ... I think the list ends about there.

I think Ferrari and Lamboghini are too esoteric ... although I'd love to see a McLaren themed golf cart.

I could identify the year and model of every popular brand, some in the 1930s and 1940s, all 1950s and 1960s, some manufactured later. Now I sometimes need to use my key fob to beep my horn to identify my vehicle, an SUV, within a crowded parking lot. lol

We actually got in the wrong cat (suv) once....

Where would I be without my fob?? Still looking for our car

And most cost $5,000 Ha Ha.

I remember as a kid there where 4 dealerships in my small town.
Around October we'd take our bikes to the dealership garages, peck through the windows to maybe get a peek at the new next year model cars they unloaded while we were in school.

Later I worked at a Chevy/Buick dealership washing cars and odd jobs.

A new model chevy rear engine car called the Corvair was delivered all wrap up.
Boss said if we wanted a couple extra hours work that evening with a couple mechanics to come back and take it for a ride.

I seat in the back seat and thought I was going to the moon. :pepper2:

Ah the good old days. :beer3:

True words.

And most models today change very little, style-wise, from year to year. A six-year-old vehicle very often is hard to tell from a new vehicle of the same make and model. Never used to be like that: Take the iconic '57 Chevy Impala. Looked nothing like the '56, and by the time the '60 and '61 models came around there was very little, if any, "family resemblance".

When I worked at the local Chey dealership, I walk by a 1969 Chevrolet aqua and white 4-door hardtop
Impala with a window sticker of $6,000.
I remember thinking, who the hell would pay that much for a chevy??

Must have been loaded to the gills. MSRP in 1969 was around $3300, with a ton of equipment! Radio, cigar lighter, automatic, body side moldings, rear window defroster, power steering, power brakes, white walls, rear speaker.

One might argue that has more to do with other (aging and drinking) factors than automotive stying.

My friend Suzanne Muldowney drives a big SUV with a “Underdog” sticker on the back!

There are a number of cars with attractive styling, but year after year, SUVs tend to be ugly, like big metal turtles. They are also a lot more expensive than sedans of a similar luxury level. So why do people buy them? Because they can see better from being higher in the air. Never mind that they are less stable and maneuverable and roll over more easily and get better gas mileage. They are supposedly safer. (The odd thing is that a lot of people who think they are safer then don’t wear seat belts.) Over the past few years, some SUVs have had better styling, but it tends to be at the expense of size and interior roominess. A big argument in favor of SUVs is that they are Sports and Utility Vehicles. However, people our age buy them who never haul around a soccer team or carry more than a few bags of groceries. I don’t miss muscle cards at all, but I enjoy looking on Facebook at the photos at the beautiful designs of many cars over that past century. I also enjoy attractive new cars when I see them.

First memory of cars is a Split Window Vet and a Cobra Shelby, in our driveway. Too young to drive but a great view from front porch

You are sadly correct, We now have the UJC vehicle. Universal Japanese Car. For over 50 years I drove and still own a Volvo Station Wagon. No body even makes a wagon any more. Now you get a SUV with a 3 or 4 super small engine with turbo charges. No thank you.

. Sadly you are correct. For over 50 years I owned and drove Volvo Station Wagons. That format in no longer available. Now days you get a Universal Japanese Car {UJC} with a 3 or 4 cylinder small displacement engine with a turbo or 2 on it. I now have a Lexus LS460 L {2013}. No miles on it. Want a new one. Mine has a big v-8 28MPG on interstate. They want me to buy the new one with a V-6 2 turbos and 26MPG. I will keep my old one.

.

You can thank the government for that. Federal mandates on mileage and emissions have forced automakers into aerodynamic designs that tend to be identical. In the future expect interior enhancements like AI services to be the main difference in manufacturer’s models

After watching a woman in her 70s in an Aldi parking lot struggle to get in and out of the passenger seat of a red sports car I better realize why every car around here is an SUV.

I drive a medium/large white SUV. It's much easier to get an and out of than a low car, my seat is butt high so I slide in and out. I also have an 80 pound dog, so the back seats stay flat to accommodate him. I think SUVs are the best thing since sliced bread, because of the carrying capacity, and mine has a hitch so I can pull a trailer. Late 50s cars, two tone with chrome and fins are my favorites.

SUV with a M on the rear.

We have a blue Ford Explorer. One time I couldn't get it unlocked... How many blue Ford Explorers are there in TV, parked in Fenney parking lot? After finding and entering mine across the lane, we watched the one I was "burgling" drive by.

Some years ago I was on business staying at a hotel close to the airport with a rental car. In the morning I went to my apparent car, unlocked with the key and entered thinking something was strange because I didn't remember pulling the emergency brake lever. Started the car and began to back out when I saw another identical car slightly different color and it hit me I was in the wrong car. I have wondered what would have happened if I had returned the wrong car.

So many newer vehicles sure do look alike. As ehendersonjr noted, they are aerodynamically designed for better MPG. But I've noticed that each manufacturer has it's own grille/headlight design. I wonder if those different grille designs are "trademarked". It's mostly cosmetic differences that differentiate between brands. And sometimes it makes recognition difficult.

Suv
 

That is why owners attach colorful loofas to their roofs.

GRAY … that is how I can
spot Brand New Vehicles !!

Yes, and like Tinker said mostly all white. Unfortunately, we joined the party on 12/24/24 when we replaced our white 2004 Honda Odyssey with a white 2025 Suburu Forester. I so badly didn’t want white again, but Suburu’s color choices sucked so I once again settled for white. Sure do miss the Odyssey with its middle row individual & super comfy bucket seats, and overall roominess. The backseat of the Forester is a firm bench seat, which is very uncomfortable. I hate modern vehicles. I haven’t even driven the Forester yet because I’m so intimidated by all of the computerized electronics. Hubby loves it though!

Trouble finding your car?
 

If you have trouble finding your car in a crowded parking lot may I suggest putting your favorite color loofah on the roof. Looks nice and might help you meet new friends!

I did the same thing. Only I didn't get in. I opened the door and there was a man sitting in the drivers seat talking on his phone. He scared the heck out of me. I think I startled him but then he laughed. I was parked one car over from him.

It definitely was easy back in the 50's and 60's to identify cars, each brand had a style that was identifiable as to which brand it was. When I was a teen the 57 Chevy 2 dr hard top was the epitome of stye and desire.

I miss cars with actual BUMPERS on the front and back. I would like a car with bumpers on the sides, even. But, that won't happen.

I had a Volvo Station Wagon for years. They had great brakes, fast acceleration, good cornering, nice looks, good gas mileage, plenty of space inside and you felt that in case of an accident, that you were like a tank and VERY invincible!

So true OP. Even the high end SUV like BMW look like all the others. Glad I still have my unique 2003 2 door coupe stick shift!

It’s theater R&D
Ripoff and Duplicate .
Dunno why so many older, smaller folk in central fl have large SUV’s?
Snow? Off road trails,?
Cruising the dunes?
Doomsday prepping ?
Feeling safer having a larger machine for that crash you may get into?
We bought our first pick up in our 70’s 5 years ago ( EV)but use it daily for business and would be lost without it.

Wanna look different? Get a cybertruck and get some ‘attention’

Had two 63 vets, first one red, hit by mail box that jumped out in front of me, giggle, 2nd blue, sure wish I had them now, worth big bucks, more than the $2000 I paid for them. Ahh , the good OLD DAYS; now tariffs, ugh!

Top of the line Chevy in 1957 was the Bel Air. Iconic car for sure. The Impala was not introduced until the 1958 model year.

Aaaaand most are white!😂

Have always owned and driven vehicles that stand out in models and colors, and American made ! Still do.

You talking ugly??
Take a look at some of the loud, opulent grillwork these days, especially trucks!
We opted for the kinder, gentler, more zen/peaceful front and rear end of a Rivian.
We thought the ‘twin Edsel’ front end would be tough but it’s growing on us.
We still stop at gas stations for snacks and toilets.
How about the silliness of todays tail lighting?
Don’t get us started on that!

Corvair back seat?
Were your knees hitting your face?

What make vehicles today are 100% American made?