I'm coming to this late, but here's what I know about changes in cars from 1980-ish to 1997-ish (all USA-based, if your story is in another country a lot of this will vary). My grasp of what was not required in 1980 is pretty much entirely based on what is not present on my two 1984 Toyotas, which should be a decent guide to typical 80s requirements (although the rules may have been even laxer in 1980 for all I know, and my cars will of course have various non-required features just because they were good things to put on a car to get people to buy it).
- Center rear brake lights, as previously mentioned, were required on cars by 1997. They were not in 1980, and I wouldn't expect to see them on a stock 1980 car (neither of my mine have them).
- Rear seat belts were also not required to be shoulder belts in 1980, lap belts only in the back seat was a common setup. Front seats may have been required to have shoulder belts (both of mine do).
- More subtly, cup holders. Neither of my 1984 cars has a cup holder. I don't know if non-Toyotas were any better about this. 1990s Toyotas had them, because my mom's Corolla from that era did.
I suspect that it'd be easier for your character to find a functional 1980 car in 1997 than it would be for them to find a brand new 1997 car that would look "typical" in 1980. I still drive a 1984 car as my main vehicle. I get occasional comments about the Toyota van because it's distinctive looking (it was introduced in 1984 and has no hood - the engine is under the driver's seat and accessed from inside the cabin) but the Camry still blends in pretty well and I see plenty of other mid-80s Camrys on the road.
I know old VW buses were around in both of those eras, and second that suggestion as well if it works for your story. I wouldn't think of them as a terribly reliable car, but my family had a terrible experience with a VW Rabbit we called "Dead Bunny" so I may be biased. I know mostly-broke college students could afford to buy old VW buses than still ran as recently as 1999, because an acquaintance of mine in college had one with a giant chunk cut out of the padding on the back bench and various other aesthetic issues but that ran.
If you want, I could probably dig up the 1980 Consumer Reports Auto Issue and see what cars were well-reviewed that year and what features Consumer Reports considered important. I want to generically suggest a Toyota but I'm not sure what they were like in 1980 specifically.
My stepfather still drives a white Ford truck from the 1970s. I think the "all pickups look the same" people may be onto something, although they were much boxier in the 70s and 80s and became more rounded in the 90s just like everything else. I'd stay away from minivans - IIRC those tended to be an 80s thing and station wagons were still king in the 70s.
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Date: 2013-02-13 12:07 pm (UTC)- Center rear brake lights, as previously mentioned, were required on cars by 1997. They were not in 1980, and I wouldn't expect to see them on a stock 1980 car (neither of my mine have them).
- Rear seat belts were also not required to be shoulder belts in 1980, lap belts only in the back seat was a common setup. Front seats may have been required to have shoulder belts (both of mine do).
- More subtly, cup holders. Neither of my 1984 cars has a cup holder. I don't know if non-Toyotas were any better about this. 1990s Toyotas had them, because my mom's Corolla from that era did.
I suspect that it'd be easier for your character to find a functional 1980 car in 1997 than it would be for them to find a brand new 1997 car that would look "typical" in 1980. I still drive a 1984 car as my main vehicle. I get occasional comments about the Toyota van because it's distinctive looking (it was introduced in 1984 and has no hood - the engine is under the driver's seat and accessed from inside the cabin) but the Camry still blends in pretty well and I see plenty of other mid-80s Camrys on the road.
I know old VW buses were around in both of those eras, and second that suggestion as well if it works for your story. I wouldn't think of them as a terribly reliable car, but my family had a terrible experience with a VW Rabbit we called "Dead Bunny" so I may be biased. I know mostly-broke college students could afford to buy old VW buses than still ran as recently as 1999, because an acquaintance of mine in college had one with a giant chunk cut out of the padding on the back bench and various other aesthetic issues but that ran.
If you want, I could probably dig up the 1980 Consumer Reports Auto Issue and see what cars were well-reviewed that year and what features Consumer Reports considered important. I want to generically suggest a Toyota but I'm not sure what they were like in 1980 specifically.
My stepfather still drives a white Ford truck from the 1970s. I think the "all pickups look the same" people may be onto something, although they were much boxier in the 70s and 80s and became more rounded in the 90s just like everything else. I'd stay away from minivans - IIRC those tended to be an 80s thing and station wagons were still king in the 70s.