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DURHAM D

(33,019 posts)
Sat Feb 28, 2026, 08:04 PM 13 hrs ago

What was your last car that had the dimmer switch on the floor?

For me it was my 1973 Levi Gremlin.

Do you wish they would bring back the floor dimmer ?

42 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
What was your last car that had the dimmer switch on the floor? (Original Post) DURHAM D 13 hrs ago OP
1972 Pontiac Catalina. n/t LuckyCharms 13 hrs ago #1
What percentage of DUers do you think even know what we are talking about? nt DURHAM D 13 hrs ago #2
I would say at least 75%! LuckyCharms 13 hrs ago #10
Really? DURHAM D 13 hrs ago #12
Well, I'm 67 years old... LuckyCharms 13 hrs ago #14
I am as well. My 80 CJ 5 had the dimmer switch on the floor. chicoescuela 12 hrs ago #19
I miss it being on the floor. LuckyCharms 12 hrs ago #30
I do as well especially when driving a manual transmission. chicoescuela 12 hrs ago #33
65 Impalas were sweet. We had one when I was a kid. chicoescuela 12 hrs ago #34
85 CJ7 Shellback Squid 13 hrs ago #3
It's been a long time! Diamond_Dog 13 hrs ago #4
1972 Nova SS Dave in VA 13 hrs ago #5
Interesting - I have never seen one of those. DURHAM D 13 hrs ago #9
It was something that we picked up at an auto parts store Dave in VA 13 hrs ago #13
1973 BigMin28 13 hrs ago #6
1965 VW Beetle buzzycrumbhunger 13 hrs ago #7
I had a '62 Beetle. DURHAM D 13 hrs ago #11
Seriously. buzzycrumbhunger 13 hrs ago #16
My dad drove a red VW Beetle and I learned to drive when I was in high school..graduated in '65 so don't know what year Deuxcents 12 hrs ago #36
1969 Dodge Dart Sport Onthefly 13 hrs ago #8
'69 Ford Galaxy SheltieLover 13 hrs ago #15
'74 dart indigoth 12 hrs ago #17
Still have this car! ABC123Easy 12 hrs ago #18
My 1st car was a '68 Mustang. SheltieLover 12 hrs ago #27
Cool! ABC123Easy 11 hrs ago #40
1952 Chevrolet Bel Air WmChris 12 hrs ago #20
Sounds sweet chicoescuela 12 hrs ago #35
What's that? My first car was 1991. I had to roll the windows down manually and IcyPeas 12 hrs ago #21
What are these cupholders of which you speak? FuzzyRabbit 12 hrs ago #25
Your trip down memory lane makes me smile. nt DURHAM D 12 hrs ago #32
1958 Ford Fairlane 500 - 292 gab13by13 12 hrs ago #22
1981 Toyota pickup. FuzzyRabbit 12 hrs ago #23
1986 F150 Bavorskoami 12 hrs ago #24
1970 C10 Chevy Suburban. I can see it from here in my driveway. School bus yellow. Thing of beauty. FadedMullet 12 hrs ago #26
1941 Chevy.. Permanut 12 hrs ago #28
I think a 1974 Ford Bronco. nt doc03 12 hrs ago #29
55 chevy....57 Chevy....back when the US made good automobiles that you could work on walkingman 12 hrs ago #31
1976 AMC Hornet Eugene 11 hrs ago #37
1980 Pontiac Indy Pace Car Trans-Am FoxNewsSucks 11 hrs ago #38
70's Chrysler Newport duckworth969 11 hrs ago #39
1970 Olds 442 W30. kacekwl 10 hrs ago #41
The earliest car I ever owned was from 1976. Aristus 10 hrs ago #42

LuckyCharms

(22,348 posts)
14. Well, I'm 67 years old...
Sat Feb 28, 2026, 08:19 PM
13 hrs ago

and I think a significant percentage of DUers are older than me.

I'm just guessing though.

chicoescuela

(2,946 posts)
19. I am as well. My 80 CJ 5 had the dimmer switch on the floor.
Sat Feb 28, 2026, 08:34 PM
12 hrs ago

I had others prior to Jeep also with floor dimmers
Another lost art

LuckyCharms

(22,348 posts)
30. I miss it being on the floor.
Sat Feb 28, 2026, 09:12 PM
12 hrs ago

Before the Pontiac, I had a '65 Chevy Impala and a '66 Ford Fairlane that both had floor switches.

I can't even figure out the lights on our 2 current cars.

chicoescuela

(2,946 posts)
33. I do as well especially when driving a manual transmission.
Sat Feb 28, 2026, 09:16 PM
12 hrs ago

Extra points for four points of contact and two feet.

Diamond_Dog

(40,261 posts)
4. It's been a long time!
Sat Feb 28, 2026, 08:12 PM
13 hrs ago

My present car has the dimmer on a lever (my son says proper terminology is “stalk”) and since I use the one on the left so rarely I always forget which way to push it. It goes up, down, and towards me. I’d be happy if they put it back on the floor.

Dave in VA

(2,278 posts)
5. 1972 Nova SS
Sat Feb 28, 2026, 08:12 PM
13 hrs ago

instead of the little button it had a chrome piece that looked like a foot print! 👣

BigMin28

(1,846 posts)
6. 1973
Sat Feb 28, 2026, 08:12 PM
13 hrs ago

Gold Plymouth Duster. It died in a flash flood on Halloween 1981. It was sad to see her go, but I made it.

buzzycrumbhunger

(1,805 posts)
7. 1965 VW Beetle
Sat Feb 28, 2026, 08:13 PM
13 hrs ago

This was in like 1985. The ragtop was duct-taped because the wood across the front had warped and because I lived in Iowa (heavy salt on the roads in the winter), the floorboards were rusted out and we could see the road whiz by our feet. Eventually, I had pressed the dimmer switch and it went straight through the floor.

Finally retired it. A guy from a monastery bought it off me for like $150 and they repurposed it into a garden tractor. Thought that was a pretty cool retirement!

buzzycrumbhunger

(1,805 posts)
16. Seriously.
Sat Feb 28, 2026, 08:21 PM
13 hrs ago

I learned to drive in a ’63. My dad parked us up a hill out in the country and made me switch seats and get us out of there. Quickly grew to love a stick and miss those cars a lot--though my Hyundai is a manual, too!

Deuxcents

(26,385 posts)
36. My dad drove a red VW Beetle and I learned to drive when I was in high school..graduated in '65 so don't know what year
Sat Feb 28, 2026, 09:23 PM
12 hrs ago

But the dimmer was on the floor, had a manual transmission and no gas gauge..it had a lever that was actually a reserve of fuel so when the car needed gas, ya just turned the lever and had plenty until ya filled up. Had to remember to turn the lever back so the whole tank got gas!

ABC123Easy

(194 posts)
40. Cool!
Sat Feb 28, 2026, 10:11 PM
11 hrs ago

My first car too!



6 cylinder 200 cubic inches. No power steering or brakes, haha. Those vent windows in the front took care of the "air"

IcyPeas

(25,294 posts)
21. What's that? My first car was 1991. I had to roll the windows down manually and
Sat Feb 28, 2026, 08:41 PM
12 hrs ago

I didn't even have cupholders.

Never heard of this floor dimmer .

FuzzyRabbit

(2,206 posts)
25. What are these cupholders of which you speak?
Sat Feb 28, 2026, 09:03 PM
12 hrs ago

Does your car have ashtrays? How come cars don't have ashtrays anymore? They were a handy place to put candy wrappers.

And wing windows for ventilation. And bench seats. Dating was a lot more fun with bench seats where your girl friend could move over next to you.

FadedMullet

(844 posts)
26. 1970 C10 Chevy Suburban. I can see it from here in my driveway. School bus yellow. Thing of beauty.
Sat Feb 28, 2026, 09:07 PM
12 hrs ago

walkingman

(10,652 posts)
31. 55 chevy....57 Chevy....back when the US made good automobiles that you could work on
Sat Feb 28, 2026, 09:13 PM
12 hrs ago

and weren't made out of plastic and who knows what....

FoxNewsSucks

(11,644 posts)
38. 1980 Pontiac Indy Pace Car Trans-Am
Sat Feb 28, 2026, 09:29 PM
11 hrs ago

That was such a fun car, until the turbo totally fucked up around 40k miles.

I'm used to it on the turn-signal stalk since then, so I probably wouldn't change it

Aristus

(71,994 posts)
42. The earliest car I ever owned was from 1976.
Sat Feb 28, 2026, 11:07 PM
10 hrs ago

I don’t remember it having a floor dimmer switch. I’m old enough to know what they are, though. They used to make after-market novelty metal feet to put over the dimmer switch. Just a fun little add-on. My grandfather had one of those in his car.

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