Cars

There are few things that have changed in my lifetime more than the car. There are plenty of new things; computers, microwaves, etc., and the cellphone is new too since there are still desk phones, but the car is still around.


My first car, which I’ve mentioned here many times, was a 1962 Chevy II. It had a straight 6 engine, 3 speed on the column (3 on the tree), bench seats, both front and back, crank windows, window wings, an AM radio and a heater. The seats were covered with naugahyde that dried from the sun, then cracked and split, leaving gaping holes. A lot of folks tried to mend those with duct tape, which led to black, sticky streaks on everything, especially your best shirt.

Back then, it was something special to have bucket seats or a floor shifter. Now I wish I had my bench seat back.

Then they hit us with FM radio to go with the AM, but it wasn’t that much better. AM was bad enough since it would drop the signal when you drove under a bridge or get drowned out by static when you drove under a high power line, and heaven forbid that high power line be on the side of the road you were on or the static would follow you for miles. The FM side was filled with talk radio and elevator music.

Air conditioning came next I guess. I hardly used my for the first several years, but now I use it a lot, even sometimes in the winter. Car dealers sure played this up, and charged for it too.

Next I guess were power windows and power locks, but they did away with the window wing and I miss them since they offered fresh air to just you if that’s what you wanted.

Then it really began to snowball in the 80s. Sunroofs, cassette and then CD players to go along with the AM/FM, cruise control, power mirrors, thermometers, trip computers, onboard computers, and on and on to GPS and even WIFI hotspots. The car now costs almost as much as a house.

Also, when I raise my hood, I wishe I still knew what half that stuff under there is. You used to be able to sit on the wheel well and work on the motor. It was nothing to change your oil or even replace a water pump or generator, well, outside of a few skinned knuckles that is. There was ample room to work and get the leverage you needed. Not anymore.

All in all, there is a lot more gadgets in a car now – a lot of things you ‘must have’, but sometimes, even with all its faults, I still miss my first car.