Modern Drivers Have It Easy
There was a time when getting behind the wheel was about preparing for mild chaos. You had to think ahead and still expect something to go sideways. It was you and a series of small battles you just accepted as normal. These days, it’s basically a spa day compared to the slightly absurd routines that used to be part of every ride back in the day. So, let’s rewind the tape and remember what used to make driving such a character-building experience.
1. Cranking Manual Windows By Hand
Manually cranking car windows took effort, especially when the mechanism wore down. That struggle became even more noticeable during emergencies. Over time, the inconvenience and frequent malfunctions led to the widespread adoption of power windows.
Santeri Viinamäki on Wikimedia
2. Unbuckling Seatbelts To Roll Down The Window
In older cars, backseat passengers had to unbuckle and lean forward just to let in fresh air, as drivers couldn’t control rear windows remotely. That is when modern vehicles solved this with centralized controls built into the driver’s panel.
3. Getting Lost Without GPS
Driving once depended entirely on memory, leaving little room for mistakes. With no digital help, drivers relied on landmarks to stay oriented. Later, the introduction of GPS brought relief, as it offered instant recalculations and made navigation far more reliable.
4. Flipping Tapes While Driving
Listening to music meant relying on tapes, each holding only a limited number of tracks. Changing them required taking one hand off the wheel and eyes off the road, creating a clear distraction. The shift to streaming platforms eliminated these issues entirely.
5. Manually Adjusting Side Mirrors
Before electric controls, adjusting side mirrors required awkward stretching to reach small interior levers. This often meant leaning across the seat. Over time, manual knobs gave way to electric controls that simplified the process with buttons.
6. Warming Up Cars Without Remote Start
Back in the day, starting your car in winter meant bundling up like an Arctic explorer just to turn the key. There was no tapping a button from the cozy warmth of the kitchen. Instead, drivers stood outside while the engine struggled to come alive.
7. Memorizing AM/FM Radio Stations
Finding the right AM or FM station meant fiddling with knobs, trying to land precisely on that sweet spot. Lose it, and you were stuck spinning the dial again. Fast forward to today, and streaming apps serve every genre instantly.
8. Reading Speed Limit Signs Without Digital Alerts
Cruising down the road used to come with a constant side quest: hunting for speed limit signs. Miss one, and you were unknowingly flying through a 25-mph zone with a ticket waiting just around the bend. No dashboard reminders, just your own eyeballs trying to catch every changing signpost.
9. Searching For Payphones After A Breakdown
Breaking down on the side of the road kicked off a real-life survival quest. Forget calling for help unless you have spare change jangling in your pocket. And unless you memorized phone numbers like your life depended on it, reaching anyone felt like trying to solve a puzzle.
10. Driving Without Backup Cameras Or Sensors
Before cameras and sensors took over, drivers had to master the art of neck-twisting gymnastics just to back out of a driveway. Mirrors gave limited help, blind spots felt endless, and every reverse came with a silent hope you wouldn’t hit something—or someone.
11. Listening To The Same CD On Repeat
Long drives often became an endless loop of the same tracks, replayed not out of love, but out of a lack of better options. Moreover, changing albums required pulling over and rummaging through overstuffed visor sleeves or clunky boxes wedged under the seat.
12. Checking Oil Manually Without Alerts
Keeping tabs on your engine’s health used to mean rolling up your sleeves and reaching for the dipstick. Drivers had to squint at a thin strip of metal to guess if the oil level was just right. Accuracy wasn’t guaranteed either.
13. Sharing A Single Charger
Cars came with a single 12V outlet—better known as the cigarette lighter—and plugging in involved using a bulky adapter that didn’t always behave. Passengers took turns powering up, arguing over whose battery percentage mattered more.
14. Dealing With Pop-Up Headlights
Pop-up headlights had a charm that turned heads, but they brought their own set of headaches. What looked futuristic on the outside often hid motors that jammed or froze in colder weather. Even repairs weren’t quick.
15. Scraping Frost Without Heated Mirrors
Cold mornings once came with an icy side quest, as side mirrors would glaze over completely, and defrosters rarely reached far enough to help. Some drivers resorted to the old plastic bag trick overnight, hoping to outsmart the frost.
16. Calling AAA Without A Smartphone App
Calling AAA meant digging out your membership card, finding a signal—or worse, walking to the nearest landline—and then trying to describe your nearby landmarks. In short, accuracy was a shot in the dark, and small mistakes meant longer waits.
Kenneth C. Zirkel on Wikimedia
17. Fiddling With Knobs For A/C And Heat Balance
Older climate systems came with chunky sliders or twisty knobs, offering no clear idea of what temperature you were actually setting. Today’s drivers simply tap in the exact degree they want, and the car does the rest.
18. Opening Trunks With A Key Instead Of A Button
Rain or shine, you had to step out, unlock it manually, and hope the latch didn’t stick. Plus, it wasn’t uncommon to accidentally leave the key inside and realize too late that you’d just locked yourself out of both the trunk and your sanity.
19. Dealing With Stuck Manual Door Locks
Each door had its own manual lock, and if you were in a hurry, odds were high someone forgot one, leaving your ride half-secured without knowing it. Winter made things worse, as freezing temperatures turned locks into solid ice.
20. Waiting In Long Lines To Pay Tolls
Sitting in a sea of brake lights was once a dreaded part of any road trip. There was just the sound of coins clinking and drivers scrambling for change. Choose the wrong lane marked “exact change only,” and you were stuck in panic mode.
