Stories for Dad: Old Cars

Man Driving Arm out the Window

So today while we were eating lunch Arianna asked me if I drove with my arm hanging out the window. I said “no”, but Grandpa Don used to do it all the time. He’d come home with one tan arm and one white arm. She laughed pretty hard and mentioned that she could see him doing that and not caring.

I said it seems like cars nowadays have higher doors (probably for safety reasons) and it’s kind of difficult to rest your arm on the door. You kind of have to reach up which makes it not very comfortable.

Changes Over the Years

I then mentioned other changes  that automakers have implemented over the years. I was thinking back to the first car I drove, Mom and Dad’s 1972 Chevy Vega, and comparing it to the cards of today. The changes that jumped out at me are:

• Bench Seats: Lots of cars had “bucket seats” as an option for front seating. The guys who had bench seats in the front and then drove around with their arm resting on the back always made me laugh. Like they had their arms around their invisible girlfriends.
• Hub Caps: No more hub caps these days. Many come with actual mag wheels or at the very least crappy rims with nice wheel covers.
• AM Radios and Cassette Decks: I remember when I got my license and was driving the copper colored Vega. AM radios were standard then so I purchased an FM Converter. Cassette deck or even an 8 Track player… out of the question.
• Miscellaneous Accessories: Cars didn’t have beverage holders all over the place so when I took control of the Vega I spent about a dollar on a couple of plastic cup holders for on the doors. A nice air freshener, a fake leather wrap for the steering wheel and probably some fuzzy dice. Yup… those were the days.

My parents used to call the glove box the “cubbie hole?” I can’t figure that one out, but then again in my entire life I’ve never placed a pair of gloves in the glove box. The entire concept seems strange. May as well just admit that the “glove box” is really just a place to store anything and every, except gloves.

I’ve used the reference “police model” to refer to things that come with absolutely no frills like the old police cars. No interior carpet, no floor mats, no radio… no nothing. Apparently nobody knows what the inside of a police car looks like these days. Then again, I never been in one so I shouldn’t talk like I have a ton of experience.

So anyway, I don’t drive often with my arm out the window, but Arianna knows my Dad does and I’m sure she’ll be checking his tan next time she sees him.