Remember car stereos?

I'm going to date myself, but here's my latest lament: I miss car stereos.

Oh, sure, practically every new SUV comes with a sound system nowadays. But back when I first started driving, the car stereo was the be-all and end-all. The very first work I did on my own vehicle was car stereo installation. I had to upgrade from that horrible AM radio to a new-fangled AM/FM/Cassette deck as soon as possible, and that meant crawling under the dashboard, unplugging some wires, messing around with all that stuff that I knew I was supposed to leave alone. I had to learn about the fuse box. I actually had to buy a service manual for my vehicle, so that I could study the schematics and figure out how to get my high powered, 5 watt per channel stereo system working without draining the battery. In the process, I learned that cars and SUVs, while complex, are composed of simple, understandable smaller components. My desire to upgrade my stereo helped to demystify my car, and helped me get to know it better.

It didn't make me a mechanic, by any means, but installing my first car stereo gave me a greater appreciation and respect for all things automotive.

Looking at most modern dashboards, I would never even attempt to change a knob on the sound system. Some, I can't even operate, let alone upgrade.

So, I miss the car stereo.

Photo © Jason Fogelson