Even though I’ve had a back-up camera in this car for a few months, I can’t get past old habits of checking what’s around me by looking out the window and then checking the mirrors.

It’s not that I don’t trust the camera because today’s vehicles are high-tech computers on wheels. A computer runs my radio, windshield wipers, CD player and the air conditioning, and I have no complaints in those departments.

There’s a few things I remember about cars pre-computers that bring back some good memories, and I know today’s generation doesn’t have a clue about the joys of the “old days.”

One of those joys is riding down a country road with 4/60 air conditioning – that’s four windows down going 60 miles per hour – and inhaling the smell of freshly mown grass.

The sun warms your left arm hanging out the window while the top 40 hits are blasting on the radio.

I’m happy for my computerized radio as it puts the old-fashioned ones to shame. For those who don’t remember, there were two choices – AM or FM. Most of us chose AM because the FM stations were few and far between.

When the sun went down, you hoped you were in a car with an eight-track player because the AM stations were nothing but static. But while you were waiting for the eight-track, and then cassettes, to rewind, you always had time to actually talk to the people in your vehicle.

I’m glad I grew up learning how to drive a standard with a stick shift on the column. My dad told me I had to know how to drive a standard and he also taught me how to pop the clutch when stranded.

One feature I wish car manufacturers would bring back is the headlight dim switch on the floor. If your left foot wasn’t shifting, it was free to depress the round button on the left-hand side of the floor board so you could put on the bright lights and then dim them without taking your hands off the wheel.

Just so I don’t paint a picture of myself in a flannel robe with my dentures beside me, there are quite a few features of the modern automobile I love.

One is the intermittent wiper blades. When there’s just a little bit of rain, that feature stops the grating sound of windshield wipers on a dry window. There’s also the ease of automatic transmissions, power steering and power brakes.

I also love modern side mirrors that can be adjusted from the driver’s seat. When there’s multiple drivers in a family, like there were in mine, having to get out of the car to adjust the mirrors meant they stayed where they were unless you were willing to get somebody to ride in the front so they could adjust the mirrors.

There is one thing modern vehicles share with the old days, and that’s the nagging factor.

My parents nagged me about wearing a seat belt; my car has an alarm that screeches if I don’t buckle up. There’s an alarm to nag me if my tires need air, if I don’t have enough fuel or it’s time for a checkup.

I suppose I’ll get used to the back-up camera on my car. Until then, look for me hanging my head out the driver’s side window, backing up old-school style.

This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald