Epic Win: Hand-cranked car windows
Submitted by amy
Before the days of power windows, you had to manually crank the windows down. On the upside, there were no child safety locks.
Does anyone out there still have hand-cranked car windows?
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I ordered my 2002 Dakota that way. Guess what’s never broken on my truck? That’s right. The window switches and motors.
96 Dakota, I can roll windows up/downout keys in ignition and the doors open!
Having hard time finding new trunk with things that simply WORK !!!
Yeah, all you people voting fail on this one, you may think your power windows are win, until the motors that operate them burn out, and you find out it’s $500 per window to have them fixed.
Car with windows that can’t roll down, even on the nicest, sunniest, best driving weather day of the year: EPIC FAIL.
I had a 1994 lexus that the rear window motors broke on, and it was going to be around 700 bucks a window for the motor from a junkyard. Instead of doing that I popped off the door panel and propped them up with 2×4s. Crappiest fix ever, but considering the appraisal value of the car was around 2500 bucks I wasn’t going to spend 700 bucks for window motors.
the exact same reason i got my focus without power windows. the four windows in my tempo burned out slowly but surely.
How’s this a blast from the past? I have a 2003 F-150 and a 2001 Chevy Malibu, both without automatic windows. Guess who never has to worry about their window being stuck part way down?
Yeah, I’d have to agree with you……my mom has a Chevy Cavalier from just 2001 or so and it has hand-cranked windows.
My Cavalier has hand crank as well, power windows are a luxury feature on most cars.
My 1997 Cavalier has the hand crank windows. I’m keeping this baby for a while since it still runs great and gets good gas mileage.
My husband bought a car with all the bells and whistles. The first thing that went?? The window on the driver’s side – stuck open.
Seriously. My 98 Saturn has handcrank windows. My ex had a car from the mid-90s that had power doors and windows. The power windows didn’t work by 2003, and the lock of the passenger door jammed so that it was nigh impossible to get in on that side at times.
94 Sentra with hand cranked windows here… they used to annoy me, but practically everything electrical has crapped out on that car, so now it’s a fail safe feature! XD
I also have A ‘97 Cav with crank windows. They frustrate me sometimes (my car was broken into, so now there’s some wind noise problems and cranking problems) but eh. I like my car.
Not an nostalgic win at all, you can still buy a POS from this century with crank windows, like a cheap Aveo, Civic, etc. Though i must say, crank windows will (almost) never FAIL on you
hell yeah hand cranked windows are the bomb! i have those and automatic seatbelts =]!
MY in-laws bought the loss leader, which didn’t have power doors or locks. We bought the car from them.
This isn’t an epic win… at all.
Blame the people who voted for it.
Personally I would kill for a backup hand crank, cause those damned switches would always break on my cars.
I’ll agree. I still have crank windows and they suck pretty hard.
The driver’s side one is fine, but getting the passenger’s side window down when driving alone is a bitch. Here’s me in my 67 camaro with no AC, cooking, driving 65 and reaching across the interior to try to get the crank down.
The driver’s side one is fine, but getting the passenger’s side window down when driving alone is tough. Here’s me in my 67 camaro with no AC, cooking, driving 65 and reaching across the interior to try to get the crank down.
I disagree. At least the windows in the back seat went all the way down as opposed to the power windows in my car that only go down 75% for “child safety.” I say any child that manages to haul their ass out of a moving car through the window deserves what they get.
Ha! I love your thinking.
We were on the freeway yesterday, flying down central CA at 75 miles per hour when socks, diapers and baby clothes started hitting the windshield from the car in front of us. We switched lanes and indicated to the woman driving that her kid was throwing the contents of the diaper bag out the window. Maybe that’s why they made them that way – to prevent moronic children from doing that as well.
My 91′ Dodge Dakota has them… it’s a good thing too because on the driver door the arm rest is useless, so to shut the door you have to roll the window down, grab the door by the window sill, then slam the door shut by pure force! ha ha! it’s my First car and I love it! I’ll drive it until it won’t go no more!
yep. sure do. manual windows and door locks on my brand new 2009 car.
a) i will never have to worry about the button not working
b) my kids can no longer roll down the window with just a push of the toe from their car seats
c) in the event that terrorists ever take over OnStar, no insurgents will be able to remotely unlock my car.
No thanks. Rolling up and down four windows manual… Leaning over to unlock doors for other people… I’ll pass. You have fun with that though.
a) Manual windows can break too.
b) If your kids food can hit a window button, you’re probably doing something wrong. Plus, window locks are there for a reason.
c) …
And we wonder why Americans as a whole are fat. We have automatic everything, doors, windows, locks. I’ll stick with the slight inconvenience of having to actually DO something to roll the windows down, thanks.
The answer to the obesity epidemic! Hand cranked windows! Not getting the government to stop feeding our kids crap in their school lunches or mandate reasonable price caps for healthy foods, just hand cranked windows!
Brand new 2009 Toyota Corolla here. Automatic transmission, air conditioning, MP3 stereo, and hand-cranked windows. Guess what – it’s the same car as the LE. Same 1.8L engine, same everything, but no power windows. My wife considers it a feature, not a bug.
I still have manual windows and while I do love the simple fact that I can roll mine down any time I want to I wish it was so easy to roll down the other windows.
There was a brief period when it was essentially impossible to get a car, SUV or light truck with manual windows. Thankfully, that’s passing and we find more and more new models being offered with manual windows. It’s not nostalgia—it’s that manual window cranks rarely fail, and they’re much easier to repair when they do.
That’s nothing to be thankful about. So rather than fixing the problems, car manufacturers are just giving up? They fail.
I’d gladly take any little issue with them over manual. And you get the added bonus of pressing the button an extra bit to get the window to roll down completely without having to hold the button down.
Even though you can still request these manual features, I agree they are a blast from the past. Case in point; I was driving around a 10 year old boy who I was babysitting. He wanted to roll the window down and asked for help when he couldn’t find the button. I informed him that he would have to actually *roll* down his window. He’d never seen manual controls (on anything, I imagine) and was horrified.
“What is this?!? A car for the Amish? What do you have to do to make the wheels turn, pull a rope?!?” I almost wet my pants.
Ha yeah my cavalier has crank windows but it has button locks so whenever someones in the passenger seat with me they always press the locks to try to open the window and then say that my window won’t work but then I tell them it’s crank and they just look at me bewildered
Got an 87 Pontiac Fiero with hand cranks and sleek lines. Oh yeah, this baby is sweet!
My 99 Cavalier still has crank windows. At least it has power locks. Also has a cassette player, so I’ve got the whole wire trailing from the cassette player to the mp3 player setup too. Sexay.
My 2005 Cavalier (bought used) has no power locks or windows……or cruise control. Who in their right mind wouldn’t want cruise control?!?
obviously not a commuter.
Well, for my cruise control, I just put a cinder block on the gas pedal and steer…
Well, here in Europe our roads have corners, and there are so many buildings and people that its necessary to remain awake while driving
Yup, my 1990 Ford has that too – and the little wire trailing from the cassette deck for my ipod
my no-frills 06 chevy aveo has manual windows. manual locks too! love it!
Aveo love! I’ve got an ‘08. Manual locks, manual windows, 5-speed manual transmission!
It’s got a release lever for the gas cap cover. I sorta wish it had one for the hatchback. Other than that? It’s got two power drops so I can charge my phone and use my iTrip at the same time – what more do I need?
My mom’s automatic window got stuck halfway down one day. She was frantic and didn’t want to go anywhere in that car until it got fixed.
Glad I never have to worry about that with my old school hand-cranked windows on my car.
My 2007 Saturn Ion has crank windows, and I didn’t even have to special order it. Bought it right off the lot that way. At least I know that my windows wont ever get stuck halfway down like my 96 Chevrolet Cavalier. Those windows have been stuck for years.
I have manual windows and locks on my brand new 2009 Hyundai Accent. A benefit of manual windows is that if you ever get into a crash and plunge into a lake or river you`ll still be able to open the windows to escape. Electricity doesn`t work to well under water so you won`t be able to push a button to open the window.
You will have to wait for the pressure in the car to be equal to that on the outside. Mythbusters did it with power and manual windows.
Which is why you need one of those pointy-ended hammers, if you’re really concerned about winding up in a lake.
Riiiight .. because the percentage of accidents in which you end up in a lake or a river are sky-high, yes?
From your comment, I don’t think you have much experience with 12V DC motor circuits, either in our out of water. I also don’t think you’ve had much experience cranking a weak window regulator handle while fighting friction from water pressure against the window and trying to remain calm.
But you can get trapped in a car, unable to open the door in many situations – not just under water. Maybe the car turns over and is on fire. I want a manual backup system at the very least.
My 2000 Chevy S-10 has hand-cranked windows–I guess I’ll be able to get out of the car more easily if I drive into a lake.
My mom’s Jeep Cherokee has power windows, and one day while driving down the road the window just dropped inside the door. That sucked.
My 2000 Mazda MVP minivan came standard with crank windows. The door locks are not powered either. One cool thing is the long windows on the side crank down as well.
Hardly an epic win. Now, if you did manual brakes or manual steering, then I’d agree.
I agree: my Saturn has no power windows, power locks, power brakes, power steering, automatic transmission, cd player—no.power.anything—It’s got 140K miles on it and has hardly had anything break because there’s hardly anything to break (*knocks on wood*). I actually kind of love that car!
Compact cars in the 80s also had 80-series tires on 13-inch rims, which made it a lot easier to steer the car without power assist. As for power brakes, I guess that’s a function of the car’s weight. My ‘80 Chevette didn’t have power brakes, and I did fine. Every car after that had power brakes standard. I guess when you weigh down the car with safety equipment and boost the power to 130-150 HP, you need an extra boost to stop the damn thing.
Oh man, I remember the first time I drove a vehicle without power steering. Tiny little me vs a half ton truck… To this day I don’t know how I ever turned the damn thing anywhere, but it ruined me for power steering. *still turns the wheel too hard*
I still have manual steering etc on my car – although sadly I’m having to give him up after his 20 year life as I simply cannot turn the wheel anymore.
Arthritis + manual sterring = impossible car
uh…power windows were first an option in the 40’s and manual still available today. I think this one is an EPIC FAIL
I have a 2005 Honda Civic and it has hand-cranked windows and manual locks.
My 2004 Aveo had roll-down windows like that. They’re not out of existence yet by a long shot!
Oh man, my current car still has those. It has no power doors or windows in it. So yeah these are awesome since even if you turn the car off you can still roll them up or down.
This isn’t really just a past thing…my mom bought a 2005 Ford Focus, and it has hand crank windows!
My car has hand crank windows, but it is an older car(‘96 Cavalier). I actually like it better, because the power windows and locks on my first car(a ‘95 Windstar) started giving out toward the end, and I once actually got locked in and had to climb into the back and get out the sliding door because the locks on the front doors sucked into the doors. o.O So hand crank windows have the advantage of not requiring electronics that break and need replacing!
My 1977 AMC Pacer has still those things… And they are the only things that ever broke. My brother tried to wind the window down – in the wrong direction.
Spare crank (used): 3$
Buddy replacing them: sixpack beer
Explaning everybody how that could have happened: priceless.
My 2008 Yaris has crank windows! I was glad that that was one less motor for me to have to worry about when my car starts getting old. And, should I ever drive into a lake, I’ll still be able to open my window to get out!
Same here – 2008 Yaris with crank windows. I was so scared when I had to buy a new car that I wouldn’t be able to get them. I love them.
We have a 1985 Ford F-150 Pick-up. It has crank windows, manual locks, wing windows and you turn on the brights with that little peg on the floor. It’s a relic.
And it probably has like 300,000 miles on it and just keeps right on running. I have a 2003 F-150 (no frills) and plan on giving it to my son as his first car. BTW, he’s 4 right now.
Those floor-mounted dimmer switches have been nothing but trouble for me in my ‘86 F-150. I went through 3 of them in the past year before giving up and installing a toggle switch on the dashboard. And yes, my truck has manual windows and manual locks. And a manual transmission and even a manual choke.
Manual choke? Now that’s a blast from the past…
Epic Fail – I hated hand-crank windows!! Bleh.
I have a 2005 Kia Rio with hand crank windows and manual door locks and I love them! Guess who will never crash into a lake/river/other body of water and be unable to get out because the motor has died…ME! Guess who will never be driving through the seediest part of downtown and have the automatic locks lock and unlock themselves because the motor is going…ME! And guess who gets to laugh/yell at friends when we go to the store and they forget to lock their door…ME!!!!!!! Mwahahahahahahaaaa!
Dude! I own a 2005 Dodge Neon and the back doors have crank windows, but the front has power windows. How lame is that?
1968 VW Beetle 1600 cc AUTOSTICK… with hand-crank windows, and wind-wings… remember those?
My 68 el camino had hand cranks for the wind wings! now that’s an epic win.
I had an early-80s Audi with wing windows, which was really useful when the driver’s door handle broke OFF in an epic cold snap and you could only open the driver’s door from the inside after that.
I hate electric and hand crank. Broke both and it makes it hard to smoke in the car.
I rolled my car a few years back. While I wasn’t hurt, the doors wouldn’t open, so I thought I was trapped until I remembered that I could roll the windows down (or would that be up, seeing how the car was upside down at the time?) and climb out that way. If they were push button windows, I don’t know if they would have worked.
I know that’s a silly reason, but this experince convinced me that every single car I’ll ever own will have hand crank windows.
Oh for crying out loud. Is there *anything* that wouldn’t qualify as a nostalgic win around here?
Hand-crank windows? Seriously?
My 2001-model has them, and I don’t really care either way. It’s just another thing to deal with. It isn’t a win or a lose.
You’re crazy. I haven’t seen handcrank windows in at LEAST 10 years, probably more. For some of us, they are totally a blast-from-the-past.
We’ve got a half-dozen chevy pickups at work from 03-09 and they’re all hand-crank.
Now, does anyone else remember hand-cranked sunroofs? I’ve only ever seen one; when I was little my dad was driving some late 70s-early 80s american sedan with a hand-cranked sunroof. I don’t mean a pop-up vent type, I mean it slid all the way back into the roof, and the crank looked just like the side window type, mounted in the ceiling right in front of the sunroof.
My car has a crank backup for the sunroof. Stick the supplied Allen wrench in the indicated bolt head, crank.
When we were in high school, my friend had this old Nissian car and the crank handles had broken off. She kept one handle in the ashtray of the car and you had to pass it back and forth to roll down the window. That was classic when trying to impress someone.
Unfortunately, hand-cranked windows could still break and your window will get stuck down. Especially if you have a friggin pully system in the door because the manufacturer was too cheap to put in scissor-lefts. On the plus side, in the 14 years the vehical has been owned, I’ve only had to fix the window once, and it was still cheaper than the several times people have had to fix their power windows in the 2 years they owned their cars. Ha ha ha!
Power windows? My truck doesn’t even have power steering!
Yeah, my car has hand cranked windows…that way I don’t have to worry about motors burning out. Sure they could still break, but I have a feeling a motor would be more complicated and expensive. Plus if I ever drive into a lake I’ll be able to get out easier
The back doors on both my parents’ cars have these.
Jeebus, are all of you members of the Kennedy family? What’s with all this “driving into a lake” stuff? That’s so rare (for the rest of us) that you might as well be phobic about not wearing a helmet inside the car in case some kid drops a brick on you from the overpass.
What? that is not nostalgic. My car is a 98 and I have hand-crank windows. And there are cars that were made after mine with hand-crank windows. It’s my husband’s old car… he bought it with hand-crank windows so he’d know that they would always work. Nostalgic fail.
My current car has manual windows. All 3 of my previous cars had power windows… and all 3 of my previous cars had issues with them. On my last one, the switch literally broke off while I was pushing it.
the kid that had my car before me put in a kickass sound system…. but also sawed off the window cranks to half size. WTF it does NOT make it look cooler and only serves to make rolling the window up in case of rain a complete pain in the rear end!!!!!!
I hate hand cranks… and as for the motor or switch going out… its more likely it slipped the track which is seriously easy and cheap to fix yourself, but you take it to a mechanic and he will tell you you need a whole new motor (then simply put it back on track and charge you more)
I wouldn’t call this a win…but yes my family still has a car with a manual window crank.
LOL I have them on my Volvo 744GLE
Even more than crank windows – what about fly windows? remember, the small vent windows in front of the main window on the front door? some were just a latch and a swivel hinge, but some were hand-cranked too. And if you were in a station wagon (How about THAT for a nostalgia win???) that had a three-way-tailgate (remember THEM), and you cranked down all the windows, opened the fly windows AND the tailgate window, you had a windtunnel and didn’t need AC – which was good because most of us didn’t HAVE AC!
My 2003 Toyota has hand-crank windows. Sometimes I hate it, but then again, they will never break down!
They do! Mine froze and from forcing it I f-ed it up. I can only open it so far.
God, I HATED these.
I’ve never had a power window break down on me.
still have these on my 2000 chevy. Would rather have power tho as a big & tall woman + tiny cavalier = knees in dash/head in ceiling/window crank in knee… Could be worse though… could be my dad’s old metro o.O
1988 Honda Civic Hatchback – hand crank broke off – now has Vise-Grips attached to roll the window up and down – now thats classy!
It’s still a lot easier (and cheaper) than repairing broken power windows, lol.
Yeah, my ‘77 Camaro was like that, I had a pair of vice-grips on the passenger door (which also didn’t close quite right sometimes – you had to slam it, or else it might come open on a turn.
And my ‘91 Sunbird has hand-cranks, they’re the only things that work on it.
Yeah, my 2005 Corolla has them… obviously they still make plenty of cars without automatic windows.
Meh, my 2007 Toyota has them. :\ Wouldn’t exactly call them nostalgic.
The metal ones, though, I guess could count. They’re usually plastic now.
I forgot to mention the manual locks, too. Just read someone else’s saying the same.
My friend’s 2007 Hyundai Accent hatchback has handcrank windows. And until last year I was driving around a 99 Neon with them too. Kids today don’t know how easy they have it! Just push a button and the window goes down? Pshaw.
Yup, ‘89 Celebrity, 4-dr, 4 window cranks. Her name is Bessie, her nickname is Energizer Bunny. Coolest car ever!
no, this is an epic FAIL!!!
Since the dawn of electric windows, winders have been obselete, and rightly so!! i just can’t stand them
my dad’s 1984 toyota pickup has those (and it still runs too!)
I’ve got a 1996 Ford Escort hatchback. So far broken (and some fixed):
-Driver’s side door lock
-Windshield
-Hatch cylinders (those things that hold the hatch up…I now use an aluminum bar)
-Tires
-Brakes
-Clutch fluid pressure transfer piping
-Ignition
-that bar that holds the hood up (that -really- hurt)
-Me (see previous)
What hasn’t:
-Window thingys
-Seats
-Everything else, really
Hand-cranked windows for the win.
I hate power windows, never get them just that bit open that i want. It is way much easier the old way.
Now you have to order for hand-cranked windows as an extra. If it’s possible at all. Sometimes not everything new is better.
I have them! And I love them, too. My previous vehicle had power windows… that broke. My husband’s current vehicle has power windows… also broken. Manual cranks FTW!
FAIL.
Okay so crank windows are definitely not dead yet. I have a -2005- Chevy Cobalt. Yeah that baby has crank windows. AND a manual lock system. Oh! And it doesn’t have cruise control either. It’s a bit ridiculous, but at least I have a CD player and air condish/heat.
Every car I’ve ever owned has had crank windows! Where I live it is -40C for at least a month every year. Car windows ALWAYS freeze on you, and at least with the hand crank you can use brute force to get the window down when you’re going through a drive thru. I know people with power windows who end up opening the car door so they can order and pick up their food. Yes it sucks in the summer, but that is what red lights are for – so you can bend over the console and roll down the passenger side.
I also have manual locks and am proud to say all my friends are trained to lock ‘em up when they get out of my car
Wow. Well everyone’s hit on my experiences with both pretty much. I too have come across the one crank for all windows, the vice-grips on the shaft, the stripped regulator which caused the window to either only open an inch or so, or not roll up all the way.
Let’s see… my dad’s ‘81 Citation had metal window cranks, and I remember breaking one of them off once trying to get comfortable sleeping in the back seat. (they don’t like to be used as foot holds apparently). The following family vechicle was a ‘93 Lumina Euro, and it had power locks and windows. They never failed, but everything else on the car did. Also a buddy of mine had a ‘73 Buick Roadmaster that was falling apart, yet the power windows, locks, and trunk all worked beautifully. My old ‘74 Impala coupe had those little roll down quarter windows, and one of them was off the track so I had to wiggle the window to get it to go up or down. My first New Beetle had crank windows, but I traded it in for one with power windows after a couple of years. Although in eight years and 160,000 miles I have never had a problem with them.
Less nostalgia for the mechanization of window movement, much MUCH more for those badass metal handles.
I can still smell my dad’s Chevelle…
My dad bought a ‘95 Neon 6 months ago. Its got Manual, well everything! Windows, Locks, etc…!
I work at a car dealership. Every car manufacturer makes cars without power windows/locks/mirrors. I can understand the no power windows thing. I never open any windows in my car except the driver’s side to go to a drive through window.
Hear, hear. I don’t like the wind blowing at me; at most I just open the window a bit for air circulation and to let the smoke out. I find power windows too fiddly when you just want the window open a little bit.
Every car my mom owned with those windows always had the nubby thing on the handle missing, which made moving the window up and down such a pain. But I do kinda miss the nostalgia.
My grandma’s car still has them. I think they’re fun to play with, but I prefer my power windows.
We have the new Ford focus and it has hand cranked windows in the back. Electric windows were an extra few £100.
this guy i know has crank windows in his car, but it doesn’t seem that old. there is some satisfaction in cranking the window down though, like you worked hard to enjoy the breeze that comes in.
Yeah, manual windows aren’t THAT old… listen to all the people who still have them and mid 90s cars still had them – the person who put this up as nostalgia sounds like a spoilt little 15 year old who thinks manual labour is for ‘common’ people and has never seen one before in Mummy’s or Daddy’s car.
To everyone whining about power windows getting “stuck…” a window regulator is one of the easiest things to repair on a car. I recently had to replace both rear regulators on my car, and I had never done it before. I had them both done in less than an hour. You can find step-by-step instructions on popular auto-parts-store websites.
I actually like those manual windows…My ‘71 El Camino and ‘86 Camry have them ^_^ Besides, some of those power windows don’t even let you roll the window all the way down >_<
One of our cars has those windows
My dad has crank windows on his ‘08 Jeep Patriot. There aren’t even power locks on that damn thing.
I have them in my ‘08 Toyota Yaris, it saved be $300 of the sticker price, ind I’ll never have to replace the electric motors or the switches that run the windows.
I have a ‘98 Pontiac Sunfire. Manual transmission, manual locks, and windows…
But it has a factory CD player! *wheee*
Better than a tape deck, at least
Jeep Wranglers have them! I just got my car in ‘08 and still hand cranked windows
I have them on my ‘02 Jeep Liberty
Got em on both my 79 camaro and 81 prelude, neither one has A/C and I love both those cars. They are easily replaceable if the handle happens to break, and easily found at autozone or junkyards. Not that any of mine have broken yet.
I’ve got ‘em on my car (it’s a mid-’90’s model), and I love them! I never have to worry about my windows getting stuck.
My truck has one, and so does my dad’s Porsche. God, I feel so old… all this stuff was around when I was a kid.
I got a HUGE great deal on my used 2003 Saturn VUE because people didn’t like the manual window cranks. I probably saved $1K because the seller was getting desperate. My gain, fools. It didn’t matter to me – I had to buy something to replace my stolen 1991 Toyota MR2, which also had manual window cranks. And I got that baby back six months later… it has 300K miles on it and it’s running great! Talk about retro – that car has no cupholders, no power assisted anything, and it’s a five speed manual. I LOVE IT!
My old 1993 Toyota Corolla – which my family still drives – has crank windows. The car has 240,000 miles – it’s taken several beatings but keeps running.
My 2002 (while not the newest) Ford Falcon has most of the usual accessories, auto locks, new stereo, and hand-cranked windows. This is supposed to make the car lighter and subsequently faster. I’ll say that it does. They’re great, my brother has the same car with more extras and two of his power windows are already busted, the driver’s side stuck open 3 inches!! How annoying. I’ll stick to my manual windows, keeps the younguns from playing with buttons and wearing them out too!
oh for chrisssake…plenty of cars still have hand crank windows. This gets more redonk by the week. What’s next, “hey, remember breathing oxygen!”
Not everyone knows that manual car windows are still available. Until I read the comments on here I had no idea myself that you could still get them. Lighten up people.
Besides, as a kid I remember the feeling of accomplishment that came with being able to not only reach the crank with my seat belt on but also being able to crank the window down myself. The windows in my parents’ cars were really stiff.
Yeah, i have this in my 2008 focus, so this isn’t THAT much a blast from the past.
My car has got manual windows, like all the cars I’ve had before it. Which planet are you living on?
yeah the car i drive still has manual windows… and it isn’t even that old. it’s some sort of saturn from ‘02 maybe.
I’m 17, and drive an ‘87 Honda Civic (yeah, a hatchback). It’s still got hand-crank windows and you have to manually lock each door. And oh, yes, it’s stick shift too. Wouldn’t have it any other way.
Ahh… its good to see every cavalier user has manual windows. I love my 1996 cavalier even if its all manual
Got y’all beat. My first 3 cars were 2cv’s. No electric window, no hand-cranked windows. They were hinged upwards and opened with a catch at the bottom. Could fully open the windows in under a second.
‘02 Ranger. Crank windows. As it should be.
Some entry level Malaysian cars are still equipped with these but only at the back.
My 2000 Saturn SW2 has ‘em.
And it’s got a tape deck. And manual everything.
Yup. Epic win.
This is like saying I’m nostalgic about manual can-openers.
I have a car made in 2001. Unfortunately even at that time electric windows and locks were not standard.
In some respects I kind of prefer it. If your car is dead or you fall into water, you can still get your window open.
My boyfriend’s truck has the manual windows. It’s pretty epic when we’re driving down the highway… of course, my hair does turn into a rat’s nest of tangles and requires like 30 min of brushing to clean it up again…. but still… MANUAL WINDOWS FTW!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Uh, yeah… 68 MGBGT and 1981 GMC PU. We don’t need no stinking power windows!
Yeah my mother still does on her Redneck looking fourwheel drive, she’s like one of those weird mothers who dont believe in Microwaves.
Except in this case its power windows.
Here’s a thought: Whether you like them or hate them, it is a good thing manual cranks existed and still do exist, if not for the mere fact that we would have no other way to signal to other drivers to put their windows down so we can ask them a question! We certainly are not going to pretend to press the automatic window button to gesture to our peers on the road. Even long after the crank has disappeared, we will still motion to the window and then wave our fist in circular fashion to indicate a request for car to car communication. That is, of course, until we can merely type a person license plate into our cell phone to get their attention!
I have a 1998 Escort ZX2 with hand-crank windows! I have never owned a car with power windows or locks. I prefer the good-old fashioned hand-cranks, well, I prefer them most of the time. They kinda suck when you’ve got your windows down & you’re driving along & it starts raining & you have to lean across the front seat to roll the passenger window up.
Yep my last truck had manual windows and locks and no cd player. I traded ALL of the for a HEMI engine. good trade I think
My 2002 Pontiac Sunfire GT has them. It stinks when the passenger window is rolled down and I want it up while I’m driving, but they bring me back to a better time.
A ton of people still do. I do.
My dad’s car is 21 years old and has crank windows
my sister had a 1985 Crown Victoria with crank up windows just 4 years ago. it was safer than these new windows that automatically open and close, catching your hair and limbs… XD
Okay, I’m 14 and you’re making me feel really old, because my family car, bought new three years ago, has crank-down windows in the back seats, and the car before that one had all crank-down windows.
Ive never understood the appeal of electric windows. Manual windows work perfectly, even when the engine is off.
I have a 1980 Ford Escort MkII that still has crank windows … Though I do love the power windows in my BMW
My ‘97 mustang has manual everything. Manual door locks, manual transmission, and manual windows. And like others, guess what hasn’t broken in my car?
yeah my 94 saturn had those. that was the worst trying to drive with one hand while you reached around trying to crank the handle with the other and your face somewhere down in the seat lol. a good place to put your hair ties though.
Yep! I drive a ‘98 Pontiac Sunfire and it has crank windows
lolz we have a 2003 ford f250 and it has crank windows! i couldnt believe it
My 2005 Dodge Dakota has crank windows– also no power seats or power locks.
I learned that hand cranked windows help you learn how to ‘master bait’ with your left hand while using the remote with the right!
My 2005 Hyundai Accent has hand cranked windows and a tape player. It would have been $80.0 more a month on the car payments. No power locks either.
those ARE an epic win.
My 1974 Toyota Celica still has hand crankend windows and I have to lock it with the key or manually…but hey a small price to pay for something that I love driving.
OMG, the last car my mom had was a ‘98 saturn and it had hand crank windows that used to annoy me but a few months ago the engine died and we replaced it with a car with automatic windows and it still feels weird just pushing a button. D:
yup, i have a 2000 ford focus with hand crank windows…
I miss my manual windows since I no longer have anywhere to hang my trash bag from the car wash.
I have a 2004 Chevy Cavalier and it has hand-crank windows.
HI everyone. My grandfather, John Roethel, invented the mechanism that first made car windows manually wind up and down. He also invented the first wing window, also known as the vent window. And–he invented the first push/pull door locks. Before he died in 1973, Ford gave him the title “King of the locks.” At one time he held more US and foreign patents than any other US inventor. Not bad for an immigrant who did not graduate from high school.
Well, this little wander down memory lane was fun. I enjoyed sharing this bit of proud personal history. Hope you enjoyed it also!
My 1968 Dart is pushing 42 years old…all four manual windows work, and go all the way down, the wing windows will ventilate it at speed without excessive noise or turbulance, and with the way manual locks worked then, it was impossible to lock your keys in your car. I say Win! Looking this weekend at a 71 Dodge Power Wagon…I’m kinda doing the cash for clunkers deal, only in reverse.
A 42 year old Dodge Dart–WOW.
Giving up the manual stuff for the 71 Dodge Power Wagon? (“cash for clunkers deal, only in reverse….” ha!)
I had a 1996 Saturn SL1 that had hand-crank windows. I had remote keyless entry though, go figure, lol.
It kinda sucked when you were driving and wanted to roll down the windows on the passenger side or the windows in the back.
My 2008 Kia was ordered like that. I’m cheap. I don’t mind not having power windows (especially right now since I have to roll down the window to open the door from the outside…the inside handle is broken, haha) …it’s not having power locks that is a giant pain in the ass.
Er.. cars are still being made with wind down windows. Hardly a ‘blast’ from the ‘past’.
Haha, I remember when I was around 6 my sister and I were in my grandparents’ garage and somehow my sister locked herself in their oldest car (not sure what model, it was a ford). If it weren’t for the hand-cranked windows, she would’ve been stuck in there for a looong time. WIN!
One of mine has one.
My 1994 Corsica did, as does my dad’s 1991 Lumina.
I have a convertible VW with auto windows, locks, and top. I SO WISH it was manual. Even the top. Even though it’s electric you need to stop the car, and get out to put on / remove the cover for the retracted roof. So there’s absolutely NO REASON for it to be electric!
Just one more thing to break down (well, 8 things if you count all the motors for windows, locks, and roof). I would gladly spend the extra few seconds every drive manually operating this stuff if it meant never dealing with a burned out motor replacement.
I seriously don’t see why any car is made with automatic locks or doors. It’s a stupid waste. I compare it to a foot-pedal on your fridge so you don’t have to reach out and pull the door open. Damn moronic car company executives.
I had a 2005 (yes, 2005) Dodge Neon that had power windows in the front and crank windows in the back. Does that qualify as a hybrid?
Yeah, my grandmother still owns the red truck she had when she was much younger, and its windows are hand-cranked. Also, each door locks seperately, so the passenger has to make sure before they close the door as they exit, to lock it.
My 2000 VW Polo has hand-cranked windows too. Every time you roll the windows up or down it squeaks. Also no central lock system or the like.
gives it some charm and soul IMO
My mom got a new Honda Oddesy in 2007. Before then, she had a used 1996 Dodge Caravan, which had had hand-cranked windows.
I have a 2001 chevy metro and it has hand crank windows. Also, manual locks, no power steering, and no rear defrost. It’s the most disposable car I’ve ever seen.
I have a 2005 Chevrolet Aveo and it has hand cranked windows and manual locks. And it got me across the country and back (NJ to WA), through three major cities (NYC, Philly, Chicago) and the only problem I had was when we hit a log in North Dakota. Bam.
I hate my power windows on my 94 cutlass surpreme! I wish they were hand cranked.
My car, a 1972 Valiant, has hand cranked windows and locks. All my friends have Eclipses or Cobalts so they love riding in my car. They say it’s like a time machine.
96 cavalier ftw!
My car totally has hand cranked car windows. Handy, if I should ever drive it into a lake.
My 2005 Sunfire came like that. I’m the only person I know who has the hand cranked windows. If people come up to the passenger side window I can’t roll it down to talk to them (I have short arms) so they have to come around. Its like nostalgia every day.
the first car i remember our family had was equipped with one of those. sigh, i miss the old days..
All our cars (I say “our” like some of them are actually mine, lol….I’m 19, don’t have the money, parents won’t get me one–yet, anyway) have hand crank windows. Even the car my dad got my sis last spring is hand crank. Partly because it was cheaper, I think, partly because I may have won them over with my paranoia of electronic ones.
I mean, think about it: If you go off a bridge into the water and your windows are electronic, can you guarantee they won’t short out and that you’ll be able to get the window down if the down to get out? No, didn’t think so. Dad was telling me (when I was reiterating this narrative when him and my sis were looking for a car for her) that they have little safety hammers that come with the cars just in case this happens, but….Do you really want to rely on being able to find the hammer and it actually working to smash the glass? I’d much rather the safety of hand crank…..
My 2007 Chevy Silverado has manual roll-down windows and and I love it because I know I’ll never have to fork out money for the roll-down motors that always eventually fail.
omg I remember being excited when my parents switched from a car with electric windows to crank windows . . . I thought it was more fun until really hot days when it took awhile to get the window open. They always laughed at me for thinking the “hand crank” windows were newer/more deluxe.