My family would constantly drive home to Pittsburgh from Wasshington DC . We were always driving the PA turnpike in the snow!! We did battle in a Rambler, Pontiac, Plymouth and Chrysler wagons, it was actually kinda scary. Come to think of it, I think I've found a new respect for my parents, those cars ,even With chains must have been a handful. Ps know wonder they rusted so bad.
Back in the good ole days people in the snow belts didn't even think about it. They just put on the chains, snow tires, or gambled, and drove like they knew what they were doing. No cell phones, funny hand held thingies, no fast food or coffee. Most even cleaned the windows..... all of them!
No cup holders in the way back when either. The wagons actually were/are better in the snow because of the weight distribution. Throw a couple of sandbags in the back with snow tires and you're good to go. My best winter car ever was a '67 Grand Prix convertible with studded snow tires and a defunct through-the-wall air conditioning unit in the trunk. I drove it all one winter with a blown out pitman arm seal/no power steering, I had gorilla arms by the following spring.
I drove everything from old VW Beetles, Model A's, a '49 Dodge, pick up trucks, old Buicks of the 5o's, and many other slightly used cars. I'd toss some bags of cement, cement blocks, or anything heavy in the back and hang on tight. Probably slipped and slid but it was all part of the learning in winter driving. I even went down a fairly steep hill backward in an Austin Healey Sprite one winter and did a lot of spinnin and grinnin in 18 wheelers. I miss all the fun but don't look forward to doing any of that again. Some of my cars. The '49 Dodge was dark maroon. The Sprite had a fibreglas hardtop.
Studded snow tires were my favorite. Unless you forgot about them and pulled a hole shot. Cool sparks - not so cool cement...
After awhile those were outlawed in central Illinois. I did have a Model A with snow chains now and then. Took longer to put those on than to drive to work. Those old Buicks of the 50's-60's didn't do bad in snow.
