Nothing to do with shoddy old cars or power drain caused by the starter.
Radio/blower/windows are provided power when the key is in the accessory/ignition position. You turn the key to the start position, which moves it away from these positions. The connections are broken. The engine starts and you release the key which returns to the ignition position and power is restored. It's designed to work this way. If you supplied a permanent 12v to these feeds, the radio and windows would still work when you turned the key to start.