There is a slight decrease in coolant in the radiator as a result of hot coolant going into the reservoir and then getting sucked back but its should not be too low.
If you can see the fins of the Radiator when removing the cap or if the Level of coolant is decreasing in the Reservoir then its definitely leaking somewhere.
Also in a 20 years old car in which you have never replaced the hoses they get hard leading to coolant leak under pressure which is sometimes not visible to the eye.