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I agree with the OP. That's why the newest vehicle I own is a 2006, and I'm not really happy with it. For instance, the right front turn signal quit working. After a full day of trouble shooting, the tech found that it was the primary computer that had developed a glitch. The computer could not be repaired or re-programmed, it had to be replaced. Time and parts; a little over $800!
If I could afford it, my daily driver would be something like a 1954 Hudson Hornet, with "Twin-H" power, three speed with overdrive, and retrofitted with 4 point safety harnesses and a 12 volt system.
Or perhaps a 1955 Kaiser Manhattan with the supercharger, similarly outfitted.
Plenty of OLD cars with absolutely no tech in them out there,
I have no issue with the tech. My issue is when it breaks.
I have a 2015 Subaru Legacy and embrace the technology. There are still some buttons on the steering wheel and dash that I don't understand, but I love the backup camera and the cameras on the side mirrors which alert me to objects in blind spots. I still turn my head and look when I'm backing up or changing lanes, but it's nice to have the cameras and little warning lights to help ensure that I see everything around me.
I don't use my cell phone often, but if I receive a call while in the car, it's nice to be able to answer it without even taking my hands off the steering wheel. I just press a button make or receive a call. I have the option of using the touch screen, but I do find that somewhat distracting because I have to avert my eyes to use the screen. I use the touch screen when I am stopped at a traffic signal or railroad crossing.
My car is not equipped with automatic parking nor with automatic emergency stopping. I'm not sure whether I'd like that. I agree with the user who said if you can't park a car on your own perhaps you shouldn't be driving. *ha* However, I suppose it could come in handy sometimes. I'd be willing to give it a try.
Overall, I have found that the technology has made me an even more vigilant driver. It keeps me on my toes.
One poster above mentioned that he suspects the newest technology is probably embraced more by younger folks. I'm not sure that's true. I'm 63 and most of my friends around my age and older enjoy driving their high-tech cars.
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Most of the time, I dislike the "appeal to antiquity" logical fallacy. That said, I don't want an unreliable car.
Some things, IMO, are good additions that don't really affect the usability or drive ability of a car. Take backup cameras; just because I have one and use it doesn't mean I need it or that I'll end up up the creek if it malfunctions. Ditto blind spot monitors.
Radios/entertainment? I think that most advances have been improvements. People talk about cell phones being dangerous, but anyone ever scroll an analog tuner dial trying to find the station? Just as bad IMO.
I don't like touch screens in cars, but mostly because they get dirty fast. I have nothing against the technology itself. I wouldn't buy the Ford Touch system, but all the rest seem to work without much problems.
In any case, entertainment systems in cars are always changing. AM gave way to AM/FM, 8 tracks gave way to Cassettes, which gave way to CD's. Along the way, there were side trips to things like High Definition Radio and High Definition CD sound or plugging in a stick drive.
I think, in the future, we will go back to AM/FM/XM Radio and bluetooth/usb cord. Even the Aux jack will be a thing of the past. If the technology fails, it will likely be on your phone and nowhere else. Even the navigation unit will be a thing of the past (you'll plug your phone in and it shows up.)
I agree with the OP. That's why the newest vehicle I own is a 2006, and I'm not really happy with it. For instance, the right front turn signal quit working. After a full day of trouble shooting, the tech found that it was the primary computer that had developed a glitch. The computer could not be repaired or re-programmed, it had to be replaced. Time and parts; a little over $800!
If I could afford it, my daily driver would be something like a 1954 Hudson Hornet, with "Twin-H" power, three speed with overdrive, and retrofitted with 4 point safety harnesses and a 12 volt system.
Or perhaps a 1955 Kaiser Manhattan with the supercharger, similarly outfitted.
Maybe not that old! I like ABS and airbags & the like, but there are things that make one less apt to watch the road these days.
I just recently drove a co-workers relatively newer outback after he asked me to drop him off at the airport with his car.
He's had the car for over 3-4 years (I have no idea what year it is), the car has over 100k miles on it, but none of the radio stations or the clock were set. He told me he's not interested in any of the electronic doodads, and that he only uses the electronic parking brake among all the high tech features.
I tend to setup the bluetooth and radio as first priority when I start using a car so I found it very odd that he would have just static on 4 out of 6 stations on his radio.
Not to sound like a commercial, but I had an experience a few months ago backing out of my garage. The neighbor's kids were playing in their front yard and their ball rolled onto my driveway (ball the size of a tennis ball). I saw this ball on my backup camera and instinct told me to stop backing up because chances are, a kid would soon follow. Sitting there and a split second later, sure enough a child comes running onto my driveway. Because the ball rolled onto my driveway, had I been looking over my should "old school way", I would not have seen the ball and would have continued to back up and because of the size of the child, I might not have seen them either.
There are plenty of safety features which seem stupid and such, until you realize that it might have just prevented you from getting into an accident. Front collision warnings which can apply your brakes before you even have time to react. Lane departure warning, developed because fact is a lot of morons also drive and don't pay attention. A few beeps might help them re-focus their attention and stay in their lane. Yes, these people should be paying attention to begin with, but they don't and end up causing accidents all across the country. A friend of mine was just in a head on collision due to this. The driver drifted out of her lane to the right, then caught herself, over corrected and flew into oncoming traffic plowing right into my friend. Luckily they were in a decent size truck and survived the accident. They determined the lady was doing 55+ when she hit them head on. Maybe, just maybe, a lane departure beep would have saved this lady.
Hopefully during your driving lifetime, you never have a need for these safety features, but when they do save you, you will be glad they did.
The good thing is most of these features can be turned off. So they are there ready for you when you feel more comfortable. And no, removing the features off the car won't make them cheaper. It's cheaper to install all these in high volume then to cherry pick options on a car.
Cars parking themselves in silly, IMO. If you can't parallel park, you shouldn't be driving.
But I think most of the new safety features are great. Even the best driver gets distracted from time to time. These features offer a safety net.
My thought on the parallel parking vehicles, this can come in handy for those that live in an area where even spaces on the side of the road are tight. Could you park there yourself? Probably, but if the car can do it without worry of bumping the car in front of you or behind you or bumping into the curb scratching your wheels, why not let the car do it for you. When this technology is improved, I'm willing to bet that it will be able to do it faster than you as well, which will be great because it gets you out of traffic that much faster. Having said all this, right now, I do think this option is more gimmicky than anything, but with time, I do believe that it can be beneficial.
You can still drive the car with these features turned on, or just disable them in a lot of cases.
I don't drive like a slob, and rarely interact with the nannies (other than when I'm having fun, which is for a different thread). Multiple cars here, and the various features either aren't intrusive or don't come on at all.
I'm amazed at the number of people I see NOT using signals in vehicles equipped with lane departure or lane keeping assist, and blind spot monitors. Both of those systems interact with the signals, and not using them will increase annoyance and decrease their effectiveness.
There is also always "that guy" (someone here IS that guy) who keeps a nice 1 foot following distance in 50mph traffic and brakes 1,000,000 times on the average commute. Driving like that will make sure that the self-braking features jam on the brakes constantly.
Or get a car that doesn't have these features. There are plenty of choices out there.
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*ha* However, I suppose it could come in handy sometimes. I'd be willing to give it a try.
I like ABS and airbags & the like, but there are things that make one less apt to watch the road these days.
