Utube didn’t have to dig deep to learn, I am a car lover.  It started just showing me the cars I loved growing up as a kid.  I  remember a magazine called boy’s life, and on the cover was the brand-new C3 Corvette in a beautiful blue.  I was hooked early.

So for several months Utube showed me road tests and stories of all the cars I loved. Then it changed, the stories were all about new cars and, I must say I was shocked by what I learned.  I of course can’t say all I saw is true, but the number of lawsuits against several manufacturers must be for good reason. I feel somewhat naïve that the idea of installing software into the various computer modules to automatically initiate failures after warranty periods expire is shocking to me.  I can somewhat understand switching to plastics and aluminum that will not stand the test of time, as iron, but knowingly installing software to cause failure is more than I as a consumer can stomach.

As a result of this knowledge, I boycott the industry and will not buy a new car, unless something changes.  Additionally, I look at computer screens enough, so having a dashboard that is filled with Ipads is not an enjoyable experience, for me.  Speaking of enjoyable experiences, driving a car use to be that, just fun.  Now it seems to me a car is like a smart phone with wheels. Cool I am sure for many, but engineered to fail at a certain point, and that point can be at the will of the manufacturer, being they have control of the firmware.  What a radical change from the days when they truly built automobiles with pride and won customers by creating a better product then the competition.

All I can do out of protest, is drive my 1983 280ZX.  It represents an era when quality and durability counted for something.  It now has 150,000 miles, runs smooth and burns no oil.  It makes more sense to me, if it needs repair, the money spent is going into a product that was originally designed without an expiration date.

Those who know me, know I also have a C7 Corvette.  I believe it to be a well engineered car, and you can still check the oil yourself.  Unbelievably I learned many new cars only the dealer can do that – a scam in my mind.  So the Corvette is of the digital age and the Datsun is of the analogue age.  In closing it is interesting how many discerning people have gone back to vinyl records.