This is why I am going to drive my 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee until it explodes. The dash is wonderfully analog, with knobs and buttons and just the right amount

This is why I am going to drive my 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee until it explodes. The dash is wonderfully analog, with knobs and buttons and just the right amount of lighting. One day, I am going to start a business that specializes in ripping out new car technology and replacing it with quality analog components. The simple issue I have with all of car technology is that most of it does not solve a problem I have. These days, we build shit not because it would be useful, but just because we can. And then businesses shove their products down your throat whether you want it or not. I don't know which car site on was on the other day, but they had a giant feature callout on the page for animated light sequences on the headlights and taillights, saying the car would "greet you" and say "goodbye" when you unlocked or locked the car. I don't need my car to communicate with me like it's the fucking mothership from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I want my vehicle to be a reliable but mostly unremarkable tool. We've got decades of engineering brain power and marketing know-how in play to bring a car to market, and car companies are trying to sell us on light beam sequences. I want off this planet. And I find it funny that manufacturers are making screens look like phones and tablets. They float above or in front of the dash in the same way your phone would be positioned with a holder. I'd much rather have a great analog interior, with a strong magnet mount for my phone when I need it. With a simple bluetooth connection, you'd be good to go. What about safety? I'd argue the added "safety" technology is just an illusion. The indicator lights on the dash and in the sideview mirrors whenever you're "too close" to a car or object are super distracting. As soon as you get up on the interstate, your eyes start twitching uncontrollably side to side in response to the side view proximity lights. "No officer, I haven't been drinking, my nystagmus is a side effect of driving my brand new car." And, even though everyone has backup screens these days, people still can't parallel park or get out of a grocery store parking without restarting the process no less than 10 times. I also don't need to talk to my car. "Alexa, ask Jeep how much gas is left in my car." I bet you'd know if you didn't have to tap three times on a screen to see your fuel gauge. I really don't know who these new vehicles are designed for. "Alexa, ask Jeep to accelerate and drive us off that cliff."