6 ms·

I don't miss owning (maintaining) a car.

ddorian43 7y ago
This highly depends on where you live.
dingaling 7y ago
We have a ten-year-old car and the only complexity in the headlamps is a ratchet to adjust vertical and horizontal axes whilst in a garage. More modern cars are becoming so complex so quickly that I am reluctant to embrace one even if full EV. Car reviews that state "packed full of technology" are like a warning sign to stay clear.
- bluGill 7y ago
  > More modern cars are becoming so complex so quickly that I am reluctant to embrace one [snip]. Car reviews that state "packed full of technology" are like a warning sign to stay clear. People have been saying that since that 1980s at least. Today cars are more reliable than ever, and complexity is part of how they got there.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - sterwill 7y ago
    My 2006 Mazda MX-5 is super reliable and has very little modern car "technology"--the kind that requires firmware updates, Internet connectivity, phone apps, paid software upgrades, etc. I'm not claiming there isn't complexity in its design, just that the subsystems behind the driving and comfort controls are simple and reliable. The switches are physical buttons and they toggle pins on a microcontroller or make/break a relay contact. This is so much better than poking through touch panel menus.
    - bluGill 7y ago
      Yeah, in 1980 they were complaining about computers on the engine. Today we complain about updates. What will we complain about in 30 years I don't know, but it will be something.
      - blaser-waffle 7y ago
        "Back in my day we didn't need no fancy Q-bits to run an engine! Deuterium these days is expensive!"
  - everdrive 7y ago
    These are two different issues. A computer than maintains engine timing, airflow, fuel flow, etc can make a car much more efficient and reliable. It makes sense for that to be complex. But there's no reason things link headlights need to be complex. They should be cheap and simple. Or, at a minimum, cheap and simple options should exist in the consumer space.
    - davewritescode 7y ago
      There is a reason they’re complex. Being able to see where you’re going is literally the most important safety system in your car. It’s all pointless if it’s blinding the person coming at you. I’d argue that non-luxury car makers have been dragged kicking and screaming into modernity by the NIHS which has started dinging automakers safety ratings for including substandard lights in their base cars and making you pay for modern lights. If you haven’t driven a car with auto high beams it’s hard to explain what a difference they make.

This highly depends on where you live.

We have a ten-year-old car and the only complexity in the headlamps is a ratchet to adjust vertical and horizontal axes whilst in a garage. More modern cars are becoming so complex so quickly that I am reluctant to embrace one even if full EV. Car reviews that state "packed full of technology" are like a warning sign to stay clear.

bluGill 7y ago
> More modern cars are becoming so complex so quickly that I am reluctant to embrace one [snip]. Car reviews that state "packed full of technology" are like a warning sign to stay clear. People have been saying that since that 1980s at least. Today cars are more reliable than ever, and complexity is part of how they got there.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- sterwill 7y ago
  My 2006 Mazda MX-5 is super reliable and has very little modern car "technology"--the kind that requires firmware updates, Internet connectivity, phone apps, paid software upgrades, etc. I'm not claiming there isn't complexity in its design, just that the subsystems behind the driving and comfort controls are simple and reliable. The switches are physical buttons and they toggle pins on a microcontroller or make/break a relay contact. This is so much better than poking through touch panel menus.
  - bluGill 7y ago
    Yeah, in 1980 they were complaining about computers on the engine. Today we complain about updates. What will we complain about in 30 years I don't know, but it will be something.
    - blaser-waffle 7y ago
      "Back in my day we didn't need no fancy Q-bits to run an engine! Deuterium these days is expensive!"
- everdrive 7y ago
  These are two different issues. A computer than maintains engine timing, airflow, fuel flow, etc can make a car much more efficient and reliable. It makes sense for that to be complex. But there's no reason things link headlights need to be complex. They should be cheap and simple. Or, at a minimum, cheap and simple options should exist in the consumer space.
  - davewritescode 7y ago
    There is a reason they’re complex. Being able to see where you’re going is literally the most important safety system in your car. It’s all pointless if it’s blinding the person coming at you. I’d argue that non-luxury car makers have been dragged kicking and screaming into modernity by the NIHS which has started dinging automakers safety ratings for including substandard lights in their base cars and making you pay for modern lights. If you haven’t driven a car with auto high beams it’s hard to explain what a difference they make.