This doesn't really address their counterarguments. If the new-fangled "automobile" is too unreliable or slow to be useful, then yes, it might be best to stick

This doesn't really address their counterarguments. If the new-fangled "automobile" is too unreliable or slow to be useful, then yes, it might be best to stick with the horse for now. And yes, automobiles were pretty bad for a while there. It was 22 years from the first automobile to the Model T, and even the Model T was prone to breaking down a lot.