I don't like most new cars. That doesn't mean I don't think they're fine vehicles, but they're just not for me. Should I even bother complaining about them?
I mean, why should I complain about the new Beetle lacking the charm or the backwards engineering of the classic when I can just go out and buy an old Bug and move on with my life? In fact, I did just that, and it only cost me $1,500.
This came up for SuperStock413 when we saw Chris Harris wonder about how the new 911 GT3 has no manual transmission.
Accepting that the way I fundamentally approach cars - what I want in one, what keeps me in an almost perpetual daydream state - isn't the way the market sees them, and is often the opposite direction in which they've evolved, is always hard to take.
I think it's always been this way, though. The way my grandparents talk about cars proves that to me. They never cared about them the way I do, even driving cars I'd dream of, like a 1933 Lincoln V12 (because it had jump seats she could pack kids into), and appreciated only advancements in comfort and convenience.
All you can do is hold onto those aspects of the culture that you value, which is why I'll keep driving my '97 Cherokee Sport 5-sp well passed the imminent 200,000-mile mark, and I'll never sell my '72 2002.
I'm beginning to wonder if I should even complain about new cars losing some of their directness, their feel, their spark. Am I wrong? Am I going soft?
Photo Credit: Raphael Orlove