I agree. I never liked the idea of an electric "keyless" starter when they came out, and from there it got worse. I continue to buy older vehicles and work on them.

CVT transmissions were another piece of garbage in the automotive industry. Whoever thought engines with firmware updates were a good idea needs to be shot, and that's not even discussing how the transmission runs like garbage to begin with. Ask an IT guy about firmware updates (extra points if they are in audio/visual, because they really know)

I think the 2017 Toyota Camry was mainly analog, and a regular transmission too, but apparently people didnt like that (so spake the media)

I know someone who works on the new engines. If he doesnt put everything back together properly, it sends a large jolt out and kills him. To make things worse, the insurance companies rides his ass about getting it done faster, and doesn't want to pay for the correct amount of time to perform the job safely. So he's left with "hurry up and die" or "stay safe and don't get paid"

The problem is, for every one of us resilient drivers, theres thousands who arent. Mix that with people who believe the Internet of Things (IoT) is a benevolent dictator, and thats how we got into this mess.

Anything fused with a computer is bad, and you can take that to the grave (and you just might! 😜)