Today’s post talks about several problems I’ve noticed regarding brand new cars. Here are the four key points of this long-winded rant. I believe that:
1. Automobiles of today are more reliable, safe, and affordable than ever before and are nearly indistinguishable from one another.
2. Automobile engineering has hit a plateau, and as a result automakers are forced to differentiate themselves by adding non-essential features like in-dash screens, Bluetooth connectivity, and other small changes that really aren’t needed and aren’t significantly better or worse than the previous model year. Also, people are very excited to read about the latest small changes in the automotive press.
3. Today’s automobiles are so reliable and so similar that automotive industry journalists don’t really have much to complain about. They are forced to invent reasons why one car is superior to another based on minute, precise measurements of things that are imperceptible to an average driver.
4. When shopping for a brand new car, it doesn’t really matter which one you buy. All new cars have excellent safety, reliability, power, and very similar styling. In many cases the technical differences between two competing cars are so small that they can only be measured by using high-tech equipment. A human driver will never feel the difference.
Continue reading →
I wasn’t born a car nut.
