By Robert Emslie
yesterday we asked about Forbes list of terrible, horrible worst cars ever, and you all found a lot to disagree with creepy Steve’s magazine’s choices. Today we want to know if you think modern cars are better to drive than old cars, or if, like the 1950s, those golden oldies were the best.
Obviously, there’s a lot more technology in cars today that make them safer, cleaner, and more efficient. That also makes them heavier, more expensive, and more complicated to repair when any of these new features goes belly up.
That being said, cars also seem to be more reliable than those of days past, however that may not actually be the case, as time has a way of clouding our memories. Quantifiably verifiable is the fact that modern cars will handily outperform their older siblings, and even a modest family sedan of today will mop up the floor with most sports cars of ten to twenty years ago. Of course, ultimate performance means little if the experience doesn’t speak to your soul, and slamming a Camry around a track may provide better numbers than doing so in a Dino 246, but I’d still rather drive the Italian.
Technology and consumer experience drive the demand for ever more capable products- whether they be cars that will brake for you when you’re too involved in what’s up your nose to notice the traffic stopped ahead of you, to lawn mowers that won’t chop off the fingers of the monumentally stupid. It’s just the natural evolution of things. And the fear of lawsuits.
So, what’s your take? Are the cars today better all around, and are better to drive because of that? Or, are old cars, with their quirks and potentially chest penetrating steering columns, more rewarding to drive?
Image sources: [thecartorialist, IDEI]