Valet Auto-pilot

No. I do not want it on my Dodge, I don't want it in my garage. I do not like this silly scam, I do not want it Sam I Am.

I don't even like automatic transmissions, for Pete's sake. The last thing I want is a computer-controlled motor running my steering gear (which many German cars have had for years now with no direct link from the wheel to the steering gear). Remember the Blue Screen of Death on Windows ME and older? I got one on this computer, which is XP, the other day. It was the first time I'd seen one in years. Computerized systems fail, period. I want my steering wheel mechanically linked to the gear, my brake pedal directly acting on a master cylinder that directly controls calipers and wheel cylinders, and a clutch that actually needs a pedal to be operated. Thanks. If anyone needs me, I'll be back in the '70s.
 
The HHR is just parallel-parking assist, and frankly if you can't parallel park for yourself, you shouldn't be driving anyhow.
 
Just a lazy idea and a huge expense waiting to happen. It moves so slow in the parkade that with todays fast paced society I could see more roadrage.
 
As always they big manufacturers are adding more trinkets and toys to cars...to try and sell more cars. Most of the "crap" that are on new cars today is exactly that...CRAP! They keep trying to make things easier for the public, but all they are doing is helping to dumb down the Sheepople.

My biggest pet peeve is the "automatic headlights" in the last few years. I've seen more and more cars driving around with no lights on after dark. Why do all the dash lights come on when you start your car? They should only come on when the headlight switch is "manually" turned on...now you've made it safer for everyone on the road. "Ohh but I shouldn't have to reach up and manually turn on the headlights...couldn't they figure out a way for the car to do it for me?"...in a whiny bitch voice.....
 
69.5CUDA said:
lets see so if i steel your phone i get the car too..YAY..
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Damn, I hadn't thought of that! Excellent point!

My high-school term paper (written in 1988) was titled, "The Dumbing-Down of the American Driver". I got an A for the content but my typing skills weren't so hot (well, that and I kicked it out in about 2 hours, rather than the six weeks I had). I railed against "driver aids" such as cruise control, ABS, automatic transmissions, and yes, even power steering. Why? The less the driver has to be involved with the car, the more likely they'll be distracted from the responsibility of driving. I wish I still had a copy of it, but my English teacher asked if she could keep it. She made later classes read it. It seems there are very few drivers left, but plenty of people that merely operate a vehicle with a lot of nanny controls.
 
I too wish you had a copy of that paper Doc...sounds like it puts in words how I feel about the current state of drivers.
 
Believe it or not, my Mom turned me into the driver I became. She made me drive a junk-bucket with manual steering, brakes, and a manual trans (her car, I might add). She did the same thing to my sisters. "You may be trapped in the middle of nowhere someday, and your only option to get home might be an old truck with a stick and no power anything." My Mom taught me how to double-clutch a non-synchronized transmission, even though the car we were using was synchronized. "No, wrong... you'd have ground the gears out of it doing that."

My brother was older than the other three kids, and never had to drive that car. However, he damned-well learned how to drive in Protective Services in the military. I could probably beat him around a road-race course, but in a pinch situation where lives are on the line I'd definitely prefer he were behind the wheel.
 
I learned to drive in an Austin Mini, at least on the road, at the insistance of both my parents. My Mom's reason was "if you drive a stick, you can drive anything".
My older sister learned on the Austin America we had before that. Her current Caliber is a five speed. :)
My younger brother never got the same oppurtunity - he was too proud to drive Dad's '67 Econoline with three-on-the-tree and the other family cars were all autos at that time. He still hates anything he has to shift gears in. He wants all the geegaws and gadgets in anything he owns.

I was driving farm equipment around for 5 or 6 years before the Mini. None of the equipment, or the Mini, had power anything.
I still prefer stick shifts, but the old legs can't do it anymore. :(
 
while i think ppl should know how to drive the basics as well as know where the fluids are under the hood and be able to change a flat....it should fail your driving test f you cant

on the other paw...power brakes, cruise, and power steering have there places..much like the new one touch windows up/down less distracted time on that

the newwest one to piss me off is the auto headlights...the problem with MOST of them is not only does it light the dash and the road ..it USEUALY doesnt light the TAIL LIGHTS?!?!?!? who the fuck that that was a good idea

ive driven far far too long with cruise to even care about it...power brakes anoy me..i like manual better..same goes for steering manual is more fun..and now that fishy has driven a MANUAL rack and a propper manual trans i think he would agree...cars that give the most feedback are the most fun...and sometimes its the raw crudity of something old all manual that makes it more fun to drive...the problem any more is most cars on the road are vewiwed as a disposable device to get from point a to b..and has no meaning
 
something else to consider..anything attached to a "smart" device can be hacked into....you might not be able to make it drive fast but imagine hacking the signal and sending the car anywhere you wanted...or locking someone out of it perminantly...or making run away from the owner...ahh the fun things you could hack in and do...hell you could hack in and have the car steal itself.....its not stolen till you take possesion of it...

"yes officer this strange car just showed up in my driveway i dont know how it got here i havnt touched it"
 
My 11 year old daughter has already spent some time behind the wheel of the old 5 speed cummins crewcab. She's been showing an interest, so we went out to a big gravel lot, I had her in my lap and only controlled the brake if needed. She shifted 1 and 2 around the lot for some time. She thought it was a hoot! Both my daughters will learn to drive the old crewcab before they can even get their license.
 
god i learned on backhoes tractors dozers dumptrucks even a ditchwitch both in and out of hydro drive and a old ford stepvan and a toyots sr5 pickup all before i was 13...think i may have even driven the forklift and the OLD ford uhaul monster too but my memorys a lil fuzzy on those 2.....the most fun was that short base short side 60s dump truck..i recall it being a kenny or a pete..most of those i got to drive by myself ...while the bobcat around age 8 was fun it wasnt as fun as the big stuff
 
restoman said:
I learned to drive in an Austin Mini, at least on the road, at the insistance of both my parents.
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Had to laugh at this. My first road car was a 1960 Austin Mini 850. A true roller skate on rails. Used to fill the gas tank up (all 5 gallons of it) for $1.25 and drive it all week. Of course, that was in 1969. [smilie=f:Great fun.
 
On the Ron James Show tonight he was talking about the computer controlled cars expected out in several years: "My computer crashes twice a week, but at least it doesn't take me with it".
:)
 
NastyOldMan said:
Had to laugh at this. My first road car was a 1960 Austin Mini 850. A true roller skate on rails. Used to fill the gas tank up (all 5 gallons of it) for $1.25 and drive it all week. Of course, that was in 1969. [smilie=f:Great fun.[/QUOTE]
We had the H.P. version. A whooping 1000cc engine!
That little car was a blast around town. There was NO BODY who could keep up going through corners in downtown Sydney. :)
My sister beat the shit out of it for four years before I got it in 1980 and I pounded on it for another year before selling it. Those were tough little cars!
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