I agree with this guy re. trucks.

[John Schmidt]

I feel the same way about cars. For example a GPS is nice...when it works, but over the years I've never been lost using a paper map. I've found my cell phone works better than any GPS I've ever owned, and when we travel we have numerous maps stuck in the pockets on the back of the front seats.

You might have to click on the video for sound.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/25053777837606317

[sandy]

That’s why I keep my 1994 F150 w a 5.8 Windsor.

[old2soon]

     John he do make Sense!   Most vehicles these days Are far too complicated. When I was still drivin big truck I had gotten a Brand New International. Unloaded in Houston Tx. and reloaded in Houston Tx. and left out East bound on I 10 during "rush hour"! And tween exits and no shoulder due to construction and ONLY 2 lanes my New 13 letter fertilizer machine QUIT! Nada Nuttin!   Needless to say weren't long til multiple L E Os arrived askin WHEN will I git it goin? Already called office and also was on with the shop in Iowa City Ia. and from the flash code determined 3 engine control computers had bit the dust and the closest International dlr had their wrecker on the way. After sitting 2 days in a motel the dlr decided to canabilize a new truck for my needed computers and another day lost! Fast forwrd 4 days and i'm in Maine and the rotten-imagine REALLY bad words here-same 3 computers craspped out AGAIN! Still NOT in the system for replacement parts this dlr canabilzed a new truck to git me goin and I NEVER had another problem again after 2nd puter switch out! BUT I lost 5 days no rollin makin a paycheck!   And YES I STILL prefer a good ol papeer road atlas! Batteries will NEVER go dead in a good ol paper road atlas!   RIDE SAFE.

[Jess from VA]

With no cell phone or GPS, what I do is get on the computer and have it map out A to B.

Then on paper, I write out turn by turn, left and right, exit numbers, yada.  In LARGE print so I can read it taped to my dash board.   

Otherwise, I follow someone with a GPS/Cell Phone.   

[f6john]

My top of the line 20 year old Nissan Titan came without GPS which didn’t bother me since I had a Garmin that I really liked at the time. I have always wondered since I didn’t get a sunroof either if it was part of a package of extras that dictated if you get one you automatically get the other. Not having GPS back in 05 also meant no rear camera which I would have really liked for trailer hookups. All that said, I’m perfectly happy with the Nissan given that I accept it is a heavy 4x4 gas V8 that uses fuel accordingly.

The old trucks still tug at my heartstrings but I don’t have 20 acres any more nor can I afford to insure all the vehicles I’d like to have anymore either.

[Oss]

must be an old lawyer thing Jess as "Fred", my paperfilled gps holder only held index cards with turn by turn instructions

Lost Fred in a similar  way Tom Hanks lost Wilson somewhere in Alabama or Mississippi

Only Wild6 was a witness to his demise

[old2soon]

    Evan NOT just an old barrister thingy! Done that a few times in big truck specially fer a new customer! And Heartland rrvamped their direction book bouttwice a year. Preprinted book with the most visited customers in it. Also whether or not you could sleep on their property! RIDE SAFE.

[John Schmidt]

I'm talking about more than just the GPS. They talk about how much more mileage current vehicles get but I disagree with that as a general statement. While in the USAF I bought a '53 Olds 98 4-door, burned oil like it was the boiler for a tanker. I backed it into my double garage and started tearing it apart, did a complete overhaul on the motor including having it balanced. I don't remember the stats now 50 yrs. later but I had the cam reground. That car was the smoothest running one I've ever driven and once broke in I got 27+ mpg on the open road and it was a heavy vehicle. I've done the same thing on three cars, mileage was great...even with the a/c on in my old Chrysler with the 426. That one I easily would get 23-26 mpg on the open road. Every car except the last two, an '08 Highlander SUV and current '18 Buick Enclave SUV, I had to crank the windows up/down, back up using a mirror, open the hatch/trunk with a key(until I modified one to open with a button on the dash), move the seat forward & back via a lever...nothing ever failed. The older vehicles I've owned starting with my '48 Dodge never had computers, no electronics of any kind, and never broke down...even with questionable driving/racing habits of the owner. I seemed to need tires quite often however. I told dad it must be the manufacturer, judging by the tone of his answer I got the feeling he didn't buy my reasoning. It seems the more trinkets in your vehicle, the higher the possibility of something going wrong. In my '08 Highlander, the dashboard screen developed an issue with picking a radio station, it didn't show the frequency chosen an suddenly the engine wouldn't run...it quit cold while driving. I asked the service manager how in blazes does the radio have anything to do with the motor running. He had no idea but I did get a totally new instrument panel. I used to fly really old airplanes with modern instruments, can you imagine the above scenario happening at 8,000' altitude. 

[Serk]

I see both sides....

I love me some modern gadgets. If my vehicle doesn't have enough, I add some of my own.
Our family minivan is the newest vehicle we have as a 2011, but it's got bluetooth, GPS in dash, a drop down screen with DVD player in the back for the kids, etc...

But having recently inherited a 2004 Chevy pickup I can also see the beauty in simplicity.

The 2004 sat for a long time, and needs some work. And so far I've been able to do a lot of the work myself.

I wouldn't try that with a rolling data center on wheels more modern car.

As far as mileage, nothing I've ever owned has come close to my 1988 Toyota MR2.... Driving moderately nice on the freeway it'd get real close to 50MPG, and once I had the cruise control from Tulsa Oklahoma to Dallas Texas set at 115, and still got 28MPG at that speed...

With the rise of self-driving vehicles, it's only a matter of time before we get a country song where a guy's truck leaves him too.

[Jess from VA]

My 2017 Ram 2500 Promaster came with a ton of gadgetry I still haven't figured out how to use (or need).  Mostly from 4 stalks on the steering column. Click up and down and fore and aft and twist and push. 

I had to get out the 2 volume manual and read and trial and error to set the clock.  But it's wrong again, and I don't need to know the time (only even wear a watch a few times a year).

Most of the time, when I want to flash my lights to tell someone to go while I wait, I end up turning the wipers and squirters on. 

I only use the cruise control once in a blue moon, and it takes me a while to remember how that works.  Turning it on is easy, but setting the speed is tricky.  It comes in very handy on my annual freeway trip back up to Michigan.  I can spend hours never touching the gas or brakes, just slow a bit and speed up a bit as needed. 

But other than losing the alternator shortly after I bought it, it has been a great and reliable truck.  I only have like 16K on it, and the original 10 ply tires and brakes are still good.

My neighbor friend has a big Ford F250 that has a built in generator that will run a whole house, and 2 cigarette lighters (which I thought were gone forever), but they are for powering accessories, not lighting smokes. 

[Rams]

Personally speaking, I really don’t like having all the gadgets in newer vehicles.   We just replaced the Honda Ridgeline we got T Boned in with a new Ridgeline.   I don’t like driving it but still need to do that taking my bride to and from different places due to her inability to swivel her head.

The new Ridgeline has so much unneeded stuff that I find annoying.  For example, to turn on the Cruise Control one has to engage the Lane Departure Assist (another annoying option). Another example is the engine shuting off at every stop light or stop sign.  

If given the choice, I will always elect to drive my old (2010) Chevy WT pickup over the Ridgeline.  The above dislikes are only a fraction of the things I don’t appreciate on newer vehicles.   To me, those options are simply other reasons people are not focusing on the task, driving.

Yeah, I know.  The term Old Foggy is frequently applied to me.

Rams

[Pluggy]

Most vehicles these days Are far too complicated.

Darned right.  Our 2014 Ford F150 has 18 individual electric motors that make the functions work.  A 2017 Honda CrV has 25.  And, each motor has an on-off switch or function.  These are not the "high end" models, either.  Other makes are similar.

Those items rarely fail, but there are a lot of them.

[Rams]

Most vehicles these days Are far too complicated.

Darned right.  

Snip

Those items rarely fail, but there are a lot of them.

In my opinion, just something else that will eventually quit working and as usual, something I can’t fix.

Rams

[Hook#3287]

Mother Honda seems to have decided others can do the GPS system better than them, as both the 18 Wing and the a 24 MDX have clunky not user friendly systems.

I like using the Garmin on the Wing and my cell in the MDX and give both much credit for finding excellent roads I'd never would have w/o.

Both vehicles have more gismos and gadgets then I care for and I got to get he damn manual out every time I change the oil in MDX, to reset the stupid oil change thingy, or else it beeps every time I start it.

Never mind the Sleepy Driver with a coffee cup thing I can't seem to shut off.

Hook up the trailer, back up and your violently reminded of the backup system, when it slams on the brakes.

Pita.

[Hook#3287]

https://freemanmapstore.com/

Speaking of maps, check this web site out for excellent FREE fold out maps of rides in central to north east coast.

[old2soon]

      My Former 06 Grand prix I M O had just the right amount of gadgetry doodads. Cruise was EEZEE to set luved the heated seats and the radio controls on the steering wheel. My mechanic knows how to reset the oil change reminder. One shortcoming I NEVER dealt with was the spare Under the trunk floor INSIDE the car itself. You loaded down wth suitcases and travel paraphernalia be a Royal P I A to access the spare! The Pontac Vibe/Toyota Matrix-2010-I now have is way simple. No radio controls on steering wheel and NO HEATED SEATS which I coula used this A M as it were 5 degrees F!!  Anybody else here recall filing the old breaker points cuz ya couldn't afford new ones when ya needed them?? Cleaning and regapping the spark plugs fer the same reason lackaloot??  RIDE SAFE.

[John Schmidt]

My 2018 Buick SUV has that stop/start craziness that drove me nuts so I started looking for a fix. Found a little jumper kit on either Ebay or Amazon, don't recall, paid less than $20 and it was plug and play. Fits right up behind the top of the radiator, pull apart one connector and plug the kit in. Done! Doesn't affect anything else. Nancy's Audi has it and I hate driving that thing for a couple reasons. First...too many doodads, second...it also has the stop/start function and doesn't have remote start like my car. In addition, it has the worst ride of any car I've ridden in recently. It has a short wheelbase and you hit a bump, it shakes the entire vehicle. A very rough ride but she loves it so I stay away from it, I think it's a much overrated car. Only thing I'm debating about doing for her is adding remote start, I love it on my car especially now it's a bit cooler up here...-7 F this morning with a breeze making the chill factor near -22.

[Sorcerer]

I have a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek that is the most distracting vehicle I have ever owned. As stated above I hate having to deactivate engine stop mode every time I start it. I’ve almost mentally blocked the beeps from the lane departure. In cruise control with adaptive if you’re not paying attention all of a sudden you may realize that you have slowed dramatically or if a much slower vehicle pulls into your lane it hammers the breaks. The system I have not figured out how to turn off is the one that if something is in front it kills the gas pedal. 2 problems, first and foremost if you’re being blocked in, think car jacking or if it appears that someone from behind my not be stopping, the car won’t let me react. Remember the days that if a tire got damaged and needed to be replaced you bought 1 new/ used tire. 2 weeks ago I had the right rear damaged to the point it couldn’t be fixed. Yup HAD to replaced all 4 tires to the tune of $1020.

[cookiedough]

dislike wife's 2019 tucson sport model too many gadgets as well not needed.  autoopen rear hatch if key in pocket nearby will beep 5x's then open luckily I am not that slow to not move AWAY from the rear hatch yet so it does not open automatically. 

2021 tundra truck disabled all doo dads except adaptive cruise control like that feature 'most' of the time but not all the time.  It does not work if sensors in front icy or snow covered which is 25% of the time in WI winters can override it by holding in cruise control button 3 seconds and get 'normal' cruise control which am fine with.

backup cameras are nice to have but can live without as well.  lane departure assist and especially auto bright/dimming of headlights is so not needed and never works good.

[Pluggy]

The latest trend is cars with features that require a subscription.  Example: The vehicle comes with heated seats and steering wheel at no initial cost. If you don't want these, ignore they are there.  To use them, pay a fee, or get a subscription so the features will be remotely unlocked for you to use.

Big money is made if you pay a monthly fee for the life of the vehicle.  I would be reluctant to pay. I drove around with a cold hiney in 1989 and would do it again.

[John Schmidt]

In Florida having leather seats makes it easy to tell if it's summer or winter. In winter, the leather is cold to sit on so I always tossed a small hand towel on it. In summer, if your bare legs stick to the seats...it's summer. 

[Jersey mike]

The latest trend is cars with features that require a subscription.  Example: The vehicle comes with heated seats and steering wheel at no initial cost. If you don't want these, ignore they are there.  To use them, pay a fee, or get a subscription so the features will be remotely unlocked for you to use.

Big money is made if you pay a monthly fee for the life of the vehicle.  I would be reluctant to pay. I drove around with a cold hiney in 1989 and would do it again.

My wife and I had a similar discussion a few nights ago about so called subscriptions for cars and their features. We have one vehicle with the Sirius/XM radio feature, which we don’t use but the radio still works, but I can’t understand how having purchased a vehicle with features such as heated seats and other minor amenities can be considered a subscription based device, then what’s the sense of buying the vehicle, if a good portion of the options paid for still need to be paid for as the vehicle ages…and those amenities can become “obsolete” over time and the platform is no longer viable for the car company to still maintain. This seems like a class action suit just waiting to happen.

[Jess from VA]

I do not want and would not own a car that drives itself and makes decisions for me.

I would want a motorcycle that does this even less.  

I rarely forget to put on my seat belt before departing (and won't if I'm just moving it around the driveway for some reason), and the loud idiot beeper reminds you right quickly.  I can live with this particular safety feature.  

Anyone else notice the number of cars that have "please be patient, new driver" bumper stickers these days?  I see them all the time around here.  I often look, and the driver doesn't look young or new to me.  I wonder if family members put them on cars driven by known poor drivers?  I'm always watchful and careful around them.    

[cookiedough]

never seen that bumper sticker, but I see lots of Tesla's lately in 2025 saying 'I bought this before I knew the real Elon Musk'   thought that was funny.

Like said, my 2021 tundra am hoping will be my last new truck bought for 43K msrp.  All 1/2 ton trucks made past few years are all over 50K new msrp and too many gadgets and most are going twin turbo V6 which is NOT reliable LONG term.  Compare my 2021 5.7L V8 tundra for sure the MOST non-techy 1/2 ton truck made past 10 years vs. even the all new 2022 revamped tundra no comparison for reliability and pricing.  Old tundra wins hands down, even for resale I have been offered 37K for my now 4 year old tundra paid 43K in 2021, no half ton truck holds its resale value better than that.  NOT selling since no other truck out there is better in terms of reliability, resale, and less techy and serves my needs the best.  Was a tried and true chevy silverado guy from 1988 to 2007 until the all new tundra came out in 2007 and have not looked back since.