Do you prefer old school mechanical cars more or modern electrical more?

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KeeganY_SR-UVB76@reddit

I don't have an issue with modern cars, I can work my way through their reliance on computers. What I despise are all the assists they have now. Reverse cameras, blind spot warnings, lane assists, all the noises. Please, car, just shut the fuck up. I own you.

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TheEstablishment7@reddit

I think it would be wonderful if modern cars had better visibility. I think manufacturers have used reverse cameras, blind spot monitoring, etc., to let themselves have mammoth blind spots. Ride in a mid-grade GM, Chrysler, or Ford POS from the 80s, and openness of the greenhouse is eye-opening. No need for blindspot monitoring if an entire car can't hide behind the C pillar.

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KeeganY_SR-UVB76@reddit

It’s true. I’m used to vintage British cars, their pillars are TINY!

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NoEmu5969@reddit

The glass is inches from your face is vintage roadsters so you really get a good look at the road.

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Ok_Engine_1442@reddit

I don’t think it’s about new VS old. I think it about NTSB and EPA battling to make cars worse. NTSB we want safer cars so make them bigger, EPA we want better fuel with cars with heavier cars. So that makes them way more complicated.

Think about this in 1996 we had the metro 5 speed the got 44mpg. That’s better than a lot of hybrids now.

Let’s go further a 2025 Honda Civic curb weight is about 3200 lbs. a 1971 NOVA was 2800 lbs. Now drop a K24 turbo and that’s about 250lbs lighter than a stock 350. So we are down to 2600 lbs. your probably looking at a car that get high 30 mpg probably mid 40s.

after you remove the steel bumper and the standard safety features ABS airbags and such. So in short cars have got too damn big and fast. If you want to argue about that then you have never had the pleasure of getting behind the wheel of an early Miata, MG, older mini.

PS: I have owned dozens of cars in my life from old school big block chevys with 800+ hp to Prius’s. There is nothing more enjoyable than driving a relatively slow car fast. The best car I ever had was a 1988 325is with an m50b25.

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NoEmu5969@reddit

I had a losing streak where i was driving used Ford Aspires for ten years (millennial problems). The 5 speed matched with a Mazda 1.3L in a <2000 lb car is something I wish to bring back. The build quality was awful because the body was from KIA but the engine would drag it down the road for as long as I could find timing belts to install every 50k.

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mtrbiknut@reddit

I'm an old guy that was a broke youth so I learned to tune up and oil change right away. I've changed brakes many times, a few wheel bearings, and an axle seal, many years ago. Those things were a lot of work but relatively easy to do.

The vehicles I buy now, even though I only buy used, rarely need anything other than oil changes and tires.

Maybe I've gotten lazy over the years, but I rarely give thought to being left stranded on the side of the road any more. I like reliability!

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NoEmu5969@reddit

Kids these days don’t know how to change a fan belt on the side of the road… because they’d never need to.

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OmericanAutlaw@reddit

i would pay extra for a car to have no screens and none of that automatic bullshit and no beeping. every new car i get into beeps for fifty fuckin reasons

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Jimmytootwo@reddit

This...

2000-2010 vehicles rocked. Today we make trash

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Different_Split_9982@reddit

My 1992 civic says 2000 is too new.......... roll up windows nothing to break 40-50 mpg.

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WildKarrdesEmporium@reddit

I feel like my '95 C280 is too new... But that's probably because it's a Mercedes.

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NoEmu5969@reddit

I have a 96 C220 and can’t complain about anything but the relays and headliner. The electronics are great but the connectors and relays need a wiggle often.

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Jimmytootwo@reddit

I have a 76 Mercedes Its far from the best era Benz lol

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WildKarrdesEmporium@reddit

I loved my '79 300TD, but it was a rust bucket. Stopped driving it when the drivers seat fell through the floorboard.

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Jimmytootwo@reddit

Well. Ya got your money's worth

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WildKarrdesEmporium@reddit

It was less than $1000, so I'd say so, lol.

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ThatOneVQ@reddit

*1990-2000 was peak

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kondorb@reddit

Peak car era. Technology was going where it was welcomed. Build quality peaked too. Crazy experiments still existed.

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Jimmytootwo@reddit

That's why you see trucks going 300,000 miles like nothing from that era my buddys Silverado went 540K before he sold it. You cant get that from any mfgs today

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splynneuqu@reddit

My 2003 corolla salutes you.

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wobbleheadsunite@reddit

As does my 2003 Avalon and 98 corolla.

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Heavy_Gap_5047@reddit

Mine has screens, the right amount of automatic bullshit and no beeping.

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elementarydeardata@reddit

Same. My ideal js a car that is modern enough to have carplay, but old school enough where the climate control isn't in the menus, blind spot monitoring but no lane assistance, backup cam but no auto park.

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series-hybrid@reddit

I didn't mind adding a screen for the back-up camera, and even a map (like Waze). But if I look into a car and the only dash control is the screen, its an automatic no from me.

Also, full electric steering, which was invented to get rid of the steering column. I like power-assist steering whether its hydraulic or electric, but I want the physical column as a back-up.

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Heavy_Gap_5047@reddit

What has full electric steering besides the cybersuck?

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series-hybrid@reddit

I don;t know. I just heard about it and I immediately didnt like it, so I assumed it was something that a lot of models were going to incorporate soon.

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Heavy_Gap_5047@reddit

I wouldn't like it either, too much risk. Not a fan of electric assist either for much the same reason, it's powerful enough to overpower your hands if it fails and that concerns me. So I stick with hydraulic assist. My car is a hydraulic rack with an electric pump, I think that's about ideal.

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Holiday-Poet-406@reddit

1990s was the zenith of the analogue car, since then more electrical control gubbins have been crammed into your car that pretty much means without a computer to diagnose what's wrong with a car when it goes wrong you are stranded.

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EastClevelandBest@reddit

Chevrolet Express is almost perfect. Even 2025 has almost no bullshit in it.

The only issue it is a van.

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ChoMar05@reddit

Yes. And it's not even about being ICE or Electric. All modern cars just suck. And the somewhat comfortable ones cost 50K or more, just to drive something that's just meh and not absolutely terrible. Or just drive the cheapest thing you get because they're all bad. And still, manufacturers tell us that it's a good thing they got the next ultrawide screen integrated in the dashboard. Cars are designed to death and all follow function follows design.

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YettiRey@reddit

2023 f350 at work. It does beep for any and all reasons. 10 warnings on the dash at startup. And a brake assist that slams the brakes when you back into a parking spot.

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corporaterebel@reddit

Slate for you.

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Reasonable_Catch8012@reddit

At least you could switch on the radio without going through fifteen menu steps on the older cars.

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PhotographJaded3088@reddit

I'll counter that with my old car makes it much more dangerous to change the volume or station compared to steering wheel controls. I do hate touchscreens though.

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ChuckoRuckus@reddit

Do you not have muscle memory able to reach for a knob or button that’s always in the same place?

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PhotographJaded3088@reddit

I do but my arm isn't that long so I have to lean way forwards, steering wheel controls are convenient

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reidlos1624@reddit

I like the mix of analog and digital on my 2016 Mustang. Plenty of knobs and switches and buttons, but still a screen for Android Auto, and OBDII for grabbing codes.

My wife's 2017 Sonata is so fucking obnoxious with its popups on screen though. Anytime contacts change or it's low on gas or any number of things go wrong and it'll cover your entire screen with a popup. I KNOW HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE LEFT AND DON'T NEED DIRECTIONS DOWN THE ROAD TO THE GAS STATION I'VE BEEN TO A THOUSAND TIMES.

So I guess it depends on how intrusive the screens are. The most important HVAC controls should be buttons and knobs, as should be volume, play/pause, and next song. But having a screen for Android Auto is really nice for navigation.

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BoboliBurt@reddit

When my 2009 Civic got hit last year whilst parked, I was compelled to move on and went with a new Civic hybrid. Gorgeous, zippy and wonderful little sedan. Despite people muttering about 30k USD Civics, that is literslly what the top of the line one has cost for at 30 years adjusted for 2025 dollars

And if I could have gotten a freshly minted Gen 8 Civic with an R18 engine and a proper slushbox automatic, I would have snapped that up in a tenth of a second instead. Especially with blindspot indicator mirrors!

By the aughts, protective safety features were quite good- takata airbags not withstanding. The 2009 replaced a 93 Civic- cars before 2004 or so, with some German exceptions, are kinda death traps though. That sweet spot of automobile history was closed prematurely by regulations that promoted the sales of trucks and then forced compliance on mileage. That 09 Civic didnt pollute much less than a modern ICE CVT one, was faster, got worse city but similar highway miles and could survive absolute neglect while enduring punishment that we won’t now how modern cars handle for another decade plus.

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Machinesmaker@reddit

Absolutely 💯

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Different_Fly2025@reddit (OP)

1930's Ford Model A preferred 💯 ✅

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The_World_Is_A_Slum@reddit

I’m becoming increasingly interested with Golden Age cars, coachbuilt on a chassis type of stuff. They’re purely mechanical and literal pieces of art. I grew up around muscle and hot rods and never really noticed the classics. Old school stuff is much more interesting than modern, and I prefer it from the enthusiasts perspective.

To drive daily and use as a tool, I prefer modern. It drives so nicely, and I can cover long distances much faster and arrive less fatigued.

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WildKarrdesEmporium@reddit

Old school mechanical.

My current daily driver is a '95 C280, and my current farm truck is a '95 Nissan with manual transmission. I have an '85 BMW 735i in the garage that I want to make my next daily driver.

If I could afford a new car, I'd just buy a much, much nicer old car.

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S7alker@reddit

Prefer the new stuff. Not a fan of full screen with no buttons, but the smooth acceleration of an EV is great.

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Harrymcmarry@reddit

Besides the obvious stuff like repairability and driving experience, the thing I miss most about older cars is the lack of bells and whistles being branded as "luxury" items. I hate when salesman or people in the industry refer to massive screens, driver assist features, and USB ports as defining characteristics for a luxury vehicle. They're not, they're just toys. Luxury used to mean good materials, solid build quality, consistency across the interior, a quiet ride, and overall longevity. Now it just means how many screens you get.

I know it's cheaper to cram screens into a cabin and that's what the market wants, but damn I miss when "luxury car" meant that it was built well.

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EndoLambo@reddit

I’m on my third Miata, this one is the latest generation. It’s fantastic

And when I’m done financing I’m selling it for a bmw from the 70s.

It has so many little weird unnecessary components, features, and compromises. No storage, poor passenger experience, I may as well be on a motorcycle instead. Which I also have.

I’d rather have a basic little German “sporty” sedan that gives everything just to do the speed limit. If something breaks you just swap it out with bolts or hose clamps.

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tuberlord@reddit

I hate all the menus and infotainment crap on modern cars. I also hate carburetors. I'll let you make of that what you will.

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Gubbtratt1@reddit

Sounds like you need an old diesel.

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tuberlord@reddit

I'm more old and 80s turbo Volvo guy.

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LeatherRebel5150@reddit

Im enjoying my 2020 Frontier. A small screen that does the backup camera and Radio, but doesn’t have “smart” capabilities (ie has no internet connection) still have real knobs for HVAC. Has been pretty easy to work on so far

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PrimitiveThoughts@reddit

I like my internal combustion engine with drive by wire throttle and heads up display, with a manual transmission that doesn’t rev for you when you downshift.

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doc_55lk@reddit

I like something in the middle. Enough tech to be reasonably modern but not so much that it's intrusive or makes the car a pain to live with.

As a Mercedes guy, this would mean most of the stuff they made from 2010 to about 2018 is perfect for me, and I'm willing to go down to 2003ish if certain modifications were made to the infotainment system.

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ShatteredSoul8989@reddit

I have a 2020 Mustang GT PP1. I’m a car dude. I love reading about cars and trying them out. I love modifications. Etc.

I know everyone will come in and say “I love me my old school cars without screens blah blah blah.” Look I get it. 1000%. My friend and I work on his 1969 Mustang in the garage and it’s a treat.

But cars are cars to me. I don’t care about the electrical modern take. Some people love it. Some people don’t. I’m indifferent. It does make them more difficult to work on, but that’s the price we also pay for some of the performance and mileage you’re getting on vehicles.

Old school, modern, and even pure EVs are cool to me.

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Jjmills101@reddit

Old school mechanical feel for sure. There is a sweet spot though. Pre-90s most cars are a bit creaky (not you, merc and Porsche), have finicky things like carbs, unsophisticated ecus which make it annoying to diagnose or fix issues from age, etc etc. 90s and early 2000s cars have obd2, fuel injection, reasonably decent ECUs, and more efficient engines. They do all of this while still being prior to the era of adding a million screens and being obscenely heavy for no reason.

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375InStroke@reddit

I've never owned a car built after 1969, so I'll just leave it at that.

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EtalusEnthusiast420@reddit

Alright grandpa

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f700es@reddit

"back in my day when a quarter cost a nickel..."

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TrueGameData@reddit

Great grandpa* lol

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grassesbecut@reddit

Yeah, even my Grandpa made it up to having a car from 2000.

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Hair-artist@reddit

Ok then electric

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375InStroke@reddit

Electricity wasn't invented yet.

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Tallguystrongman@reddit

The Flocken Elektrowagen disagrees

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f700es@reddit

I like modern mechanical cars. I have a '16 Mustang. The radio screen/backup camera screen is 5" and a little digital screen between the speedo and tach. That's it.

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ratrodder49@reddit

I’m probably biased since I have my bachelors degree in automotive restoration, but I really prefer the old stuff. Hence my fleet. I daily a 2012 Chrysler but my next newest is a diesel from 1995 and then the next newest after that is from 1971. Wife drives a 2006 Element.

I don’t hate the amenities modern cars give you, some of them are quite nice like adaptive cruise and a heated steering wheel, but I’ll never understand the infatuation with the huge screens that these automakers seem to think we all have, and it’s silly that you can’t turn off some of the driver aids.

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HojonPark4077@reddit

I have all old cars and bikes. Oldest car being a 1970 Beetle, and oldest truck being a 1993 Dodge 1stgen Cummins turbo/intercooler W250 4x4 Club Cab. (Also have an’86 Toyota Pickup 4x4 22R 5 speed). Bring on the apocalypse. My relics do not care for touchscreens and CVTs and computers.

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Another_Slut_Dragon@reddit

Cruise, tilt, power windows, keyless power locks with a locks only fob+ a physical key with RFID anti theft and a slot in the dash for a radio would sell me.

Bonus points if it's electric drive. Electric cars are simpler than gas cars. It's all the bullshit bells and whistles they slap on them that is unnecessary.

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ThatDude_Paul@reddit

I’ll never get rid of my 2006 Highlander. Everything is pretty basic, extremely reliable, none of that new bullshit that drives the car for you

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thatvhstapeguy@reddit

Fuel injected cars pre-2005. The computer takes care of the stuff you don’t want to deal with but you don’t have an unavoidable tablet in the dashboard.

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muhhuh@reddit

Modern for sure. Old cars are shitty. I split my driving between my fleet of shitboxes and my modern cars, and while my shitboxes have a raw, mechanical charm to them, sometimes I just want to drive something with air conditioning and voice command.

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FeastingOnFelines@reddit

No. Carburetors and old ignition distributors were constantly a source of frustration.

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Gubbtratt1@reddit

As old and simple as possible. My first "car", a 1963 Bolinder Munktell tractor, was pretty perfect. I have the wiring diagram memorised. The less than 100 pages long manual goes into detail how to make special service tools for replacing cylinder linings and such.

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BeaverMartin@reddit

I prefer everything mechanical, specifically prior to OBD 1. Though FI is nice I typically stick to carbureted, analog vehicles where the diagnostic techniques I learned as a kid still work.

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VW-MB-AMC@reddit

I very much prefer simple old cars without screens, computers and wires everywhere. Fewer features usually means there are less that can go wrong. And I can fix them myself.

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Equivalent-Run4705@reddit

Late 90s/early 2000s all the way! 20-30+ year lifespans with minimal repairs in between!

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Rickenbacker69@reddit

While I love the comfort of new cars, NOTHING you might change while driving should ever be on a touchscreen. My current car is from 2010, and I'm looking at new cars and not liking what I see.

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PhotographJaded3088@reddit

I like newer, by that i mean 1990-2010 i . Fuel injection and electronically controlled ignition definitely are nice to have just being able to start it up and not have to mess with setting the idle or choke. Rack and pinion as well as power steering are good when I drive something newer than mine. Coils are a bit more comfortable compared to the torsion bars and leafs on mine too. Also minor but just being able to hear the radio while driving without deafening road noise is good too. Don't like traction control and abs though.

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ardit33@reddit

Old school are much more fun in geral. I have 3, and one modern (A5, B9). The A5 is good for long distance commuting, but for short city driving it is just not that fun.

While the older cars I have (A4, B5, 2001) (w123, 1980/1984) are much more fun to drive around town and back roads. They feel like an experience, and have more occassion to them. You feel the road, you get more of your sensations stirred, and the driving is more involved in general.

The 2001 A4 is as good (or even better) than modern cars, excellent noise isolation, solid interior, great stereo, great ac, great suspension, and it offers something even better: Great responsive handling, and you feel the road with a perfectly weighted steering wheel, and great shifter.

Modern cars are more isolation, and the electric steering, while precise, just doesn't offer road feel at all.

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AshlandPone@reddit

I'd say the perfect balance was struck from about 1996 to 2013, after that computerization outpaced computer reliability.

From 78ish to 96, there are plenty of diamonds in the rough, but you had to hunt them.

Prior to 78 there's lots of good to go around, but it's a different kind of good.

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badtux99@reddit

Sort of in between. We had a time in the late 1990s/early 2000s when all the cars had good working fuel injection and electronic ignition and manual transmissions were still widely available. Carburetors were miserable. Mechanical ignition systems were miserable. I was happy to see them gone. A lot of cars had ABS too. It works way better than the old school brakes. I was happy about that too.

I don’t like today’s cars with the big screen and electronic instrument panel and such but I have no problem with technology as such. I definitely don’t want to go back to carburetors (shudder). We just have gone way too far with this.

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TheWhogg@reddit

Modern. If I wanted to drive a slow, noisy, uncomfortable car with horrendous safety and terrible audio I certainly could afford to do so. If I could find one that hasn’t completely rusted away. Depreciation would be dreadful as a daily and I’d be forever having to repair it. But at least these repairs would be slightly easier.

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chibicascade2@reddit

I like having fuel injection.

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biggranny000@reddit

I love tech and modern cars but please give me physical dials, buttons, controls, etc.

While it's easy to get used to in cars it's a bit annoying having to go through infotainment to change everything.

All of this tech and sensor stuff also makes collisions more expensive, and people are becoming more distracted.

Also every brand seems to compromise in their infotainment in some kind of way. Phones and tablets nowadays are fast and modern, car technology always feels 5-10 years behind despite costing tens of thousands of dollars.

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Emotional-Leg-5689@reddit

Old school manual transmission

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TheGamingUnderdog@reddit

I prefer driving modern cars and working on older ones.

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skornd713@reddit

The more unnecessarily crap you put in a car, the more.things can go wrong. Mechanically and during driving. Some people don't need more distractions.

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BigBallininBasterd@reddit

Late 90s is the sweet spot imo

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TrueGameData@reddit

I'm 31 years old, never been a full on car guy, but always been close. I grew up driving semi nice cars for the year I was in.

I recently bought a 2008 cayman and a 2017 boxster S(because im dumb and want to be homeless, were all just gonna die anyway so why not)

Everyone online says the 2008 cayman is amazing, last car with pure hydraulic steering, great manual transmission, etc.

Don't get me wrong, as I get used to it, it is a blast to drive... but having grown up driving cars with power steering, and newer cars, and electric cars, the thing feels like it is going to fall apart at any second. I do not like that part of it.

They rave about the feedback from the road with hydraulic steering, the manual being a blast and engaging to drive, etc.

I love the car, I really do, but these things dont necessarily feel "good" to me, as someone who didnt grow up driving them.

The 2017 boxster however feels totally modern, solid, self assured. I dont know how to describe it, but to me it feels way "better".

I am learning to love the cayman for its feelings though. And every time I drive it I like it more.

When I get back in my 2024 highland model 3.... I am reminded what a wonderful car it is, and why electric really is so much better for the vast majority of non car guys. For me, I lie somewhere in the middle, I still am not full on "car guy" where I prefer the raw, analog, cayman, but I do absolutely prefer my boxster S to my tesla now, and the cayman is rapidly growing on me.

I think, because I dont really have enough money to own these cars right now, the age, and analog, mechanical "going to fall apart" feeling of the cayman is what holds me back. I am afraid it is going to break and have a huge repair bill that I cannot afford, and that is taking away from the fun.

Anyway, just ramblings from someone who is in a unique spot to answer this question... recently got very interested in cars, thus the boxster and cayman purchase

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nips927@reddit

I have 3 vehicles, 2008 Yamaha vstar1100 motorcycle, carburetored, has basic ecm that just runs timing that's it

I have 2020 Ford ranger crew cab 4x4 sport XLT, not basic but not loaded to the brim with bs

Then me and my wife have a 2019 GMC Acadia Denali AWD loaded the fuck out.

The ranger the only complaints I have are having to switch thru the screens for changing something simple like climate settings. The only other thing I don't like is the 10 speed transmission. After no complaints.

The Acadia it's too much. Slams on the brakes if the car in the other lane is getting off the hwy.

I miss my 97 f250hd, 99 and 96 Ford rangers, the Ford escort I had.

Don't get me wrong I do love my 2020 ranger

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Garthneddy@reddit

Late 90s/early 2000s was peak. No screens or steering wheel buttons, real HVAC knobs and relatively simple engine management that can be diagnosed at home in your garage.

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maybach320@reddit

In between, new enough to be fuel injected but old enough that the radio doesn’t control the climate control.

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SchlongCopter69@reddit

Modern electrical.

Took grad ICE design classes from a SAE Fellow.

Had a Ducati, IS-F, and GX460 prior to my Model 3 Performance Highland.

Feel like I had my head in the sand, and 5yrs too long.

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Escape_to_Peace@reddit

OS

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corporaterebel@reddit

I prefer pre-CANBUS. 1990's cars have the best balance of efficient, reliable, robust, and fixability.

1960's cars tend to be easiest to fix.

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Commercial_Square774@reddit

Early 2000s for me. I drive a 20-year old 4Runner and I plan to keep it at least another 5-years. On road trips I wish it had adaptive cruise and lane centering but it’s not worth it when this car will keep going until I decide to move on from it.

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DroSalander@reddit

I will never go back to a vehicle with a carburetor, but I also really dislike the whole touchscreen craze that modern cars have.

So, somewhere in between.

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Also in the side of working on stuff my 89 Prelude is easier to work on than my 06 TSX which is easier to work on than my 22 Si