Road safety? How do you stop drivers in construction zones where posted speeds of 70 are reduced to 60 and most drivers still do 75 or more? Congress is never your friend. With every bill they pass, our freedoms shrink and this is another example. This has everything to do with 15 minute cites and eventual depopulation.
The only "kill switch" we need is the one where we turn off congress and the DC Cesspool.
I'm thinking I'll open a used car lot... and find a mechanic who knows how to baby old cars forever. The government needs to back off and stay in their lane. 🙄
That's what I'm doing. Between the cost of a new car with all the soon-to-break-down electronics (it's a feature, not a bug) and now this, I'll proudly drive my really old car. And it has a stick which for some of us is a fun thing!
Yes!!! 🤣🤣 And some of us are able to start on a hill without a hill-holder clutch! Some of us learned to drive back in the black and white, analog era. My uncle taught me to drive a stick by parking my aunt's '77 Camaro at the bottom of the driveway at our feed store and telling me "Get us out of here." At the top of the driveway was SR 900 which, at the time, had a 50 mph speed limit. He made me do it over and over until it was second nature. It did help that that old Camaro would start in 3rd gear! 🤣
The first ‘new’ car I bought was a Renault R-5, marketed as ‘Le Car’ here in the USA in the late 70’s.
It had a manual transmission. What a fun car to drive!
I lived in Marin County up in NoCA and worked in San Francisco. I was a pro driving that car on the hills of SF. The south and north bound Gough Street hill comes to mind. That was a doozy!
Yes. If this technology actually gets put in place,that is exactly what will happen. “They “ will even make it very attractive to trade your old reliable for a sparkly new one…
It reminds me of my old phone. I don’t carry a cellphone,but,I have an old one I can charge up for travel,etc. Several years ago,the carrier started sending messages saying that they are changing to 4 or 5 G( it’s old) and my phone won’t work when that happens.” They “ offered me a FREE new phone to upgrade me. Many times, for a whole year. My old phone still works just fine. It never stopped working..🤷🏻♀️
Watch the license fees magnify, the older the car - the more costly the license. Watch the government (taxpayer funded) buyback programs reappear. Watch the insurance companies tack on age-of-vehicle surcharges (at first), then if that doesn't work they'll simply refuse to insure pre-surveillance vehicles. That '69 Big Block Camaro is headed to the crusher or a museum. The State wants you on an electric bicycle...
I already get enraged when my car force-brakes for me when it thinks I'm too close to something that I'm 100% not in danger of hitting. I can't even imagine this.
You can get a mechanic friend to unplug the forward-facing radar module in the front bumper, or locate it/them and put some foil tape over them, which blinds it. It might throw a code and turn on the check engine light, but who cares.
If you live in a state that still does vehicle inspections and requires no check engine light on, move. Life is better elsewhere.
I am too chicken to drive with the check engine light on - I'd constantly worry something was wrong! That said - thankfully, the car doesn't FORCE-stop often - it's pretty rare. But enraging every time lol.
Bridget, in case it helps (knowledge is power) you can get an OBDII code-reader (on board diagnostics v2) and look at the codes that are thrown when the check-engine light is turned on. If the only permanent codes relate to the front-facing radar modules, you could rest easy and rely on what everyone has been using for the last 100 years to tell if their car is ok…
It sounds fine and acts normally.
Autel is a good brand. I have one of their $500 models and know people that trust their $1k-$2k models for pro use, but this $35 model is all you would need.
If you are interested, I (original owner) have a 2008 Chrysler 300 which is nearly pristine (and yes, it is 18 years old with only 105,000 miles - runs like a champ). I will "give it away" for a measly $25,000 - you deal with the delivery.
You’re welcome. And if you tell me what year and model of car you drive, I’ll attempt to find you a video or graphic of where your bumper radars are mounted in case you like to try covering them with foil tape to see what effect it has before deciding on unplugging them. Taping over might be good enough, though it still might throw a code. I would think the engineers might have designed it to alert if they were blocked by mud or stopped working electrically.
I learned through trial-and-error, and a little bit of vendor-lying, that the cheaper models don't all read "advanced" codes, and that transmission codes tend to be in that category. I returned the first one and bought a higher-priced spread in the nbhd of $120 and got trans. codes, and then promptly gave it away to a guy that works on his cars and a lot of friends' as well.
🤣 We drove for 15 years with a check engine light on. Lolol. We owned our Honda Odyssey for 25 years. It coughed up its soul last summer. But after the 10 yr mark the check engine light was constantly on for one thing or another. 99% of the time it was for something stupid so we stopped the headache of taking it in and chose to live with it. My son has a code reader so on occasion he would check for something serious, never was. She drove beautifully right up until she died, check engine light be damned. Lol
Our 02' Odyssey has had a check engine light on too :). Almost 300k, still running strong. No A/C, so in TX it's a 'winter' car. The 03' Tundra has over 305k...just broke in! 21' Highlander w/91k...No new cars for me.
I don’t know about your vehicle, but with my 2025 vehicle, I can easily turn off that auto-braking function (see your manual for How-to). I actually like using it on long road trips in moderately heavy traffic as a fail-safe. A side benefit: it triggers my very jumpy wife in the passenger seat whenever she mistakenly thinks we’re about to slam into a slowing auto ahead of us! 🤭🙃 (I know, I’m sick that way!)
My husband and I have a joke that my car hates him. Almost every time he backs the car out of the garage it slams on the brakes, but that never happens when I back out of the garage. Just another indication that these “safety” features don’t necessarily work as intended and are definitely not infallible.
I don’t know if all manufacturers work the same, but all of the vehicles I’ve had that include these safety features allow you to turn some or all of them off. My biggest pet peeve with my current car is the auto engine shut off at traffic lights and, yes you can turn that off too, but you have to remember to turn it off every time you get in the car, otherwise it defaults to on.
I have to check the manual - I didn't realize I could! I turn off the auto stop/start thing which I also hate - but didn't know I could disable the WE KNOW WHAT'S BEST FOR YOU stopping.
@Bridget- when I leased her and was being shown all the stuff, the guy was telling me about the distance radar. I told him I turn it off and he looked at me like I had three heads. He wanted to know how I knew and I told him my son taught me. He said "Well..uh...ok. But so you know, the car will still automatically brake if you get too close." Uh huh. Had someone pull out right in front of me- inches- and I reacted faster than the car did, if it even tried.
Trump recently pushed through change in the regulations that no longer require that! (It was never actually "required", but manufacturers were nudged into it.)
I hate that auto stop/start “feature” in my 2020 Explorer! Glad they are getting rid of it but sounds like a new car without it won’t be in the cards for me with the kill switch “feature” 🙄
All the newer cars have that awful auto on/off feature. (Which BTW is hard on the starter and engine!) No way around it. I have a 2019 Subaru Forester. It has it! I have to ‘turn it off’ on every time I start the car.
I drove a rental that had that & cruise assist or something. We were on Interstates and I’d be plenty far enough behind the car in front of me to change lanes and pass, but the car would override cruise and slow down. Ugh! I was so frustrated with it. I hated it. If it hadn’t been a rental, I 100% would have had someone disable it.
I'd post a photo if Substack allowed it. 1996 Honda Civic, maintained every year in "near new" condition. Still purring along, quite likely to be good for another 30 or 40 years.
I have a 2013 Honda Odyssey that I bought to use temporarily to move, but I like it so much that I'm planning to keep it also.
Now the real question is whether or not they ever get truly self driving cars released at a price that isn't absurd. I do love the idea of not having to drive, just sitting back, napping or reading while my car drives me to Texas (something like a 20 hour ride).
I like the idea too! I just suggested to my dad that he get one for my stepmom. He’s 94 but still a great driver as he was a fighter pilot and his reflexes are that of much younger man, but her…. She was never a good driver, fearful, slow and it’s gotten worse and she’s gotten older. They have money so I suggested a Tesla with fsd and they both just said ‘no’ without even thinking about it. I see the appeal, though, especially in traffic. And I’m someone that loves to drive.
Fifty years ago I probably would never have considered fully self driving. However, my attitude toward driving has changed.
My biggest objection on FSD Tesla is that apparently to use it (and it's not actually FSD) you have to pay $100 a month to subscribe! So I'm curious what the future will bring with rental FSD Tesla's to use for trips.
I liked it for the three months we got it free, but cannot afford the $99/mo so didn’t purchase the subscription when the time came. I can see how helpful it would be as I age, not sure we will be able to afford it then either tho.
That's basically my thoughts. I'm not in my twenties any more. In ten years FSD might be the difference between traveling a lot vs doing nothing but short "grocery runs".
In theory I could afford it... but I'm not sure I'm willing to pay that much! $100 a month is $1,200 a year over and above the cost of the car (and Tesla's aren't cheap!) and would FSD work for a trip to the middle of nowhere where cell service isn't even available?
Oooo... a '69 Corvette would be a fun toy. Not exactly "under the radar" though. Hmm... what does a functioning '69 vette go for these days? 'tis the time of life to spoil ourselves.
I was about to say, "I guess a self-driving car would obviate the concerns about having your movements curtailed," but I assume it would still, even while taking you home, "report to Central Command" that "he's drunk again."
Our 2000 Odyssey lasted for 25 years! Last year she broke down when I moved my son to TX and the cost of repair was more than a new “used” car, so we finally had to junk her. But we took such good care of her and she drove as nice as the first year we drove her. Dependable for sure.
This is one of those challenging questions. Is the cost of repair worth it?
If you buy a different used car you don't know how well it's been maintained or what problems it might have next week.
If you put $4,000 into a repair on a car you know is otherwise "nearly new" it sure can seem a bargain compared to buying new (or taking a risk on a different used vehicle). I've only spent that much *once* on my 1996 Honda. So that "expensive repair" spread over thirty years is about $100 a year.
Yeah when she was about 10 years old we had to dump over 4k into her to replace her transmission and timing belt. But that took us another 15 years so that was worth it. Harder choice when she has 250k miles on her and certain important elements are completely shot, like the struts and exhaust etc.
Long, long ago, when my Civic was fairly new (a few years old) I had to replace the exhaust. The shop that did it gave it a "lifetime" guarantee. That shop finally retired (owners aged like I have and got tired of working on cars I guess). So that new exhaust is like 25 years old now and seems to be in perfect condition. I'm really fascinated to see if it ever will fail on me.
Are you sure it’s not fully self driving? I believe there are different self-driving options and fully is one of them. I don’t know the details though as my dad refused to even consider it. Was hoping I could tag along for the test drive when I’m out there next in a few weeks.
From the studying I did, it is "FSD" as long as you are sitting alert and watching the road. If if detects that you are not paying attention, then the FSD shuts down!
Doing a test drive should be on the "to do list". It would be great to get some first hand experience! (although South Dakota is perhaps the worst location for an electric car / Tesla - so I've been hoping the others would catch up with gas powered FSD but it sounds like "Detroit" is YEARS behind)
I'm sort of hoping that maybe this (FSD) becomes reality in about five or six years.
We have a 2000, 3 2008’s, a 2022, and a 2025 which we will attempt to keep forever. I keep getting after my husband, because… seriously that’s too many cars… but it might be great in the long term. If we can even continue to get insurance for driving our cars ourselves, since fully self driving supposedly reduces accidents by 96%.
Well mechanics these days cannot fix a car they are all electronic junk and as soon as the next model comes out the mechanic is at a loss. The car companies are now holding people hostage with proprietary programming. So you and I will be lucky enough if we maintain our older fleets which are primarily mechanical not computerized.
@Steveo- Exactly. The propreitary programming is making it very difficult not only for shade tree mechanics (my son does that when he's not conducting 2 mile long freight trains) but for commercial garages as well. Lots of money for those stupid machines.
That’s exactly why he refuses to get rid of the 2000 Yukon XL. She was high tech for her time (a cassette player AND a cd player, don’t you know) but still much easier to work on than the newer cars. He also swears she’s got the best motor he’s ever had in a car. We have a good mechanic too, but at some point he’ll retire and then we’ll probably be in trouble for the work that’s outside of my husband’s scope.
The other cars are all Toyotas. 4Runners and an FJ cruiser.
I've thought of buying something from the 1960s. Back when I was young (under 30) I could do my own auto mechanic work (assuming you could get the parts). Now, even with my 1996 Honda it's a nightmare to work on and I long ago abandoned even the idea of changing my own oil (requires a special tool).
@Steveo- My 2025 Mazda CX-5 is named Candy. I got her 3 days after Christmas 2024 so I named her Holly Noelle. My smartalec daughter asked "So what's her stripper name? Candy Cane?" She's been Candy ever since.
@Valerie- son has a 2000 Tacoma 5 speed and a 2015 Tacoma (can you tell he's a Toyota guy? Has a 1995 T-100 in our back yard and a 1996 Celica in storage).
If I was allowed, I'd post pictures of the (counting, yep) three DISABLED old cars in my drive. One is my dad's old first-model-year 1984 Toyota DIESEL pickup (I think I spun a bearing in the low end). One is a 1994 Mazda 4wd pickup with its back broke by Wisconsin salt, lest I "ruin the economy by never buying a new car." One is a 2008 Honda van which displayed all manner of psycho symptoms until I temp'ly replaced the battery which wouldn't hold a charge after which "Problems? What problems? Who am I?" I don't want to buy a NEW battery to confirm because $$DOLLARS$$, but am on a list to be considered to give a used battery a good home, if I can meet income requirements.
I haven't bought a brand new car since 2011 and I certainly will not ever given the advent of all of these new "smart" devices. Anyone with a brain knows that it has never been about safety but control and this is another example of how we are slowly being conditioned to accept a future where technology has a place in this world to "keep us safe". Think vaccines, fluoride, guns, porn, war, etc.
The masses have easily given into all these technologies because of convenience so I have a hard time imagining a real push back when drivers are sold the idea that the car will auto drive for you when you are inebriated. Don't worry if you're drunk and the auto kill switch kicks in. Just sit back, relax and watch some Netflix while the car takes you home. It's that easy.
Hopefully the majority will join the minority from Jenna's substack to resist the creeping surveillance state. OK I have to drive my car for real now instead of commenting because I just hit a construction zone.🤪🤪 Have a great week everyone!
I don't hold out much hope for the "majority". Look at what happened during the scamdemic, you had people screaming at the unmasked from across the street and employees chasing the unmasked around stores or not letting you in. There were vaxx passports implemented IN THIS COUNTRY and most were seemingly okay with it to "keep us safe." How many people would gladly follow arrow stickers on the floor with "This Way to the Abattoir" on them?
This reminds me of setting up my parameters for a knee replacement, and the woman doing the paperwork asked me if I wanted a "smart knee." When she explained - "a chip that will keep track of your movements (i.e. exercise) and PT work that only your doctors will be able to see - we won't know where you are at all" - it was very easy for me to say I'd be happy keeping my dumb knee. thank you very much. Not sure what turnip truck she thought I'd fallen off, but sheesh - only my doctor? Not my insurance company - who could then refuse to insure me because I didn't do all the right exercising? Never know where I am? Yeah. Right. The same idea in cars is simply loony tunes. I'm keeping a dumb car as long as possible - along with a dumb washing machine, dishwasher, stove, oven, etc. etc.
Karen - thanks for the reminder - I have printed it out - and very grateful to Jenna for that particular column - but your reminder reminded me that I need to print it out for three friends! Maybe I'll just put up a little stand at the end of the driveway - for anyone who's interested. 😎
It's bad enough being monitored by my car already. I drive a 2024 Escalade and it has this strip of camera in the steering wheel (there "for my safety" of course...) which infuriates me every time I think about it. I keep promising myself I will get a nice leather sticky patch made the exact same size and cover it up - I think this post may finally have given me the kick I needed to get on with it.
Many people don't really think about it, or they are unwilling to see how it can and will be misused. They are blindly naive. "The government would never do that."
One of my first interviews on the Medical Truth Podcast was with a gentleman by the name of Jay Glasgow (three years ag) who formed a nonprofit called Privacy.coop
https://medicaltruthpodcast.com/is-your-personal-medical-data-being-sold-interview-with-jay-glasgow/ in which the episode did not receive much traction even though the technology that was in the development stage was already in use by our Government. I believe what a lot of people didn't realize is that this interview already took place three years after the Scamdemic which was the flash point to turn up the 'heat" with surveillance. Now this interview and the technology that Jay discusses has caught up to the public through awareness.
Oh they will, but will have to pay extra (under the table). In Hawaii there are quite a few who will register your not registrable vehicle for a hefty price. I haven’t done that but I know folks who have.
Road safety? How do you stop drivers in construction zones where posted speeds of 70 are reduced to 60 and most drivers still do 75 or more? Congress is never your friend. With every bill they pass, our freedoms shrink and this is another example. This has everything to do with 15 minute cites and eventual depopulation.
The only "kill switch" we need is the one where we turn off congress and the DC Cesspool.
Congress is certainly NOT our friend! Agreed 100%! Congress has mutated into a corrupt "club" looting the common person.
I keep wondering who voted, “will keep us all safe”.
That is what i came here to say! It MUST have been a finger slip…
Had to be!
Thank you for letting us know about this!
When faced with a choice, Government ALWAYS chooses the option that grants its more power.
Iron law of government.
👏👏👏🎯
I'm thinking I'll open a used car lot... and find a mechanic who knows how to baby old cars forever. The government needs to back off and stay in their lane. 🙄
That's what I'm doing. Between the cost of a new car with all the soon-to-break-down electronics (it's a feature, not a bug) and now this, I'll proudly drive my really old car. And it has a stick which for some of us is a fun thing!
Stick shift is also an antitheft device these days
Yes!!! 🤣🤣 And some of us are able to start on a hill without a hill-holder clutch! Some of us learned to drive back in the black and white, analog era. My uncle taught me to drive a stick by parking my aunt's '77 Camaro at the bottom of the driveway at our feed store and telling me "Get us out of here." At the top of the driveway was SR 900 which, at the time, had a 50 mph speed limit. He made me do it over and over until it was second nature. It did help that that old Camaro would start in 3rd gear! 🤣
Mrs. "the Knife"
The first ‘new’ car I bought was a Renault R-5, marketed as ‘Le Car’ here in the USA in the late 70’s.
It had a manual transmission. What a fun car to drive!
I lived in Marin County up in NoCA and worked in San Francisco. I was a pro driving that car on the hills of SF. The south and north bound Gough Street hill comes to mind. That was a doozy!
How true!!!
True!!! 😂😂😂
Just wait. Congress will create laws for used car sales too - eventually. They will use environmental concerns or safety reasons to get away with it.
Yes. If this technology actually gets put in place,that is exactly what will happen. “They “ will even make it very attractive to trade your old reliable for a sparkly new one…
It reminds me of my old phone. I don’t carry a cellphone,but,I have an old one I can charge up for travel,etc. Several years ago,the carrier started sending messages saying that they are changing to 4 or 5 G( it’s old) and my phone won’t work when that happens.” They “ offered me a FREE new phone to upgrade me. Many times, for a whole year. My old phone still works just fine. It never stopped working..🤷🏻♀️
Yep! They will pass some environment protecting law that jacks up your license fee for driving old cars
“”They “ will even make it very attractive to trade your old reliable for a sparkly new one…. “
You mean like “Cash for Clunkers”. That worked out well, didn’t it? 🙄
Liked, but intensely dislike the machinations!
Mrs. "the Knife"
Like Cash for Clunkers?
Get someone from Cuba - they've been doing that for decades now. . .
Watch the license fees magnify, the older the car - the more costly the license. Watch the government (taxpayer funded) buyback programs reappear. Watch the insurance companies tack on age-of-vehicle surcharges (at first), then if that doesn't work they'll simply refuse to insure pre-surveillance vehicles. That '69 Big Block Camaro is headed to the crusher or a museum. The State wants you on an electric bicycle...
Or we'll learn how to disable the big brother tracker. Can't be that difficult. Screw them!
Following!
I second that!
Same.
I think the kill switch is a good idea on other peoples' cars, but not on mine. 😁
Exactly! That's how evil has been implemented. Too many people, too eager, to tell OTHER people what they should do.
As long as I am also in control of the kill switch (and the traffic light manipulator switch)
They elites will have their cars shipped from overseas bc they can afford to do so.
😂
I already get enraged when my car force-brakes for me when it thinks I'm too close to something that I'm 100% not in danger of hitting. I can't even imagine this.
You can get a mechanic friend to unplug the forward-facing radar module in the front bumper, or locate it/them and put some foil tape over them, which blinds it. It might throw a code and turn on the check engine light, but who cares.
If you live in a state that still does vehicle inspections and requires no check engine light on, move. Life is better elsewhere.
Sounds like the car hacking cottage industry will be booming. Disable big brother tracker, new skill unlocked.
I am too chicken to drive with the check engine light on - I'd constantly worry something was wrong! That said - thankfully, the car doesn't FORCE-stop often - it's pretty rare. But enraging every time lol.
Bridget, in case it helps (knowledge is power) you can get an OBDII code-reader (on board diagnostics v2) and look at the codes that are thrown when the check-engine light is turned on. If the only permanent codes relate to the front-facing radar modules, you could rest easy and rely on what everyone has been using for the last 100 years to tell if their car is ok…
It sounds fine and acts normally.
Autel is a good brand. I have one of their $500 models and know people that trust their $1k-$2k models for pro use, but this $35 model is all you would need.
https://www.amazon.com/Autel-AutoLink-AL329-Upgraded-Scanner/dp/B073RF7Z47/
Thank you for this. I was wondering what kind to buy.
If you are interested, I (original owner) have a 2008 Chrysler 300 which is nearly pristine (and yes, it is 18 years old with only 105,000 miles - runs like a champ). I will "give it away" for a measly $25,000 - you deal with the delivery.
You’re welcome. And if you tell me what year and model of car you drive, I’ll attempt to find you a video or graphic of where your bumper radars are mounted in case you like to try covering them with foil tape to see what effect it has before deciding on unplugging them. Taping over might be good enough, though it still might throw a code. I would think the engineers might have designed it to alert if they were blocked by mud or stopped working electrically.
2015 Toyota Camry LE with only 59K miles.
I learned through trial-and-error, and a little bit of vendor-lying, that the cheaper models don't all read "advanced" codes, and that transmission codes tend to be in that category. I returned the first one and bought a higher-priced spread in the nbhd of $120 and got trans. codes, and then promptly gave it away to a guy that works on his cars and a lot of friends' as well.
I had no idea!!! Thank you!
🤣 We drove for 15 years with a check engine light on. Lolol. We owned our Honda Odyssey for 25 years. It coughed up its soul last summer. But after the 10 yr mark the check engine light was constantly on for one thing or another. 99% of the time it was for something stupid so we stopped the headache of taking it in and chose to live with it. My son has a code reader so on occasion he would check for something serious, never was. She drove beautifully right up until she died, check engine light be damned. Lol
Our 02' Odyssey has had a check engine light on too :). Almost 300k, still running strong. No A/C, so in TX it's a 'winter' car. The 03' Tundra has over 305k...just broke in! 21' Highlander w/91k...No new cars for me.
Ha! I love that.
I don’t know about your vehicle, but with my 2025 vehicle, I can easily turn off that auto-braking function (see your manual for How-to). I actually like using it on long road trips in moderately heavy traffic as a fail-safe. A side benefit: it triggers my very jumpy wife in the passenger seat whenever she mistakenly thinks we’re about to slam into a slowing auto ahead of us! 🤭🙃 (I know, I’m sick that way!)
I’m a fellow traveler with your wife! 🤣
Doesn’t your car allow you to turn that feature off in the settings?
My 2019 Subaru Forester has to be disabled (auto on/off) on every trip. No way around it. Also have to disable the Eyesight Recognition as well.
It’s all in the ‘computer codes’ of the car!
My husband and I have a joke that my car hates him. Almost every time he backs the car out of the garage it slams on the brakes, but that never happens when I back out of the garage. Just another indication that these “safety” features don’t necessarily work as intended and are definitely not infallible.
I'm going to check. I assumed it was a built-in, you can't change it setting!
I don’t know if all manufacturers work the same, but all of the vehicles I’ve had that include these safety features allow you to turn some or all of them off. My biggest pet peeve with my current car is the auto engine shut off at traffic lights and, yes you can turn that off too, but you have to remember to turn it off every time you get in the car, otherwise it defaults to on.
Yes the Subarus you have to turn it off on EVERY time you turn on the car! And I have to turn off eyesight recognition as well!
That one I remember to turn off now, finally. Took me a while to remember but it annoys me SO MUCH that I eventually trained myself.
Yes, you have to turn it off every time you start the car initially. So annoying.
@Bridget- I turn mine off every time I start it.
I have to check the manual - I didn't realize I could! I turn off the auto stop/start thing which I also hate - but didn't know I could disable the WE KNOW WHAT'S BEST FOR YOU stopping.
@Bridget- when I leased her and was being shown all the stuff, the guy was telling me about the distance radar. I told him I turn it off and he looked at me like I had three heads. He wanted to know how I knew and I told him my son taught me. He said "Well..uh...ok. But so you know, the car will still automatically brake if you get too close." Uh huh. Had someone pull out right in front of me- inches- and I reacted faster than the car did, if it even tried.
Trump recently pushed through change in the regulations that no longer require that! (It was never actually "required", but manufacturers were nudged into it.)
I hate that auto stop/start “feature” in my 2020 Explorer! Glad they are getting rid of it but sounds like a new car without it won’t be in the cards for me with the kill switch “feature” 🙄
All the newer cars have that awful auto on/off feature. (Which BTW is hard on the starter and engine!) No way around it. I have a 2019 Subaru Forester. It has it! I have to ‘turn it off’ on every time I start the car.
My 2019 Subaru Forester Touring model, auto braked on me the other day in street traffic. Wasn’t even anyone in front of me! 😳
I drove a rental that had that & cruise assist or something. We were on Interstates and I’d be plenty far enough behind the car in front of me to change lanes and pass, but the car would override cruise and slow down. Ugh! I was so frustrated with it. I hated it. If it hadn’t been a rental, I 100% would have had someone disable it.
Not my car. 😇 "Kill switches" hadn't been invented in 1996.
We have a 2000, can’t believe yours is older! No one drives old cars anymore.
I'd post a photo if Substack allowed it. 1996 Honda Civic, maintained every year in "near new" condition. Still purring along, quite likely to be good for another 30 or 40 years.
I have a 2013 Honda Odyssey that I bought to use temporarily to move, but I like it so much that I'm planning to keep it also.
Now the real question is whether or not they ever get truly self driving cars released at a price that isn't absurd. I do love the idea of not having to drive, just sitting back, napping or reading while my car drives me to Texas (something like a 20 hour ride).
Gotta love the old Hondas and Toyotas. They last forever.
"CONVENIENCE" Got US into this MESS ...
I like the idea too! I just suggested to my dad that he get one for my stepmom. He’s 94 but still a great driver as he was a fighter pilot and his reflexes are that of much younger man, but her…. She was never a good driver, fearful, slow and it’s gotten worse and she’s gotten older. They have money so I suggested a Tesla with fsd and they both just said ‘no’ without even thinking about it. I see the appeal, though, especially in traffic. And I’m someone that loves to drive.
Fifty years ago I probably would never have considered fully self driving. However, my attitude toward driving has changed.
My biggest objection on FSD Tesla is that apparently to use it (and it's not actually FSD) you have to pay $100 a month to subscribe! So I'm curious what the future will bring with rental FSD Tesla's to use for trips.
I liked it for the three months we got it free, but cannot afford the $99/mo so didn’t purchase the subscription when the time came. I can see how helpful it would be as I age, not sure we will be able to afford it then either tho.
That's basically my thoughts. I'm not in my twenties any more. In ten years FSD might be the difference between traveling a lot vs doing nothing but short "grocery runs".
In theory I could afford it... but I'm not sure I'm willing to pay that much! $100 a month is $1,200 a year over and above the cost of the car (and Tesla's aren't cheap!) and would FSD work for a trip to the middle of nowhere where cell service isn't even available?
I’m 60 and always wanted a ‘69 corvette. Seriously.
A corvette was on my Christmas list at age 8!
The other day, I was sorta joking that I might end up getting one, not for the cool factor, but for the freedom factor!
Oooo... a '69 Corvette would be a fun toy. Not exactly "under the radar" though. Hmm... what does a functioning '69 vette go for these days? 'tis the time of life to spoil ourselves.
I was about to say, "I guess a self-driving car would obviate the concerns about having your movements curtailed," but I assume it would still, even while taking you home, "report to Central Command" that "he's drunk again."
'tsk 'tsk those silly riders consuming excessive adult beverages.
...while they themselves schlozzle the 0W30 like it's Jed-Clampett bubblin' crude.
... sip... my Honda sips not guzzles. It's a "high class" vehicle. Only the finest Mobil One synthetic for it!
Awesome on the Civic! Great gas mileage too without all the mandated crap.
Actually the gas mileage is/was a drop from my previous (sports) car: a Shelby Charger with a stick.
It seems that automatic transmissions aren't as good as I am with a stick for gas mileage.
Our 2000 Odyssey lasted for 25 years! Last year she broke down when I moved my son to TX and the cost of repair was more than a new “used” car, so we finally had to junk her. But we took such good care of her and she drove as nice as the first year we drove her. Dependable for sure.
This is one of those challenging questions. Is the cost of repair worth it?
If you buy a different used car you don't know how well it's been maintained or what problems it might have next week.
If you put $4,000 into a repair on a car you know is otherwise "nearly new" it sure can seem a bargain compared to buying new (or taking a risk on a different used vehicle). I've only spent that much *once* on my 1996 Honda. So that "expensive repair" spread over thirty years is about $100 a year.
Yeah when she was about 10 years old we had to dump over 4k into her to replace her transmission and timing belt. But that took us another 15 years so that was worth it. Harder choice when she has 250k miles on her and certain important elements are completely shot, like the struts and exhaust etc.
Ouch.
Long, long ago, when my Civic was fairly new (a few years old) I had to replace the exhaust. The shop that did it gave it a "lifetime" guarantee. That shop finally retired (owners aged like I have and got tired of working on cars I guess). So that new exhaust is like 25 years old now and seems to be in perfect condition. I'm really fascinated to see if it ever will fail on me.
Are you sure it’s not fully self driving? I believe there are different self-driving options and fully is one of them. I don’t know the details though as my dad refused to even consider it. Was hoping I could tag along for the test drive when I’m out there next in a few weeks.
From the studying I did, it is "FSD" as long as you are sitting alert and watching the road. If if detects that you are not paying attention, then the FSD shuts down!
Doing a test drive should be on the "to do list". It would be great to get some first hand experience! (although South Dakota is perhaps the worst location for an electric car / Tesla - so I've been hoping the others would catch up with gas powered FSD but it sounds like "Detroit" is YEARS behind)
I'm sort of hoping that maybe this (FSD) becomes reality in about five or six years.
I have a 2000, 2005, 2013 and a 2020 I will have to keep them until I pass.
We have a 2000, 3 2008’s, a 2022, and a 2025 which we will attempt to keep forever. I keep getting after my husband, because… seriously that’s too many cars… but it might be great in the long term. If we can even continue to get insurance for driving our cars ourselves, since fully self driving supposedly reduces accidents by 96%.
Well mechanics these days cannot fix a car they are all electronic junk and as soon as the next model comes out the mechanic is at a loss. The car companies are now holding people hostage with proprietary programming. So you and I will be lucky enough if we maintain our older fleets which are primarily mechanical not computerized.
@Steveo- Exactly. The propreitary programming is making it very difficult not only for shade tree mechanics (my son does that when he's not conducting 2 mile long freight trains) but for commercial garages as well. Lots of money for those stupid machines.
You’ve got a nice little fleet of cars to sell used, you’ll make some money …. Well, except now that you mention the insurance thing … we can’t win!
😂 Thank you for feeling my pain.
😁
I wonder if, at some point, the insurance companies will refuse to insure cars over a certain age?
{giggle} I don't have a "six car garage"! Where on Earth do you park all of them?
That’s exactly why he refuses to get rid of the 2000 Yukon XL. She was high tech for her time (a cassette player AND a cd player, don’t you know) but still much easier to work on than the newer cars. He also swears she’s got the best motor he’s ever had in a car. We have a good mechanic too, but at some point he’ll retire and then we’ll probably be in trouble for the work that’s outside of my husband’s scope.
The other cars are all Toyotas. 4Runners and an FJ cruiser.
I've thought of buying something from the 1960s. Back when I was young (under 30) I could do my own auto mechanic work (assuming you could get the parts). Now, even with my 1996 Honda it's a nightmare to work on and I long ago abandoned even the idea of changing my own oil (requires a special tool).
I have a 1966 Mustang, but don't change the oil myself because it's too low to the ground and, oh, my back...
Ramp stands?
I bet you name them also?
I have Torch, Charlotte, Cloud and Onyx. LOL
@Steveo- My 2025 Mazda CX-5 is named Candy. I got her 3 days after Christmas 2024 so I named her Holly Noelle. My smartalec daughter asked "So what's her stripper name? Candy Cane?" She's been Candy ever since.
🤣
Well you have a good fleet of dependable cars you should be all set as long as they allow us to register and drive them on the road.
@Valerie- son has a 2000 Tacoma 5 speed and a 2015 Tacoma (can you tell he's a Toyota guy? Has a 1995 T-100 in our back yard and a 1996 Celica in storage).
No, John, but your car does have advanced arthritis.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 Poor car!
Some cars are born to greatness. Some cars have greatness thrust upon them. Some cars find themselves owned by David Nelson and ask, "Why?"
{laugh} Uh oh... multiple cases of "car abuse"?
If I was allowed, I'd post pictures of the (counting, yep) three DISABLED old cars in my drive. One is my dad's old first-model-year 1984 Toyota DIESEL pickup (I think I spun a bearing in the low end). One is a 1994 Mazda 4wd pickup with its back broke by Wisconsin salt, lest I "ruin the economy by never buying a new car." One is a 2008 Honda van which displayed all manner of psycho symptoms until I temp'ly replaced the battery which wouldn't hold a charge after which "Problems? What problems? Who am I?" I don't want to buy a NEW battery to confirm because $$DOLLARS$$, but am on a list to be considered to give a used battery a good home, if I can meet income requirements.
Nor in 2002.
I haven't bought a brand new car since 2011 and I certainly will not ever given the advent of all of these new "smart" devices. Anyone with a brain knows that it has never been about safety but control and this is another example of how we are slowly being conditioned to accept a future where technology has a place in this world to "keep us safe". Think vaccines, fluoride, guns, porn, war, etc.
The masses have easily given into all these technologies because of convenience so I have a hard time imagining a real push back when drivers are sold the idea that the car will auto drive for you when you are inebriated. Don't worry if you're drunk and the auto kill switch kicks in. Just sit back, relax and watch some Netflix while the car takes you home. It's that easy.
Hopefully the majority will join the minority from Jenna's substack to resist the creeping surveillance state. OK I have to drive my car for real now instead of commenting because I just hit a construction zone.🤪🤪 Have a great week everyone!
I don't hold out much hope for the "majority". Look at what happened during the scamdemic, you had people screaming at the unmasked from across the street and employees chasing the unmasked around stores or not letting you in. There were vaxx passports implemented IN THIS COUNTRY and most were seemingly okay with it to "keep us safe." How many people would gladly follow arrow stickers on the floor with "This Way to the Abattoir" on them?
Probably don't know what abattoir means so just shrug and go with it.
Who else just thought of the Monty Python 'Architect Sketch?'
This reminds me of setting up my parameters for a knee replacement, and the woman doing the paperwork asked me if I wanted a "smart knee." When she explained - "a chip that will keep track of your movements (i.e. exercise) and PT work that only your doctors will be able to see - we won't know where you are at all" - it was very easy for me to say I'd be happy keeping my dumb knee. thank you very much. Not sure what turnip truck she thought I'd fallen off, but sheesh - only my doctor? Not my insurance company - who could then refuse to insure me because I didn't do all the right exercising? Never know where I am? Yeah. Right. The same idea in cars is simply loony tunes. I'm keeping a dumb car as long as possible - along with a dumb washing machine, dishwasher, stove, oven, etc. etc.
Don’t forget to check the paperwork for biologics (ie, covid injections)
Jenna had a great article on that a few months ago. I forgot about it until just now because I was on vacation.
Jenna, maybe you’d link it here? ❤️
Karen - thanks for the reminder - I have printed it out - and very grateful to Jenna for that particular column - but your reminder reminded me that I need to print it out for three friends! Maybe I'll just put up a little stand at the end of the driveway - for anyone who's interested. 😎
Great idea!!
It's bad enough being monitored by my car already. I drive a 2024 Escalade and it has this strip of camera in the steering wheel (there "for my safety" of course...) which infuriates me every time I think about it. I keep promising myself I will get a nice leather sticky patch made the exact same size and cover it up - I think this post may finally have given me the kick I needed to get on with it.
Use velcro on your leather patch, easier to pop it on and off, when you need it off for the gestapo. 😉😉😉
"Sorry, I'm British."
@Tim- Dave Barry has "I have no opinion. I'm Scottish." on his Substack.
I like that one, too! Of course mine was just a cheesy rip-off of the option Jenna often includes in her surveys.
It is hard to imagine anyone wanting this. I know it is a serious topic but appreciate your humor in the article.
Many people don't really think about it, or they are unwilling to see how it can and will be misused. They are blindly naive. "The government would never do that."
I will NEVER buy a new car again !
same.
One of my first interviews on the Medical Truth Podcast was with a gentleman by the name of Jay Glasgow (three years ag) who formed a nonprofit called Privacy.coop
https://medicaltruthpodcast.com/is-your-personal-medical-data-being-sold-interview-with-jay-glasgow/ in which the episode did not receive much traction even though the technology that was in the development stage was already in use by our Government. I believe what a lot of people didn't realize is that this interview already took place three years after the Scamdemic which was the flash point to turn up the 'heat" with surveillance. Now this interview and the technology that Jay discusses has caught up to the public through awareness.
Always gotta wonder who benefits financially…🙄.
Bad ass as always and now I’m about to do a deep dive into my 2012 RAV4 to find out how much it can monitor me. 🤔
Love ya! 😘🤬🍑🥰
Let me know, I have a 2014 Highlander with nav. The nav doesn’t work because the chip expired or something, but that’s Ok, I use my phone anyway.
(No one’s even mentioned how much our phones monitor us, 🤪)
https://substack.com/@alchemistdream/note/c-244672745
So, I went to my phone, then Bluetooth, and the eye listing wasn’t there.
I did not remove the eye first…
I wonder if any of the "crazy eyed" libs will ever be able to drive.
My most-"socialist" sister, who also happens to be the star academic in our family, just happens to be the worst driver I know.
I’m hoping that I bought my last car in 2024. Talk about government overreach. I’m also hoping mechanics can figure out how to bypass it.
I will start riding horses if needs must, lol!
Oh they will, but will have to pay extra (under the table). In Hawaii there are quite a few who will register your not registrable vehicle for a hefty price. I haven’t done that but I know folks who have.
Ugh!
FUCK NO TO THIS SHIT. (sorry not sorry for the crude verbiage so early in the morning.) Nuff said.
Perfectly stated.