Is the future of cars dark and dim??

[Road Games]

Funny story but my ex-wife thought it worked in reverse ... you push the button to turn it on ..hahaha no wonder she used to lose it on the roundabout near home.. word!

[2011G6E]

ANYWAY...back to the original question. No, cars aren't "doomed". The things that make them fun to drive will be "doomed".
For instance, I am honestly surprised that cars aren't speed limited by now...hell, I've seen calls to speed limit everyones cars since I began driving thirty years ago. It would be so easy to do nowadays with everything having an EFI system that it's amazing no one has legislated it.
Speed cameras are another one...fixed, mobile, roadside cars with hidden ones. The problem with them isn't "don't speed and you won't have anything to worry about", it's "I'm not exactly sure how accurate my speedo is". This is also linked to the question of whether you want people staring intently at thier speedos in case they wander a couple of kilometers over, or do you want them watching the damn road?

Another legislation aspect is one that has popped up over the decades a few times, and I imagine it's about time that it comes up again...it's been a few years now.
* Banning old cars. This has been brought up, to my recollection, at least every five or six years. The "usual suspects" are car manufacturers...last time I believe it was Mazda putting forward the proposal. The reasons they used are, on the face of it, very community minded. "Old cars aren't as safe", "old cars pollute more", "Old cars use more fuel". The suggest helpfully that perhaps it would be a good idea that cars older than five years be banned from the roads. Of course, they don't want to increase sales of new cars or anything...nope...that isn't the reason...not at all...uh-uh...
* Looking to Japan for inspiration. The registration laws there mean that fees increase as time goes on from first buying a car, with stricted and more expensive testing needed, until you end up with a system where a car older than three years just isn't economic to keep on the road, and is junked. Or exported to New Zealand, as used to happen.
* "Clunker laws". In some states in the USA, they have laws which say that if you own a vehicle, it must be fully registered. So what, you might say? Remember that old parts car behind your shed which doesn't even have an engine or wheels? Yep, that too, fully registered. There is also a linked law which says that if an old car, not able to be driven on the road, is visible from a main road and someone complains about it, they will turn up and take it away to be crushed. Nice. I remember one notable angry guy on an American motorcycle forum I used to frequent who was going through a legal battle with a city council as his pristine and rare Oldsmobile 442 coupe, sitting in his yard under a tarp waiting for an engine rebuild, was facing confiscation as a neighbour complained.
* Horsepower restrictions: Once again, something I'm really surprised they haven't brought in. Possibly because they would p1ss off too many car drivers. They have something like it with learner and p-platers, and with motorcycles as well. However, with the horsepower wars starting to get a go on again, how long before an enterprising journalist gains the public attention with a catchy story like, for example, '160mph Supercars Soon!"...? I think the public could be a bit better now than they used to be, as there has been some bad publicity around high-powered cars and young drivers, but nothing, apart from the p-plater restrictions, has happend in a big way.
* Lower speed limits. People say that limits shouldn be higher, but just look around and see what's happening. In Queensland alone we see vast stretches of highway one reduced to 80 and 90kph in many areas. Around my old home town of Bundaberg, the good roads out to the beaches are now all 80kph. The was the result of two memorable accidents. One was three drunk girls at 2am running off the road and hitting a light pole, killing one. The other was a woman pulling out of a side road into traffic. that one was investigated by the Transport Department at the city councils request. The result was the road was fine...good visibility, appropriate speed limit, totally driver error. But after an emotive campaign saying "Don't let out mummy die in vain!", the council lowered the limit to 80kph. Same with the highway down towards Brisbane...careless idiots pulling out onto the highway from side roads in front of highway traffic. I can foresee a push to lower limits in even more places. In my area, there have been serious "letters to the editor" in the Rocky Bulletin by people saying that it might be a good idea to lower the entire highway limit to 80kph and be done with it. That'd have to save lives, wouldn't it?

So no, the car isn't doomed...just a lot of the things around it that we are used to will be doomed...

[mik]

i grew up in the carby era and buying my Au did worry me a bit at the time, mostly with the fact i new bugger all about electronics, however 6+ years on, its never had an electronic bug, its never had a tune up just leads plugs and coil pak replaced as normal maintenance items, i have become very comfortable with the whole you put the key in and its starts no hesitation every time summer, winter whatever the conditions,
unlike the the old carby and points engines that went out of tune quick and had to be maintained much more .............so now i reckon progress.... its a good thing .

[Auslandau]

Originally Posted by ray38l

i think i remember that button. Its been a while since driving it. I just randomly pressed buttons trying to get it to let me spin the wheels. No matter what i did it wouldn't do it.

Oh dear ...... not going there .... couldn't rev in neutral to 3000k's So much to say but would have to ban myself .... SO .......... Let us all get back to the topic which is Re: Is the future of cars dark and dim?? ..... can't see anything about the Falcon in that title.