Well finally my dear wife and I had ultimately decided on our new car and after much reflection and discussion we happily went out and made this monumental purchase. I say 'monumental' because it's often said next to purchasing your first home buying a new car is the next major source of expenditure you'll probably make in quite some time ?

After parting with a little over $51k my wife drove this shining German built machine from the vendor's showroom ('car yard' sounds so prosaic) to our modest little cottage about 15kms away. Why was my wife first to drive it not I, the rugged, manly spouse who hitherto drove high powered police pursuit vehicles in years gone by ?

Well, I should 'fess' up I suppose ? Typical of German ingeniousness and design. There's no need to release the handbrake, it's automatic. Both the headlights and windscreen wipers also automatic ! When stopped at traffic signals, the engine 'turns off', a touch of the accelerator it re-starts, 'mystically' ? It has more Airbags then one can count including in the front seats. In the centre dash, there's a large TV screen, it's not really a TV screen it's a 'monitor thingo' where everything is displayed, and I do mean everything !

Reversing and parking cameras abound ? There's no car radio antenna to be seen ? There's a 'blue tooth', a good tooth and every other sort of denture to be had in the jolly thing ! As stated earlier, I wasn't courageous enough to drive home from the Showroom, no matter how quiet and 'torquey' it may've been !

Evidently, good people, you no longer need to operate a motor car in the conventional sense anymore ? Seemingly technology has transcended, to such magnitude even the simplest of pleasures like driving a brand new car with that enduring savour of contemporary leather and that 'new car' aura, together with startling acceleration, has apparently been supplanted by technology. Moreover it's a case that technology is likely driving us, or so it would seem anyway ?

Good story.

Hope you enjoy the new 'motor'...

I am assuming that rank has its privileges.

"Why was my wife first to drive it not I, the rugged, manly spouse who hitherto drove high powered police pursuit vehicles in years gone by?"

Was it to enable you to sit in the back seat and be chauffeured home in the style to which you would like to become accustomed?

Gee o sung wu, a Hitler's revenge. I'm surprised at you. Just kidding mate, they build some goodens, but they do like to get you by the short & curlys.

When my cousin visited in his new Audi he was worried about the large CHECK OIL sign that had just appeared on his screen. The handbook showed how to read the dipstick, but the car did not have one. Only a dealer could check it. With the nearest dealer 70 kilometers away, he was frightened to add oil, & terrified not, to before driving that far.

Yes they have now found a way to force the motoring public to buy a new car every 5/6 years, pay hugely for dealer servicing, & not be accused of indulging in planned obsolescence.

Instead of building the best car, up to the price they charge, they now build a cheaper car, & load it up with a host of unnecessary gadgets, which have more appeal to the less technical. Even motoring writers today tell you all about the gadgets, rather than tell you if it can accelerate out of site on a foggy night, stop quickly, or get round a corner at above walking speed.

I think it is Hyundai that will sell you the same car for $19,990, or $44000 for the same car loaded with gadgets. The gadgets are more than half the value? of the car.

As many as possible of these items, even simple windows & door locks, have no option to allow manual operation, so must be replaced, & only by the dealer with the computer software, or the car can not be driven.

With the huge charges for these gadgets it does not take many failures for cost of replacements to exceed the value of the car. Hell with all those airbags, even a minor crash from which the car can be driven away, can set off enough of them to render a 4 year old car uneconomic to repair.

Incidentally should you really admit, in writing, you pinched, or went joyriding in, all those cop cars

I can imagine how you feel, o sung wu.

My own car is now 25 years old, and when I see the amount of technology in your average new car today, it blows me away.

And still it goes on. Google's driverless cars have recently topped a million kilometers of accident-free testing in California, yet in my car I still have to look over my shoulder when reversing.

I expect by the time I get around to buying a new machine, it will be able to make its own way to my place from the showroom...

Oh, & don't take my previous post seriously, it was meant as fun. Sort of.

Do enjoy wafting around, rather than indulge in your old legal hooning activities, you no longer wear the tee shirt remember.