Texvette, me and a few others are the Geezer group on here, so we get to give lectures, opins and gripe,
I bought a '76 Trans Am, 400, 4 speed, 8" wide wheels, Silver, for less than $4Gs out the door...my '73 Chevelle 454 4 speed was ~$3300, but back on ramble:
The gizmos, electronics and other assorted 'stuff' on cars is increasingly complex, difficult to diagnose/repair, hugely expensive to fix out of warranty, etc. It is seemingly inexorable these days, as all the mfgers race to one up each other.
I am not a total Luddite, but some of this stuff, even couched as 'safety/accident prevention', seems to cater to that ever larger 'NAV'/computer screen on the dash, just begging to be an on the move laptop or dashtop... not helpful for the increasingly bad driver skills or lack of, I see most days.
Speaking of Vert tops: my '02 Vette Vert has a manual top. It takes all of 15 seconds to raise or lower it, even being careful not to pinch fingers. The C6 and now C7, all have electric tops, just like MB, et al. Not bad, just not fookin needed, but Biff & Buffy would look askance at a manual top. The E70 glove box is a very good example of overdone, and an answer to a question no one ever asked.
Other unusual stuff: the new 'security' armored F15 that Sunil put up the other day.
A so-so shooter can put rounds in tires in a NY min, and that car isn't going anywhere fast...
Just early eve ramblings here. Gonna have a glass of bueno vino tinto and some grilled pollo. I may even go down in the garage and give my '75 Shovelhead a couple of kicks to hear it start and rumble.
BR, mD