CASA GRANDE, Ariz.—Given the choice between a sporty new Chevy Corvette and his 1963 Dodge 330, Bob Hughes will take the 60-year-old classic any day.
The simplicity of automotive design from yesteryear has its virtues, Mr. Hughes said, relaxing in a lawn chair next to his former "daily driver" at the Thunderfest Car and Bike Show in Casa Grande, Arizona, on Nov. 4.
"You can change the plugs—you can see the plugs—which is something you can't do on most new cars," he said.
"I built this thing from nothing. It was a $75 body when I bought it." That was in 1970.
All around the big parking lot were classic hot rods and muscle cars—tricked-out mechanical masterpieces from when vehicles were easy to work on if you had the tools and the skill.
It isn't the same with newer automated vehicles, vintage and classic car enthusiasts say.
View attachment 1561769Bob Hughes sits beside his 1963 Dodge 330 during a car show in Casa Grande, Ariz., on Nov. 4, 2023. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)
"For one thing, the electronics can screw you up," Mr. Hughes, 76, told The Epoch Times.
"You mess up the electronics by arcing the battery. I'll walk before I buy an electric vehicle. And I can't hardly walk at all."
Mr. Hughes of Casa Grande isn't alone in criticizing the new car technology.
Mary Jo McDonald, a senior from Glendale, California, held similar views as she sat under an umbrella watching over her husband's 1959 Pontiac Bonneville convertible with the hood open.
She said comparing vintage cars and newer models is like comparing cats and dogs.
"My husband is an electrical engineer. But the new stuff? It's like Star Wars," Ms. McDonald said.
Though her husband, Donald, has tried working on the newer cars, he's been having trouble "getting all the bells and whistles to work," she said.
View attachment 1561770A 1952 Bonneville owned by Donald and Mary Jo McDonald of Glendale, Calif., was among many classic car show entries in Casa Grande, Ariz., on Nov. 4, 2023. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)
"It's complicated. You can figure out how the older vehicles come together and come apart. This car, he completely tore down and redid the whole thing."
"There's no comparison," Ms. McDonald told The Epoch Times. "There are definite advantages to the new technology. But being in my 80s, I would rather have it the old way."
According to national insurance company Progressive, the main differences between old and new vehicles are in their design, components, handling, and safety.
"Modern engines are much smarter, smaller, more powerful, and more efficient than older ones," Progressive's website states.
"Since they lack automated features, classic cars have a more hands-on driving experience, and they can be easier to work on yourself. And while newer cars will depreciate with age, classic car values tend to appreciate due to supply and demand, especially for well-maintained cars."
The merger of automation and vehicle technology has taken decades since German carmaker Volkswagen introduced the first vehicle using a transistorized, electronically controlled fuel injection system in 1968, according to
Chipsets.com.
The following year, Ford introduced the company's first computer-controlled anti-skid braking system. Chrysler vehicles now feature Electronic Engine Control (EEC) technology introduced in 1973.
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(Left) A man works on the engine of a classic vintage car. (Right) A mechanic uses his computer to diagnose a breakdown on a car at a Peugeot dealership, in Illiers-Combray, central France, on May 4, 2020, (Oliver Rossi/Getty Images, JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER/AFP via Getty Images)
"Have you noticed a change in the picture you see under the hood of your car?" the Drivin' & Vibin' Team wrote in a May 27, 2022, online article.
"Vehicle repairs are certainly a lot more complicated than they used to be a couple of decades ago, and for a good reason."
Compared with vehicles manufactured before 1990, newer cars and trucks have fewer moving parts, and they have onboard computers that control most engine functions, making things more complicated.
"It takes a lot more schooling to educate a professional mechanic properly," the Drivin' & Vibin' Team wrote. "When designers came up with new car concepts back in the day, they focused more on making the vehicles easy for the typical owner to repair.
"Engineers designed vehicles to have more open space under the hood, and they had fewer electrical components to manage."
Travis Rees-Fleming, 38, of Snowflake, Arizona, said he prefers simpler auto technology to the newer vehicles.
His 1962 Ford Ranchero was his favorite car.
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