I've got a 94 Ranger

 

If I found an older car I wanted, no issues at all with no tech. I'd still prefer ABS but whatever, I have an older motorcycle which doesn't have it, no issues

 

I certainly can drive and live with a vehicle without any of the modern safety technology. I learned to drive and owned several cars well before any of these technologies were introduced. That said, if I had a choice between using an old car vs a modern one, I would always pick the modern one as my daily driver. Safety technology (ABS, ESC, AEB, etc.) makes driving much easier, especially in inclement weather. These technologies save lives and are worth their (small) cost.

 

I'd say seat belt is a must. Everything else can be somewhat compensated for. And most of the compensation can come from a simple thing: Pay attention to the road. Pay attention to the lights a block away. Etc.

 

Can I live without all these extra safety features? Sure, I've been driving since the late 90s. Would I? Hell no, the safety features make long drives so much easier as there is less shit I have to focus on.

Now I just get on the highway, turn on adaptive radar cruise control and just pay attention to shitty drivers making dangerous cuts.

 

My fleet ranges from '65 to '17 plus I drive a lot of rentals for work.

I don't miss anything the newer cars offer while driving the older ones, except for AC in a couple of them. In fact the older cars are way more fun to drive.

Pay attention to the road instead of your phone or lunch - you'll be surprised how little assistance you need.

 

man made it all this way from the caves, the new b.s. is only 50 years old.

 

I see some people turning back into cavemen these days, though.

 

All the whiners can ride a horse and buggy - your choice. 🐴😂

 

Two cars here, the '06 has a driver's airbag but nothing else, the '94 has ABS but nothing else. Neither have ever been activated. I'm not dead yet.

 

I really like ABS, had a Camry with all the bells and whistles, hated the noisy thing, sold it after a year.

The BAD thing about all the wizz-bang tech is that drivers feel invulnerable, why else do I see overachiever underpowered tiny Hyundais, KIAs, Chevys, etc running down the freeway at 90, swapping lanes like they're drawing a pencil through a paper maze.
......... Those are the a-holes......
The other group: Imbeciles who are not paying attention! Which will kill or maime them, and, unfortunately, someone else too.

What I do, is look for the "accidents looking for a place to happen", and either slow down (or speed up) to get away from them.
Best system I can think of.

 

Active imbecile repellent ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^LOL!!!!!

Drive a 37 Ford with cable operated brakes and radial tires!!!!
I have reached a point in life where I love fuel economy and my 2013 Prius C with 189k miles cost me 5.35 cents a mile (last tank at 53.5 MPG). In 1968 the year I got out of high school it was 1 cent a mile at 32 MPG in an Austin Healey Sprite death trap.
When I had a 1992 Sentra ($300) the wife complained about it not having airbags. Asked her if she had ever been in a car when the airbags deployed? NOPE
Told her when we ride in that car there is a WINDBAG aboard LMAO.
That's my airbag and I am sticking to it.

 

I used to buy motorcycles cheap, 250 CC, dead battery, carb gummed up, $500. Talk about no safety features. 80 MPG and one moron away from eternity. Good refresher course in defensive driving (riding). Most amazing motorcycle was a Honda Cub 50 1966. 168 MPG and 40 MPH, they made 70 million of them. Ride that course in defensive driving .

 

...Ride that course in defensive driving .

Driving a bike for a few months, let alone years, QUICKLY teaches you defensive driving. Everyone in a car seems to want to kill you.

 

I see comments in Youtube of people lamenting about the lack of safety and convenience tech (JBL, TSS, Reverse Camera) on cars such as the RAV4 and the Camry. I don't know if they complained to the company HQ, but the complaints drive me crazy. Thanks to your answers, I can't find any valid reason of the complaints I saw online. I hope this discussion will discourage me from feeling shortchanged about our own cars. I am getting to know the forums more as well.

 

Smoked tobacco 46 years, quit cold turkey 1/3/15 at age 64. Now the Doc gets me an MRI (or is it a CAT scan LOL) every year to see if I am going to die of lung cancer. Many years ago they said if you quit for two years it was like you had never smoked. I guess it was like the "if you get the shot you are immune". Guess I shouldn't have walked over piles of smashed sheet metal car body parts in a pair of shorts and flip flops, but back then we were all invincible.

 

The oldest vehicle in my lineup is my 88 Camry and newest is the 10 Tacoma. There are others in this that fill different roles. I daily my 88, which has none of the modern safety features aside from the seat belts but is very cheap on gas and maintenance for its age. But the backup is the bare bones Taco. Would rather be in the car in most situations due to the amount of money already spent getting it back on the road, which isn't much.

A lot of it to me is being able to play as defensively as you do offensively when behind the wheel. Make the right calls when situations change and always prepare for the unexpected. But be mindful of the fact that not everyone else is going to think like this. No amount of tech can prevent human error, but it can save lives should it happen or the tech does happen to fail. Anything is subject as soon as that ignition starts.

 

I regularly drive a 50 year old MGB (British convertible). Between that and present day cars there are a few quantum leaps that I really appreciate. ABS & assisted driving for safety. OBD for troubleshooting. Toyota's Synergy Drive (now 4th gen) is the best drivetrain on the planet for my purposes.

 

Yep, I've driven mostly 'dinosaur' cars.

 

I'll put it this way; I rode motorcycles for 20 years that never had any of those gee whiz items.I'm still here to tell it. In cars, I know enough to turn my head to look before changing lanes or not ride on the bumper of the car in front of me. Beep, chime, warninglights- those are for kids playing computer games.

 

Seeing my wife being cut out of her crushed 1990's Honda Civic, and loaded on the helicopter, and living with pain for 25 years --- I'll take the latest crash protection.

 

The only safety device I could live without are airbags. I always have my seatbelt on, and I make sure it's properly adjusted. I also don't leave without everyone in the car buckles up. (I thank the seat belt buzzers for that...lol)

 

Will be forced to have it soon.

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/us-require-automatic-emergency-braking-211948403.html

 

That's already standard on most Toyota with the TSS

 

I have two Toyotas, a 1990 and 1991, with minimal tech. I also have two newer vehicles both with air bags and ABS. One has had a recall on both air bags. I’m often worried the damn things are going to blow for no reason when driving them. I like to drive older vehicles because I can fix most anything that could go wrong. More tech means more things to malfunction. It also means more distracted drivers who think they’re invincible.
I also began driving when there really wasn’t much mandatory safety equipment other than seat belts which I always use.
I also have a ‘56 Ford Fairlane that doesn’t even have seat belts. That’s actually my favorite car to drive. The visibility from the driver’s seat is excellent and that matters most to me. I hate the new cars that you have to rely on mirrors and cameras to see what’s around you.
I’ll never buy anything newer that was built after the early 90’s ever again.

 

My 1990 Miata (brand new) seemed very low tech at the time.
However, it was "bristling" with features such as ABS, electronic fuel injection, distributorless ignition, etc....
Perspective and context are important.