Were older cars really more reliable than new cars?

That's a question that comes up a lot, especially because so many people say it—but honestly, it's just an illusion. Modern vehicles don’t need maintenance as often as classic ones. It's just that classic cars are easier to tinker with because they were designed that way.

Look at your modern car sitting in the garage. Do you have to adjust the carburetor or tweak anything regularly? Probably not. These days, modern cars almost never need periodic service. When you take it to the mechanic, all they usually do is clean a few parts and make sure everything’s still in good shape. There's hardly anything left that needs regular adjusting.

Now, don’t get me wrong—I’m a fan of classic cars, and I get the pain. Back in the day, you had to adjust the carburetor, tune the valves, and mess with all sorts of stuff pretty regularly. Today? Not so much. Computers handle almost everything. Electronic ignition killed off points, and the ECU made carburetor adjustments a thing of the past. Even parts like spark plugs last way longer now thanks to better tech.

The idea that classic cars are more durable and reliable comes from the fact that they needed constant service to stay that way. Just look at the huge engine bays in old cars—that’s not for convenience, that's because you were expected to get in there and work on it often. Modern cars? Everything’s packed tight, and that's basically the manufacturer telling you, “Relax, there’s nothing for you to mess with here.” All that plastic under the hood? Same deal—it’s a sign that there’s no regular tuning to be done.

And that's totally intentional. Modern cars are designed so you don't have to deal with complicated maintenance anymore. You just do the basics, and that's it. Sure, you can still tinker if you really want to, but it's way harder than it used to be.

You can see this shift starting in the early '90s when manufacturers began using computers to control engines. The fuel injection system didn’t have a way to adjust settings manually—it was all controlled by the computer. This ensured the settings stayed stable and didn't change but also served as a reminder not to mess with them. The computer takes care of everything, and unless you’ve got the right skills, there’s not much you can do about it.

On the plus side, this made things more practical. Service intervals got longer, and parts lasted longer because everything was more precise. In the past, issues with parts were often caused by inaccurate tuning, which you had to do pretty frequently. Now, that’s not really a concern.

The downside is that everything got more complicated. If something goes wrong, it’s hard to fix because it’s all part of a computerized system. Back in the day, everything was designed to be replaceable and adjustable, so it seemed easier to work on. But generally, you don’t need to worry about tuning and maintenance as much anymore.

Old cars seem more reliable because you can tune them, and they were designed that way. Newer cars are more practical, but everything is more disposable. Still, modern cars are probably more practical overall – they last longer, especially the spare parts, and you don’t have to maintain them as often as you would a classic.

That’s the trade-off with modern technology. Newer cars don’t need as complicated maintenance as the old ones, and honestly, that’s not a bad thing. The catch is that it’s harder to fix them yourself. But these days, manufacturers don’t expect you to do the repairs anyway – they want you to take it to a shop if something breaks. And most likely, you won’t be able to fix it yourself.