[raybbr]

So where are all these dead people, then?

How long does the hard drive last in your PC? How many microprocessors crash with a power spike?

Cars that do all this stuff by electronics WILL eventually fail. Electronics don't last forever. If your hard drive crashes all you lose are pics and documents. If the PC running your vehicle crashes....

[Wayne07]

Mechanical things eventually fail as well. I'd wager a random apple ii computer from the 70s is more likely to still be working today than random car built at the same time.

Take your very example, the computer hard drive. That's the most likely component to fail, and it isn't the electronics that fail, it is the mechanical components.

Bottom line is that just because something is mechanical doesn't mean it is more reliable, you want a well engineered end product.