[Carry_Okie]

The real problem, besides the media trying to destroy non union car-makers to benefit Obama and goons, can be laid directly at the feet of environmental wackos and government regulations.

Correct. Nobody can make a machine with literally thousands, if not millions (once one included electronic junctions and code) of critical elements without the machine becoming too complex to be reliable. At that point, system redundancy becomes necessary, which costs too much weight and money.

I want crank windows, manual door locks, and a stick shift. Give me a simple car that goes like a bat out of hell, handles well, stops fast, carries a lot of stuff, and gets decent mileage.

My Saturn SW2 does all that, albeit the seats suck. 35MPG at 85MPH. 200K miles with 95% leak-down compression or better on the original clutch (and I live in mountains). I can't get one any more.

[norraad]

I'm with you, I'll keep my old simple car up in good shape for ten forevers before I get in one of them there new "cars that just execrate until you let go. "

[Charles Martel]

I want crank windows, manual door locks, and a stick shift. Give me a simple car that goes like a bat out of hell, handles well, stops fast, carries a lot of stuff, and gets decent mileage.

My Saturn SW2 does all that, albeit the seats suck.

See if Corbeau has a version of its Sport Seat that'll fit it - you could enjoy a better seat for quite a while, then when you finally sell that Saturn, you can pull those seats out and sell 'em to a Mustang or Camaro enthusiast (they get the Corbeaus reupholstered to match the '60s style interior). Those seats are designed for daily drivers and can be obtained with inflatable lumbar supports.

Seriously, if you like the car and it's in good shape, investigate the aftermarket seat options. Beats buying a newer car just to be comfortable. I have the Corbeaus in a '65 Mustang - even the wife likes them.