I’m actually terrified of doing this in an automatic because I’ve been driving a manual so long. Nobody is making manuals anymore so I assume my next car will be an automatic and I’m going to need a strap for my left foot so I can’t accidentally do this lol.

Last time I drove an automatic I put it in reverse when I got to a stop sign because my hand just went for it and pushed the same amount I would in my car to get to neutral. That was the day that I learned both that the button on automatic shifters means nothing, and that I must sit on my right hand when driving one.

That muscle memory is a hell of a thing

Absolutely. My 2006 car is in the shop right now getting fixed and will ultimately end up costing me around $3.5k. They were a bit surprised I told them to fix it, but I don’t WANT a new car. I like my car, it has all the features I want, is a manual, doesn’t connect to the internet, and most importantly, has physical buttons and dials to control everything! Overall it’s in great condition as well.

I love my car, and like you will be keeping it until it becomes prohibitively expensive to repair vs buy something else, or I can no longer get parts. Hopefully by then something will be done about the privacy and touchscreen situations.

It makes me crazy that we’re even talking about this and it’s more than a year away. Our election cycles in the US are too damn long.

It physically hurts me how true this is.