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Zorba's newsletter wouldn't do him much good in converting his Jeep - but he might learn a thing or two about Belly Dancing!
But I understand where he's coming from - computers on cars is the answer to a question nobody was asking. Yea - when the damn thing is working correctly, it runs nicely. But this forum is FULL of computer problems caused by needless sensors that were spec-ced too tightly to be easily duplicatable. When I was in tech school, the conversation was all about how "cheap" microprocessors were going to revolutionize the world - and they did. But they lost "cheap" along the way - $1K for a replacement PCM that has, at most, $50 worth of chips in it.
But a couple of points:
1) You do NOT have to have a computer to have fuel injection. FI was accomplished DECADES before computers were put in cars, even before there was a single solid state component to build a computer out of. Now the ease of fitting such a system to the 4.0 I'll leave as an exercise for the reader.
2) Anybody who says you don't have better control with a manual obviously doesn't know how to drive one. WITH THAT SAID, most automatics can give much of the same control if they have a decent gear selection capability and the driver knows how to use it. Unfortunately, many do not - esp. many newer ones. My old MBZ has a 4 speed auto, but only has PRND3L - The lack of control of 1-2 is a sometime pain. My son in law has a Dodge truck with a dial selector - which certainly doesn't encourage manual control, and its PRNDL, yet with something like 6 or 7 speeds. Inadequate. OTOH, I drove a Ford truck a few years back that had, I think, an 8 speed - it allowed manual selection of ANY/ALL gears - it was fabulous. The question of why not just have an 8 speed manual I'll leave as an exercise for the reader. My dad's 78 Chevy had PRND21 - 3 speeds, but all were selectable. My '86 Chevy had PRN(D)D21 - again, all selectable the way it should be. You can do a LOT if you can select/control the gears on an autobox.
3)But my priorities are the same as most people's were in the 1950s and before: Reliability, repairability, economy and drive train is EVERYTHING. Two of my 3 vehicles were selected because their respective engines are legendary for reliability. Of course, today its all about the PHOOOOOONNE!! which is a rant for another time - nobody gives a damn about the engine, transmission, reliability, economy or anything else like that. Look at the vintage ads for Jeep - or just about anything else. Economy and reliability are emphasized. Today, they're not even mentioned. I'd say its sad, but I find it more disgusting than anything else. Hell, even the late 80s (early 90s?) Nissan truck was called a "Hardbody" to emphasize its toughness. Don't see that today!