Cars are little more than appliances now and thanks to product liability lawyers, environmental and safety concerns, the days of modifying your ride to suit your taste (or lack thereof) are history. You can no longer tinker with the engine for more power, or even repair the most minor problem. About all you can do is change the wheels, and even then you risk fouling the speedometer and thus the warranty in some way. But on the bright side, you can still plaster bumper stickers all over it so the rest of us have something to read right before the rear-end crash .
We old farts wax nostalgic over the "old days" because we were in love with our cars and the freedom they represented. Who lusts after a Camry or a Hyundai?