Hot rod. Yikes. You make me sound 50.
Sorry for spouting off. I've just been researching the advance of modern car technology such as Fly-by-wire for a couple years since the Ion first gave me trouble. Its not so much the build quality (which in a Saturn is definitely lacking, even compared to its Chevy Cobalt SS counterpart), but just a general lack of time to investigate the issue before adapting it into cars. The overseas manufacturers had regulations forcing this change a decade ago and implemented it slowly after much research (the Prius obviously being the exception). Mine was doing much of the same things as the Prius, except I'd just clutch and pop into neutral. The car would stop getting gas for some reason when put into neutral. It was weird. Evens till, after all the parts changes, it holds rpms when shifting like a poorly designed WOT box and keeps changing my fuel curves. One run I'll have plenty of torque, next run I have none. Its always the sensors. They have a variable voltage system (or whatever it would be called). I miss the days of a cable throttle. If it broke, you knew what was wrong. Now you have to take it to a stealership and let them test every sensor, the PCM, and possibly check wiring, which can run upwards of 500 bucks if out warranty. The disadvantages outweigh the benefits imo.