I hear you, and feel your pain, but I think you’re fighting an uphill battle. The name of the game these days seems to be convenience, so many people, including motorcycle riders are looking for the keyless systems. Good luck!

It is a pointless argument to “dummy down” cars. If you’re yearning for the old days but are going to buy a new one and will try to keep it simple, good luck. Might as well get a base model with a standard shift and no power options (basically the cars that very few people want, sitting on the lots at dealerships).

People are strange. Some buy sports or sporty cars then complain that they had too little space, had poor suspension clearance or were more difficult to get into or out of. Some buy large vehicles and/or vehicles with large engines and complain about the mileage. Some buy efficient vehicles and complain about the lack of power. Some buy cars loaded with gadgets and complain that some things stopped working. Many complaints result from the experiences of people who had chosen the wrong vehicle for their needs, apparently.

There’s the ups and downs. Upside, my 2.5L EFI controlled Spirit gets more horse than if had been carbureted. Downside, the map sensor failed while I was driving it last winter. Engine stalled, and my power steering and brakes locked up. Short story, I wrecked it.

Power stuff breaks. Always.
We had a buick back in the early 90’s. The car was like, 3 years old, and one by one, all the power windows, power locks, power driver’s seat… all broke. Eventually, you couldn’t get out of the car if you got locked in.

The downside is, as you point out that the amount of electronics has increased, such as the pushbutton ignition, electric tilt/tele steering wheel, computer-controlled A/C & heat, etc. and I’m not getting into that whole hybrid car electrical complexity to boot (Okay, I guess I just did).

In all, it’s not the electronics that we should worry about. It’s the quality of the electronics. There are many devices that can last the life of a car, and more do these days. You just have to do your homework if you’re buying used to see if a lot of people are having trouble with the electronics of a car you’re interested in, such as the 2000+/- gen Intrepid or Concorde. With some cars, it’s easy to get the dirt because they leave a wake of dissatisfied owners/former owners.

Didn’t people say similar things about computers vs. typewriters? I say, embrace the future.