Q A friend tells me sat navs are not an acceptable gadget for petrolheads. He said reading a map was more impressive and that sat navs were to motoring what microwaves are to cooking. Where do you stand?
H Cookson, Dorking, Surrey
A Ten years ago you didn't get people driving off piers because a device suckered to the windscreen told them it was the best route. I would say only 20% of factory-fitted sat navs do their job, and why bother ticking the £1,200-plus option box when a portable TomTom will do the same job for £99.
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Reading maps is an impressive skill and it's a shame people have stopped carrying them. Yesterday I climbed into my 41-year-old Dodge, forcing me to bring out the old ring-bound map. But the desired destination was reached without problem or digital dictatorship. The return to analogue life felt truly satisfying.
A friend once moved his diary and contacts book to a palm computer and binned the diary. The computer had a haemorrhage. He missed meetings, forgot what he was doing, got depressed and his wife left him. Well, the first bit was true.
The same goes for digital guidance: overreliance makes you a hostage to fortune. Microwaves are okay for beans and defrosting bread, but that's hardly a proper meal.
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Write to Jonny at carshrink@sunday-times.co.uk