I just had that same discussion recently, However I do not see cars of today in the same light as cars of yesteryear. I am younger than my Vette  but had always longed for one. I know I can't afford the newer cars  like challanger or vettes, However I would love  a z06. I can't see spendin 40+k for any car. So I went out and found an older model that I always wanted. I think that some of the allure of the older cars was cost to get into one, That has since increased tremendesly and the way to avoid that is tuners. Which are cheaper to start with.

[QUOTE=pdupler] [QUOTE=cilrah]Most of the cars of today can't be tinkered with unless you are from the factory, trained by the factory, or are a computer wizz.  I think one of the biggest things about the older cars of yester-year is the ability to be able to modify or rebuild them yourself.  [/QUOTE]

I'm probably one of the younger guys on here, actually the same age as my Corvette.  Before I bought my c3, I spent the last twelve years tinkering with Toyota Supras so I kinda grew up with electronic ignition, fuel injection and emission controls.  The technology is more advanced, and certainly there is a higher cost associated with modifying higher technology, but its really not that mysterious and not that much different.  We stroke Supra 3.0L to 3.2L basically the same way you stroke a 350 to 383.  But instead a new carb, we install larger fuel injectors and a new e-prom chip.  Grass roots hot-rodding is alive and well in the modern tuner world too with people running around salvage yards figuring out what parts from this Nissan will fit that Mazda over there and vice-versa.  The same ingenuity that built T-buckets and put hand-me-down family sedans on the drag strip back in the day is now going into - gasp!  Civics!

Three main points:  1) alot of YOUR old-school knowledge is still applicable to the modern cars of today so there is a continuance, 2) ANY new technology can be learned and understood if one has the desire, and 3) there ARE people out there today who have the desire to play with cars even tho its not as common for the average joe to do his own repairs as it was 30+ years ago.   I'd worry more about whats going to happen to these old Corvettes in 25 years.  The Honda Civics will be at the shows because they got 35-40 mpg on the way there. 
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 You are exactly correct. I have the 79 and also a 97. I'm learning everyday the differences between the two. As I move forward I am acquiring the technology to work on the 97. The manuals and a ODBC code reader were the first two purchases after the car.  Next will come tuning/diagnosis software and then somewhere along the line a lift that will serve all my cars.

 Still love the relative ease of my 79 though....

They will fix up what they can afford.  Yes we had cool cars, but most were regular cars that we made cool.

Ken is right (as usual). Let me see if I can sum it up ......

If there is a will..... there is a way.......