"A hundred years ago, if you were lucky enough to own a car then you probably knew how to fix it. People could at least change the oil, change the tyres, or even give the engine a tune-up. I’ve owned a car for most of my adult life and they’re a mystery to me."
If he were more honest with himself he'd say something like 'I know I can go online or pick up a manual and figure anything about my car that I'd want to.'
Letting it remain a mystery is just perpetuating the ignorance people seem to cling to like a life raft.
Figuring things out is fun and you learn new skills.
That said, if you wanted to pick one thing, computers probably have the lowest cost-to-benefit ratio of figuring stuff out, at least at the proxy-settings level of detail. I know how to change the oil in my car, but I can't do it much cheaper than the nine minute lube down the street, and it takes me four times as long.
Right. But you bought a car to drive places, not because you like taking them apart or 'programming' them. You probably bought a computer for the latter.