With regard to OP - The guy that writes Dog and Lemon is in it to make money. People with no car knowledge buy it and are entertained by the bullsh!t inside and are thus happy. Any reference to actual facts is beside the point.
As to the rest of this thread :-) People these days don't need to understand cars or the basics of handling etc. Technology keeps improving and providing features to enable drivers to get from point A to point B with the least amount of hassle or skill. In the old days a driver was more likely to try servicing his\her car as it was simply (sarcasm here) mechanical. People actually joined motor clubs and did associated events - hill climbs etc. As the cars in the day included average handling, weak brakes and slippery tires a driver had to concentrate a little more.
Now boy\girl hops in mum's car with it's auto gearbox, power steering, ABS, cruise control, traction control etc etc and just presses the 'Go' pedal or the 'Stop' pedal... Hell the car might even brake for them if they're about to run into the car in front and auto park when they get to the shops!