Date:         Fri, 20 Jun 2014 13:01:32 -0700
Reply-To:     Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: New cars..RE: Friday NVC: European Union switch to diesel not
              working so well
In-Reply-To:  <20140620151947.Y02X6.171091.imail@eastrmwml114>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

What concerns me is how complicated new cars are.  Backup cameras, in-dash computers, 67 air bags, doors that unlock when you get near them,  ever more complex emission controls, etc.  None of this stuff will be fixable at some point, so I doubt anyone will be driving a 2014 car in 2034 or 2044 like you can drive a 30 year old Vanagon today.  By then they will all drive themselves anyway.

The preferred dealership financing model is the three or four year lease, forever.

Stuart

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Dave Mcneely
Sent: Friday, June 20, 2014 12:20 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: New cars..RE: Friday NVC: European Union switch to diesel not working so well

The average age for cars registered in the U.S. is 9+ years.  They go for 200k miles still running like new.  Modern cars, despite all the negative publicity, are just BETTER than cars used to be.  When I was young, we expected a car to do pretty well for 50k miles, then to limp through to 100k.  Starting around 1990 I began to notice that people were driving late model cars well past that, and not having to repair things.

Now, if something DOES go wrong, getting it fixed can be frustrating and expensive.  But things just don't go wrong like they used to.  Heck, spark plugs last 125k miles, and oil lasts 8k miles.  Tires on sedans run for 80k miles typically.

But, we keep complaining.

mcneely

---- Project Pat <psdooley@VERIZON.NET> wrote:
> I don't think calling newer cars "POS" is very fair.  And I don't see 
> them being replaced every few years as a necessary exercise.
> I have seen plenty of examples of 2005 and newer vehicles in the 
> 150-200k mile range still going strong, still getting good gas mileage 

> and still not fouling the air.
> Yeah, I use to be all for keeping the old iron on road, but do you 
> really want to ride on a highway full of them?
>
> I paid 16k out the door for my wife's Corolla.  5 years and 90k miles 
> later, all I have done is oil changes and front brake pads.  Car 
> drives like new and feels like it could easily do another 100k.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On 
> Behalf Of Don Hanson
> Sent: Friday, June 20, 2014 1:58 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Friday NVC: European Union switch to diesel not working 
> so well
>
> Just so they don't start going after old cars . . .
>
>
>
> Remember "Cash for Clunkers?"
>
>   that took a lot of great old vehicles out of service and got them 
> replaced with the "new, disposable vehicles"  The car companies would 
> love to see us all having to drive (and replace every few years with 
> another $20k POS they could sell us with a finance contract and 
> extended warrantee for about $50k) only new vehicles...It is not 
> unlikely that they'll figure out a way to get their Congress to pass a law in that direction and call
> it...."good for you"..."Clean air"   Job creators...

--
David McNeely