We will possibly know June 8?

Do you mean toyota or mercedes. Not sure I understand.

Regardless of perfection, I think most buyers in general are interested in reliability and usability as a prerequisite.

 

I’m saying a modern car has too much equipment, even a base model Japanese 4x4. I mean it’s pretty sad when there’s bearing issues in brand new differentials *cough cough*

I really don’t care if anyone believes me or not, give it time and you will see leasing is the only option for a modern car with too much shit to break.

when that becomes the norm, long term reliability doesn’t matter. It’s all about being the best vehicle available in stats for a given model year.

 

Not to mention when the average price is quickly approaching $50k. I wouldn't be surprised to see the new 4Runner starting out at $45k or even $50k. I expect the Pro to be near $60k. The base model is at $40k now.

 

Short story

92 f150

straight 6 push rod
5 speed
2wd
Single cab
Am/fm with 2 speakers in the back and one in each door
Roll down windows and push locks

that’s a v6 full size truck. New in 92’ = 12,000

base price 2023 = $33,600

there are so many government mandated rules that added to cost, consumer demand, etc etc

but salaries haven’t tripled… so what has to give?

pack as much in to a price point.

 

Agree wholeheartedly, which is why I think there is still some contingent of folks that prefer things that are durable over new/cutting edge, myself one. It’s not that I’m a luddite and hate tech, it’s just that after a while, you realize how expensive it is to have the newest and greatest, which is expensive when new/greatest doesnt stay that way for long. Also, it seems there is a lot of “tech” in products that is there for it’s own sake, and offers very little additional value or improvement.

I recently heard the term “rent seeking” as a description of predatory business practices that look to prevent ownership of anything, so that everything can be sold as a “service”. I agree, that’s what car manufacturers want to shift to. Aka, they don’t sell cars, they sell mobility services and other associated services. That’s where you get cars designed without ease-of-maintainan in mind, and where they sell you the “service” of unlocking your car with your phone, and all the other connected crap they try to get you to buy forever. They sell you maintainance plans/insurance, so that the service advisors can tell you when it’s time for a new one.

Perfect recipe to keep people under servitude.

 

dont get me started, when Microsoft started subscriptions for office I started using Linux out of principle.

it’s bad out there, in the industrial world Siemens and Johnson controls buy up regional companies and small time parents and keep putting out locked down and proprietary equipment. It’s almost every industry now sadly.

blame Wall Street.

 

Unfortunately, you’re gonna get me started lol. With cars or other things that are supposed to be “durable goods”, I think this business practice is actually immoral. It represents wholesale waste of resources and human effort/labor. Too much goes into a car for it to be considered as a consumable.

 

And unfortunately, vehicle prices have gone the opposite direction of other goods that have become consumables.

We have become an extremely wasteful society (at least here in America). I give you an example.

I used to work in manufacturing. One day I was chatting with a forklift driver after the company announced it was going to move towards an "import from China" model vs in-house manufacturing (they actually went back and forth on that several times during my 11 years there). He asked me "what do you think is to blame for companies outsourcing more work to China?". I said "You and me". He had a confused look on his face. I explained that we've become a disposable society where nobody values quality and durability anymore. He asked me to state my case.

I asked him, "If you had a choice between a $10 toaster that will probably only last a year or a $100 toaster that will last you 10 years, which would you buy?". He laughed and said the $10 toaster. And then I told him, this is the reason companies are moving manufacturing overseas.

 

100%!
Buy less, but better!