The New and Improved Scam (in Cars)

Posted by freedomforall 1 year, 2 months ago to Business
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Excerpt:
"There isn’t much difference between a vehicle made 20 years ago and the ones they’re selling today – except insofar as how much they cost.

One reason for that difference has to do with what you get for the money. Things like a good stereo and LED mood lighting. Interestingly, these are the least expensive things to incorporate into a car – including 20-year-old cars. Most of the latter have cassette-type head units that are easily removable and have universal connectors that are easy to disconnect and reconnect.

Having done that, you now have a 20-year-old car (or truck) with LED mood lighting and a good stereo, just like a new car or truck. For much less than the cost of a new car or truck with the same.



And you do have the same.

Not just the updated electronics. The old car – or truck, like my 2002 Nissan pick-up – has a fuel-injected engine that starts right up, just as quickly and just as reliably as the new cars I test drive each week. More so, arguably, in that it has been starting reliably for the past 20-plus years and probably will continue to do so for many years to come. The new cars (and trucks) probably won’t – 20 years from now, that is – because their fuel injection systems are much more elaborate and so inherently less reliable over the long term as complexity is at odds with durability. Direct-injected and often turbocharged engines don’t, however, start any faster or idle smoother or run better than the simpler, plain-old injected engines of 20-plus years ago."
SOURCE URL: https://www.ericpetersautos.com/2023/01/14/what-you-get-for-the-money/


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  • Posted by mccannon01 1 year, 2 months ago
    Nice article! I now have even more respect for my '04 Ram Pickup that still runs good. If I want a really fancy dash, I'll mount my iPad to it.
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    • Posted by 1 year, 2 months ago
      Screens are just something more likely to break within a few years. Potentiometer (usually radial) volume controls and push button switches last decades.
      A pretty face might make the sale but long term dependability matters more.
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      • Posted by mccannon01 1 year, 2 months ago
        I have to agree and the automotive industry isn't the only example. Appliances are right along the same lines. My '84 Frigidaire (made in USA) side-by-side refrigerator is still running quite well as well as my Frigidaire stove/oven where many newer appliances owned by others have gone to the junk heap. I don't have door mounted drink or ice maker built in or any fancy IT crap. I read that 88% of all refrigerator repairs are for the plumbing stuff and now the IT stuff adds repair bills as well. Hard to find a decent refrigerator without all the add-ons for a decent price.
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  • Posted by $ 25n56il4 1 year, 2 months ago
    I wasn't around at the time but I recall Henry Ford introduced one of his Ford Model's 'at a price all families could afford'. Where's our guy today?
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    • Posted by VetteGuy 1 year, 2 months ago
      I keep waiting for sanity to kick in and people to say "NO! That car (or truck) is NOT worth that much of my money" I hear car loans are now up to 72 months. Similar to college tuition, the "buy now, pay later" mentality just allows the prices to rise without any significant change in value. .
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