It feels like cars are getting more and more disposable. Will you keep your car long enough to find out?
Truth is, carmakers have been designing cars to be replaceable ever since at least 1923, when GM introduced the annual model change. That's how GM took over the American car market from Ford and that's how cars have been sold ever since.
Still, it's bothersome to see tech introduced when you know that it's going to fail someday. At least, that's how DougHarlow and west-coaster put it when they saw the new S63's features.
"Magic Body Control" = more expensive shit that can go wrong.
As much as I like these days of twin-turbo V8s and crazy horsepower, I really do long for the days of simpler cars. And damn I am not even an old man yet.
Yep. I always wonder what these cars are going to be like when they have 10-12 years under their belts and are on their second or third owners.
For the well-off initial owner who will only have it a few years, the warranty and newness will mean that technology is great. But wow, when all that electronic shit starts failing, it's going to be $$$ to keep it all working. (Or, the car falls into some kind of super-depreciated-high-tech-beater category.)
That's when fintail stepped in to say that he drives, in fact, a last-gen W212 E-class (pictured above). He then went on to talk about many other W212 owners attempting DIY repairs of tech problems.
The real question, it seems to me, is how long people are actually keeping their cars. If a Mercedes is destined to fail in 12 years, but owners only plan on keeping it for 3, Mercedes is probably going to be making a lot of money. So how long do you plan on keeping your current ride?
Photo Credit: Mercedes-Benz