As far as I can see, cars are being designed to last 100k miles (the fed's mandate this number for emissions stuff...) so more and more, carmakers making things cheaper...but just good enough to last the 100k miles...

I may have my head totally underground, but lets pretend that I dont...so why is this happening ? (if I'm wrong, point me in the correct direction, please...disposable MB's bother me =)

I can only assume 1 or 2 of 2 things..

1) The enviro-lobby is working to get all cars greater than X years old (You know, all those 'smelly old fuel inefficient cars') off the road- this creates a legal environment where newer cars are more desireable. Anybody else's state have emissions checks or inspections just to register the thing ? The loophole for cars older than 2X years is simply a numbers game to not annoy the rich guys who collect old cars. Not that inspections are bad in and of themselves (cars on the road SHOULD have functional brakes...).

^Don't be confused, I dont think that enviro-lobbyists are trying to get old cars off the road, they are just trying to clean up the air, but often this creates an atmosphere where older/dirtyer cars are an annoyance and new cars are not (guess where the manufactuers are gonna vote on this one...) I will not comment on whether or not it is the .gov's job to mandate this...


2) Car sales and lifetime numbers tell manufactuers that people will buy cars for $20-50k and keep them for 5 years and not care what happens afterward (or wreck them by then...). The bean counters see this as a opportunity to make and sell cars that only last 5 years...I mean, if most people dont care about having a car more than 5 years, and will buy a new one after 5yrs is up...why make anything last longer ?

(A woman in the office where I co-op told me the other day "I wouldn't WANT to drive the same car for 20 years"- I'm sure many people fell the same way...)

The market no longer asks for cars that last 20 years. I'd love one, but the numbers that get seen by those that make decisions don't point to this.

also: Maintenance and support costs are a non-issue to a manufacturer- If the manuf. were willing to make it worth the dealer's while to do the recall on your car (i.e.- compensate the dealer fairly for his/her time, repair man-hours and adminsistrative costs...), the dealer wouldnt give you any static when you ask them do perform a factory-mandated recall. Based on what I hear (caveat: heresay) from friends and relatives (getting a dealer to do a recall for you, moreso one of those "unofficial" recalls...)- is it NOT worth a dealers time to do a recall on your car if he/she doesnt have to.

Add all these up, and it points to disposable cars- big surprise that carmakers are putting out chintzy electronics that arent designed to last and not giving a damn about old products.

The only thing thats gonna turn cars away from 'disposeable' back to 'dependable' is the buying public...all of us- telling the carmakers what we think w/ out mouths and our wallets.

The Problem is: as long as "us" includes people that say "I wouldnt WANT to drive the same car for 20 years", this trend toward disposeable cars will not reverse.
...oh well...I'll just have to keep searching for MB diesels and parts cars =)

Does anyone see my logic here ?
-John

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2009 Kia Sedona
2009 Honda Odyssey EX-L
12006 Jetta Pumpe Duse
(insert Mercedes here)

Husband, Father, sometimes friend =)