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Interesting video on what we all know is going on with automobiles

Will certainly agree that they put a lot of items on these vehicles that is useless, at least to me. Also thought I'd never say this. Really do like the heated seats and steering wheel. Guess my old age is showing.
 
Been watching those type of videos for 3 years and the market still hasn't dropped, collapsed or even shown a sign of heading down. There are certainly better deals than 21 or 22 but it's still well above admitted inflation.

Wife and I put off new rig purchases for a few years, then a couple more years because of the wuflu panic. I've just come to the conclusion that the last 4 years inflation been north of 40% as opposed to the admitted 28%. Friends bought the exact same spec same generation diesel truck as my folks bought weeks before covid. It was almost exactly 30k more on what had been a 44k truck, although 10 grand less than it had been advertised when it first hit the lot.

We were fortunate an elderly relative had a 14 year old truck close enough to what we were looking for that had been stored inside and used for two camping trips a year with a whopping 29k miles on it. Filled the gap for the wife but I'm still rolling under a truck almost as old as I am checking noises and oil leaks on a archaic old diesel as I'm not able to bring myself to buy a new one.

Issue to me more than the actual cost is the quality, it seemed to have peaked between 2000 and maybe 2010 for most vehicles. Wife runs in a relatively high earning wage cohort (various dr specialists) and as such that's who we hang out with. Almost all have upgraded a vehicle or two in the last couple years, all have also had some fairly abysmal issues with what had been reliable cars.

Mil was hit and totaled by an uninsured fence jumper, so they were out a low mileage 2019 Tacoma. Same spec was 14k more than the one the got in fall of 19, but they had the funds so it was just taken care of. Left them stranded at 4400 miles with an engine block failure that took ages to fix.

Friend bought a new Ford diesel to replace his decades old version of the same truck that was getting long in the tooth. I'd Hazzard a guess in 15k miles his near 20 year old truck with almost a quarter million miles would been more reliable than the new one. Could say similar tales of a new tundra, Ford bronco, and sadly even the new camry.

Modern gas engines are mostly turbo small displacement running to beat the band, and the diesels are hooked up to systems almost purpose driven to destroy itself. Think most of us would stomach the price and pony up for a new vehicle.... if we thought it would last a reasonable amount.
 
I actually enjoy a lot of the technology in the newer vehicles.

Cameras are a game changer and say what you want, on long road trips the lane centering, adaptive criuise, heated/cooled seats all make for a more comfortable drive.
I have no problem with you purchasing and enjoying such tech. I however, don't want it and don't want the EPA, gov't safety, and the car companies forcing the tech on me and telling me this is your only option…and you will pay more. Oh and by the way, when the tech goes out in 5 years, we won't service it anymore….but we have one of these nice new vehicles for sale…with even more tech!!!

The biggest headache I've had with my new Toyota has been the stereo and getting Apple car play and the android equivalent to work. Man, what a headache.

While I'm on my rant…stop putting carpet in trucks!!!
 
I'm approaching the point where both my wife and I will need vehicles. My truck and her car are around 200k on the mileage. There are some things that make life better such as backup cameras, heated seats, and remote start on vehicles. The other high tech items are not needed and just add other potential expensive repairs down the road. Paying more for a vehicle than I did for my first house is out of the question for me.
There are so many things wrong with the automotive industry. Greed both at the corporate and union level has permanently broken the industry.
 
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