5 ms·

I do think part of it is how darned long cars last now. I have an 18 year old car that I purchased used long ago and currently has no mechanical issues. I've h

I do think part of it is how darned long cars last now. I have an 18 year old car that I purchased used long ago and currently has no mechanical issues. I've had a few repairs but nothing terribly expensive. I have no interest in replacing it. When you think about it, people who are frugal will buy practical and cost effective cars and drive them for a decade or more (that is, if they buy a car at all!). That means they either never buy new at all, or when they do they do so only seldom. People who are chasing the new shiny will continue to churn through new shiny. And of course they want to pay a lot to get only the shiniest. So I can see why the average new car cost would creep up, because buying a new car at all is a luxury in most cases.

llm_trw 2y ago
The difference is that new cars are safe cars. Old cars are death traps. If you value your life you will be buying the new shiny every 5 years or less.
- 616c 2y ago
  Is there evidence for the rationale for five years or less for the age of a car? I hate all the entertainment systems and believe anything beyond Bluetooth and no complex entertainment system to be a lethal distraction that makes cars just as unsafe as older or weaker safety controls.
  - nytesky 2y ago
    I do think CarPlay is very helpful for navigation, I mean, I can read map because I’m old but my kids and my wife when they’re driving need a onscreen display if they’re going somewhere new. And the CarPlay or similar provides a good navigation option that I think is safer than mounting a phone.
- afavour 2y ago
  While it’s certainly true that old cars are death traps I’d live to see a source showing that car safety is increasing at notable levels every five years. Federal safety standards haven’t.
- evgen 2y ago
  It is one of those 'was it really that long ago? I am getting old' moments to actually look this up, but the last major safety features which moved the needle on keeping you alive in a car were the mandates for side-impact protection and anti-lock braking systems. Both are more than ten years old. I think you would be hard-pressed to name a single innovation from the past five years which has increased your lifespan in a car as either a driver or a passenger. Given the fact that things like adaptive braking, lane-following assist, and blind-spot sensors are old enough to be showing up in low-end cars these days I cannot name a single new or shiny safety feature which would not be available in a mid-tier car from 2014. Can you?
  - digitallis42 2y ago
    Adaptive cruise was still higher end at that time. Certainly not ubiquitous at the mid tier. Heck, it's barely ubiquitous now. Both adaptive cruise and automatic emergency braking are game changer features for safety on the highway.
    - quantified 2y ago
      Nah, it's the same game.
    - dh2022 2y ago
      Adaptive driving is a nuisance for me whenever I rent a new car (it seems most of the rentals have this feature). Those visual and audio cues going off when I am in the middle of changing lanes is very disconcerting - and makes me lose focus for a fraction of a second. I wish I could turn it off - but after one look at that hot mess on that center touch-screen I back off in repulsion. (I also do not like the lights on the side mirrors that indicate a vehicle coming by. I constantly think - what about false positives - and then I double check my blind spot)
      - peanball 2y ago
        Usually they don’t beep on lane changes when you use the indicators before switching. The lights in the side mirrors are also not removing the obligation to check your blind spot. Both help, but don’t take away your responsibility as driver.
- pentae 2y ago
  Seems like the kind of advice that was true up until about 10 years ago
- potato3732842 2y ago
  Everyone says this but the number of accidents (of which injurious, let alone fatal ones are a small minority) the typical person gets into in a lifetime are low enough to make the tradeoff worthwhile.
- quantified 2y ago
  That's incredibly wrong. 10-year old cars are quite safe.
- dh2022 2y ago
  If only those 4 people that burned to death in a Tesla last week [1] would have a chance to revisit their vehicle choice... [1] https://people.com/4-killed-after-tesla-crash-sparks-fire-in-toronto-8743464 https://people.com/4-killed-after-tesla-crash-sparks-fire-in...
  - hnburnsy 2y ago
    > If only those 4 people that burned to death in a Tesla last week [1] would have a chance to revisit their vehicle choice... > Kind of a weird story for People magazine to be covering, but I guess any story with Tesla gets clicks. Doesn't say if the fire or the high speed impact killed those passengers. Anyhoo, I'd bet those 140+ people killed by GMs ignition switch wish they had a chance to revisit their car buying choice.
m463 2y ago
I think of the last generation of pro-level film cameras. They were expensive, but well designed and durable, yet ... who wants to pay in time and money to develop film every 36 pictures? I think some really good gas cars only make sense if you use them infrequently to haul heavy things or lots of passengers. Otherwise it is getting cheaper to run an EV - you might even charge it with electricity you capture yourself.
- yftsui 2y ago
  Develop film takes time, same as why somebody wait for hours and hours just to get an EV charged? The “last generation” can “recharge” to 450miles in 3 minutes at a gas station then move on.
  - vel0city 2y ago
    > same as why somebody wait for hours and hours just to get an EV charged? I spend hours a year more waiting for gas pumps for my ICE than I spend waiting on my EV to charge. And I put way more miles on my EV than my ICE.
    - quantified 2y ago
      Are you lucky enough to own your own house, do you put up with a corporate landlord/big condo, or are you in street parking?
      - vel0city 2y ago
        I live in a single family residence like the majority of households in the US. My point still stands. Despite driving more miles on my EV my ICE wastes my time on pumping gas especially before all the time I waste with routine maintenance. I am far from alone. Why would anyone waste their time going to gas stations all the time and wait for oil changes and have to deal with all that maintenance of things like timing belts and what not?
        2y ago

llm_trw 2y ago

The difference is that new cars are safe cars. Old cars are death traps. If you value your life you will be buying the new shiny every 5 years or less.

616c 2y ago
Is there evidence for the rationale for five years or less for the age of a car? I hate all the entertainment systems and believe anything beyond Bluetooth and no complex entertainment system to be a lethal distraction that makes cars just as unsafe as older or weaker safety controls.
- nytesky 2y ago
  I do think CarPlay is very helpful for navigation, I mean, I can read map because I’m old but my kids and my wife when they’re driving need a onscreen display if they’re going somewhere new. And the CarPlay or similar provides a good navigation option that I think is safer than mounting a phone.
afavour 2y ago
While it’s certainly true that old cars are death traps I’d live to see a source showing that car safety is increasing at notable levels every five years. Federal safety standards haven’t.
evgen 2y ago
It is one of those 'was it really that long ago? I am getting old' moments to actually look this up, but the last major safety features which moved the needle on keeping you alive in a car were the mandates for side-impact protection and anti-lock braking systems. Both are more than ten years old. I think you would be hard-pressed to name a single innovation from the past five years which has increased your lifespan in a car as either a driver or a passenger. Given the fact that things like adaptive braking, lane-following assist, and blind-spot sensors are old enough to be showing up in low-end cars these days I cannot name a single new or shiny safety feature which would not be available in a mid-tier car from 2014. Can you?
- digitallis42 2y ago
  Adaptive cruise was still higher end at that time. Certainly not ubiquitous at the mid tier. Heck, it's barely ubiquitous now. Both adaptive cruise and automatic emergency braking are game changer features for safety on the highway.
  - quantified 2y ago
    Nah, it's the same game.
  - dh2022 2y ago
    Adaptive driving is a nuisance for me whenever I rent a new car (it seems most of the rentals have this feature). Those visual and audio cues going off when I am in the middle of changing lanes is very disconcerting - and makes me lose focus for a fraction of a second. I wish I could turn it off - but after one look at that hot mess on that center touch-screen I back off in repulsion. (I also do not like the lights on the side mirrors that indicate a vehicle coming by. I constantly think - what about false positives - and then I double check my blind spot)
    - peanball 2y ago
      Usually they don’t beep on lane changes when you use the indicators before switching. The lights in the side mirrors are also not removing the obligation to check your blind spot. Both help, but don’t take away your responsibility as driver.
pentae 2y ago
Seems like the kind of advice that was true up until about 10 years ago
potato3732842 2y ago
Everyone says this but the number of accidents (of which injurious, let alone fatal ones are a small minority) the typical person gets into in a lifetime are low enough to make the tradeoff worthwhile.
quantified 2y ago
That's incredibly wrong. 10-year old cars are quite safe.
dh2022 2y ago
If only those 4 people that burned to death in a Tesla last week [1] would have a chance to revisit their vehicle choice... [1] https://people.com/4-killed-after-tesla-crash-sparks-fire-in-toronto-8743464 https://people.com/4-killed-after-tesla-crash-sparks-fire-in...
- hnburnsy 2y ago
  > If only those 4 people that burned to death in a Tesla last week [1] would have a chance to revisit their vehicle choice... > Kind of a weird story for People magazine to be covering, but I guess any story with Tesla gets clicks. Doesn't say if the fire or the high speed impact killed those passengers. Anyhoo, I'd bet those 140+ people killed by GMs ignition switch wish they had a chance to revisit their car buying choice.

m463 2y ago

I think of the last generation of pro-level film cameras. They were expensive, but well designed and durable, yet ... who wants to pay in time and money to develop film every 36 pictures? I think some really good gas cars only make sense if you use them infrequently to haul heavy things or lots of passengers. Otherwise it is getting cheaper to run an EV - you might even charge it with electricity you capture yourself.

yftsui 2y ago
Develop film takes time, same as why somebody wait for hours and hours just to get an EV charged? The “last generation” can “recharge” to 450miles in 3 minutes at a gas station then move on.
- vel0city 2y ago
  > same as why somebody wait for hours and hours just to get an EV charged? I spend hours a year more waiting for gas pumps for my ICE than I spend waiting on my EV to charge. And I put way more miles on my EV than my ICE.
  - quantified 2y ago
    Are you lucky enough to own your own house, do you put up with a corporate landlord/big condo, or are you in street parking?
    - vel0city 2y ago
      I live in a single family residence like the majority of households in the US. My point still stands. Despite driving more miles on my EV my ICE wastes my time on pumping gas especially before all the time I waste with routine maintenance. I am far from alone. Why would anyone waste their time going to gas stations all the time and wait for oil changes and have to deal with all that maintenance of things like timing belts and what not?
      - 2y ago