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Originally Posted by drronh Its all about marketing- what America does best- create a need for something you don't need. Remember those great Mercedes from the 70's and early 80's- No reason why you couldn't get at least a couple hundred thousand miles out of them with regular maintenance. Thats not good for car companies. Why not make cars more complex and heavier. Repair costs and complexity go up. Easier to total a car in an accident. So instead of buying a car and driving it for 20 years which should be possible especially with today's technology, buy a new car every 3-5 years and junk a car after ten years. Nevermind the waste of natural resources this is. It keeps car companies in business, it keeps the banks happy, and you feel good because the marketers told you you would. |
Are referring partially to planned obsolescence? You're correct about the older Mercs, you don't see that happening much anymore. It seems like products from every category don't last as long as they used to. The quote "they don't make 'em like they used to" kind of sums it up. Things are so much better at present in terms of innovation, but at the end of the day, things are built with the company's best interests in mind rather than the consumer or something like the environment.
I grew up and lived in Los Angeles until around August last year, and yes the city is much more focused on cars than probably most in the country. I'm up in Portland, Oregon now, so the contrast is immediately obvious. It's not just the potential for inclement weather up here, but I think LA culture is very different from many other cities in the United States. Being a car enthusiast, I do miss seeing nicer cars more often. I did see a red Ferrari F430 spider with beige interior on the road the other day, which might be the most expensive car I've seen up here (along with a Continental GT maybe). Compare that to back home where I've seen a Carrera GT on numerous occasions and even a Zonda which is owned by a former client of my brother's.