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Used cars retain designs and features more coveted than their replacements

wsj.com

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Re: Used cars retain designs and features more coveted than their replacements

#21

Post by drewcoo »

Supermancho wrote: post #4

If you had to buy a clothes washer recently, top load is better than side load, agitator is better than no agitator, analog buttons or dial is a plus, et al. Old is better than new. The rude design choices have compounded. Nobody needs an app to know what cycle their washer is at. Anyone using a washer, listens for it. When your display goes out, all the functionality is gone. It's just mind boggling. The 2024 Hyunda…

> Anyone using a washer, listens for it.

Currently, I have to set a timer on my phone to go check the washer and dryer because my laundry is in the basement and I'm probably on the 2nd floor or outside.

I would love it if these things would run on my network with simple, published APIs exposed to tell me status so that I could know that I could have automated alerting and know that they wouldn't fail in the future when their manufacturer drops support.

Re: Used cars retain designs and features more coveted than their replacements

#22

Post by johnea »

Supermancho wrote: post #4

If you had to buy a clothes washer recently, top load is better than side load, agitator is better than no agitator, analog buttons or dial is a plus, et al. Old is better than new. The rude design choices have compounded. Nobody needs an app to know what cycle their washer is at. Anyone using a washer, listens for it. When your display goes out, all the functionality is gone. It's just mind boggling. The 2024 Hyunda…

I agree that older is better, especially in avoiding the data harvestng of newer cars (and everything else)

However, I would disagree that top load washers are better than front load. Front load uses less water and causes less wear of garmets. I bought the last several I've owned used, because odler is better (and cheaper)...

Re: Used cars retain designs and features more coveted than their replacements

#23

Post by Liquix »

Supermancho wrote: post #4

If you had to buy a clothes washer recently, top load is better than side load, agitator is better than no agitator, analog buttons or dial is a plus, et al. Old is better than new. The rude design choices have compounded. Nobody needs an app to know what cycle their washer is at. Anyone using a washer, listens for it. When your display goes out, all the functionality is gone. It's just mind boggling. The 2024 Hyunda…

IMHO it doesn't matter which kinds of bugs bubble up to daily use. I have no interest in purchasing something at full price when it's stuffed with buggy software that's harvesting my family's data for profit [0].

a bug in a routine to record our private, intimate conversations could put someone's life in danger, and for what? it's revolting enough to put in the work finding and maintaining 20 year old cars.

it'd be one thing if they were like smart TVs - pay $300 for one with a mile long privacy policy or pay $600 for a solid commercial display. but paying $20k+ and having no other option? abso fucking lutely not

[0] https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/categor...

Re: Used cars retain designs and features more coveted than their replacements

#24

Post by daft_pink »

I don’t want a new car because I don’t really drive anymore. We work remotely and we have two cars that we rarely drive.

Meanwhile my friends waited a year to get the car they wanted. I’m not even going to bother going to the dealer to wait for a new Toyota at that rate.

Not really motivated to spend much money on something I barely use.

Re: Used cars retain designs and features more coveted than their replacements

#25

Post by drewcoo »

amelius wrote: post #17
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Anyone using a washer, listens for it I hate laundry. I still have no idea how to do it; I referred to detergent as laundry sauce a few years ago after forgetting the word. (Thank you, subconscious of mine.) The new machines with screens are a nuisance. Apparently to you, somebody competent. But also to those of us for whom listening to one’s washing machine sounds like advice from a laundry Lorax.

Doing laundry is of about the same complexity as boiling an egg.

Is that a standard egg or delicate? Is it hand wash? Maybe dry clean only?

Re: Used cars retain designs and features more coveted than their replacements

#26

Post by [deleted] »

drewcoo wrote: post #21
Supermancho wrote: post #4

If you had to buy a clothes washer recently, top load is better than side load, agitator is better than no agitator, analog buttons or dial is a plus, et al. Old is better than new. The rude design choices have compounded. Nobody needs an app to know what cycle their washer is at. Anyone using a washer, listens for it. When your display goes out, all the functionality is gone. It's just mind boggling. The 2024 Hyunda…

> Anyone using a washer, listens for it. Currently, I have to set a timer on my phone to go check the washer and dryer because my laundry is in the basement and I'm probably on the 2nd floor or outside. I would love it if these things would run on my network with simple, published APIs exposed to tell me status so that I could know that I could have automated alerting and know that they wouldn't fail in the future wh…

[deleted]

Re: Used cars retain designs and features more coveted than their replacements

#27

Post by JumpCrisscross »

candiddevmike wrote: post #10
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Anyone using a washer, listens for it I hate laundry. I still have no idea how to do it; I referred to detergent as laundry sauce a few years ago after forgetting the word. (Thank you, subconscious of mine.) The new machines with screens are a nuisance. Apparently to you, somebody competent. But also to those of us for whom listening to one’s washing machine sounds like advice from a laundry Lorax.

Have you considered spending some time to understand how these machines work? I promise you the operational part in the manual that came with them is probably 10 pages long, and designed to instruct folks with an eighth grade reading level how to do laundry.

> Have you considered spending some time to understand how these machines work?

Yes, and I really don’t care to. I get some joy out of cooking, small mechanical jobs and even doing dishes. I do not from laundry.

My point isn’t that people should love or hate laundry. It’s that the modern technology seems to add no value to either the experts nor amateurs. I vastly prefer simple dials and buttons to the ISS docking procedures some appliances demand for socks.

Re: Used cars retain designs and features more coveted than their replacements

#28

Post by Bjartr »

codedokode wrote: post #15
Panzer04 wrote: post #7

Are these really the problem? I feel like new cars are obscenely expensive right now. Even a basic car can easily run you 30-40k, the same thing a few years used will be The difference between a brand new car and a 10 year old car is almost nil in terms of featureset nowadays (if anything, you get more because you can buy a higher end older model for less), every car has all the basics. Cars just got so good over the…

Why there are no $3k-$4k cars? I am sure most people need cheaper cars, not electric cars, or AI cars, or cars with mobile app and telemetry. Those are toys for the rich.

I think it's at least in part because you have to meet a whole lot of regulations to make a car street legal. You can start with a simple 3k vehicle, but by time you've made the changes needed to pass all the requirements it'll be over 10k.

It's worth noting that the majority of these regulations are at least nominally about safety.

Re: Used cars retain designs and features more coveted than their replacements

#29

Post by DavidPiper »

While I'm also in the anti-touchscreen crowd (and depressed to hear that cost reduction is the core reason they've taken over), I think another reason might be that we've been promised for years that cars (EVs in particular) are on the cusp of a technological revolution.

Not just in terms of self-driving features, but also single-charge range and price. If you know next year's car is going to be significantly better - and at worst the same price - why would you buy a car this year?

Re: Used cars retain designs and features more coveted than their replacements

#30

Post by JumpCrisscross »

amelius wrote: post #17
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Anyone using a washer, listens for it I hate laundry. I still have no idea how to do it; I referred to detergent as laundry sauce a few years ago after forgetting the word. (Thank you, subconscious of mine.) The new machines with screens are a nuisance. Apparently to you, somebody competent. But also to those of us for whom listening to one’s washing machine sounds like advice from a laundry Lorax.

Doing laundry is of about the same complexity as boiling an egg.

> about the same complexity as boiling an egg

I’m more than happy to spend an afternoon figuring out the times and temperatures that get me various stages of runny and jammy at my altitude, on my range, in a way I couldn’t be bothered to for the benefit of having clothes again.

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