351–360 of 471 posts
I feel arguments like this always ignore the fact that buying a toaster in 1950 was a major investment for a family, and if you want to spend $2000 on a high-end toaster in 2023, which is probably equivalent in inflation-adjusted price to the 1950s toaster, it will probably also be very nice.
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On average they didn't (oh no, that repair costs more than the "car is worth" as if that's a metric that actually means anything) but it was far easier to keep one running indefinitely. You could take an engine to a small machine shop and get the head and block resurfaced, valves reamed and cylinders lapped. Without any electronics to fail it was just a block of metal that was slowly losing material and a quick hit w…
As someone who drives an “old” Honda 2006, I’m surprised that this machine is still running very good. I could just take it to my local shop and had it fixed in 1-2 days. Based on my logs, I took the car for repair on average of 3-4 times a year. I am looking to purchase a new family vehicle in the future but with all the softwares, screens, and fancy stuffs I am not sure if I liked it. Anyone feels this way?
If you are really having this car repaired 4 times a year for 18 years (72 repairs) this doesn't sound like a reliable machine. A modern Toyota or Honda can go many years with 0 repairs, just consumables.
Obsolence-shmobsolence. If you need a kitchen appliance, just buy Siemens. Of course the problem exists, but in many cases it's possible to buy stuff which lasts if you are willing to pay a premium.
So this article implies that a number of things that we buy previously were built to last longer, and indeed did last longer. The first few examples are kitchen appliances. In this case I don't really know, but I'm at least willing to listen. Ultimately the evidence is people responding to a thread on Twitter where he solicited complaints. Not so compelling. But then he mentions a "hybrid sedan". Here I'm aware of th…
> Modern cars are much, much more reliable and durable than ones built at any time in the past May I know the timeframe and your experience on which you base the conclusion? Been driving for last 35 years. Every newer car is crappier in every possible way - comfort, speed, durability, quality, reliability. It's not some subjective observations - some 40-50 years ago automakers were accomodating customers, now they ac…
My first car was from 2004 and I've been envy of many features, especially "security" ones of modern cars like cornering lights or QoL stuff like reversing camera that I had to mount as customization.
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As someone who drives an “old” Honda 2006, I’m surprised that this machine is still running very good. I could just take it to my local shop and had it fixed in 1-2 days. Based on my logs, I took the car for repair on average of 3-4 times a year. I am looking to purchase a new family vehicle in the future but with all the softwares, screens, and fancy stuffs I am not sure if I liked it. Anyone feels this way?
Repair 3-4 times a year or oil changes/consumables? How many miles does this honda have, age is not a good indicator over miles. If you are really having this car repaired 4 times a year for 18 years (72 repairs) this doesn't sound like a reliable machine. A modern Toyota or Honda can go many years with 0 repairs, just consumables.
I’ll offer a list of things I’ve owned that have lasted a lot longer than I’d expect: - 2017 MacBook Pro and iPhone SE - honestly, the Dre beats that came with above MacBook - every Lexus sedan ever, hybrid or not - Tumi backpack and carryon - Sonos soundbar - M Audio 88 key midi controller keyboard (survived 7 moves) It sounds like the author’s problems largely center around things with motors and pumps, which tbh d…
How long do you keep your cars? These are machines that can last a few decades on lower end models as long as you go for durability over fanciness, and provide the nominal amount of maintenance
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There's also a survival bias in that we don't consider the appliances from yesteryear that packed up back when disco was king.
That's the smartest possible counterpoint to all this, nicely counterpointed. This was a fun read and I agree in sentiment to the rage of all the crap from target that falls apart in 10 minutes but I feel like I've developed an ok sense if when I'm taking this risk and am less frustrated when something cheap fails. Essentially any time I buy anything but a book from Amazon or anything but cereal and vodka from Target…
I used a Kindle 2 e-reader daily for ~14 years and, aside from decreased battery life, it was still great. Sadly I eventually stepped on it one too many times and the screen cracked.
I might fix it for ~$20 with ebay parts if I ever get bored enough.
One possible reason is that it's technically difficult to build something that is just strong enough. In the past they were unable predict the failure moment to an accurate degree, so they over engineered everything.
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> So this article implies that a number of things that we buy previously were built to last longer, and indeed did last longer Anecdotally, I've lost count of modern kitchen appliances such as blenders, coffee makers, cooking "processors", that have died on me. And not cheap either, basically mid-tier stuff. Any such device with extra digital "smarts" and a monitor in particular is a huge red flag. Whereas I still ha…
instead of buying home consumer appliances, i would elect to purchase appliances that are used in commercial kitchens or working restaurants. They often only buy long lasting equipment, and the market shows it. It's hella expensive, but that's what you pay for.
Assuming old stuff is more durable than new stuff: I wonder why older stuff was made to a higher standard? If people had less disposable income back then, why wasnt there an incentive to make low quality cheaper things? One possible reason is that it's technically difficult to build something that is just strong enough. In the past they were unable predict the failure moment to an accurate degree, so they over engine…