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Generation Junk

walterkirn.substack.com

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Re: Generation Junk

#411

Post by moritzwarhier »

cameldrv wrote: post #406
spzb wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's also a survival bias in that we don't consider the appliances from yesteryear that packed up back when disco was king.

Thinking back to growing up, we had an electric stove, washer, dryer, dishwasher, and refrigerator. All were purchased from '79-82 or so. 1. Stove died in about 2007 2. Washer/dryer were replaced with something "better", although they were still running in 2009 3. Dishwasher died in 2011 4. Refrigerator was replaced but still running in 2013 This was not just survivorship bias. Basically all of these appliances laste…

This. I don't really care about cars but for household appliances there is a clear tendency towards obsolescence.

Another data point: Just replaced a washer from the early 90s (German low-price brand, "Privileg") with one from the 2010s by a higher-priced brand (Bosch). Both were used. Reason for replacement: small top-loader for larger standard washer.

Both were obviously bought used.

The newer one broke within six months. The old, 30-year old one still works. The defect was a mechanical one, not the PCB. But notably, the still-functioning washer has no digital controls.

I know, anecdata is no data. But for this kind of appliance, I'd bet my arm that their lifetime has decreased substantially.

Re: Generation Junk

#412

Post by truculent »

cs702 wrote: post #387

Many of these junky mass-market products are currently stuck in a Nash Equilibrium [a]: Each manufacturer is unable improve the product's quality without increasing its retail price, but increasing the price would make the product more expensive than competing products made by other manufacturers, who are in the same situation. No manufacturer can improve quality without raising prices and losing market share. Their…

What’s the implication for moving the equilibrium point? State action? Collective action?

Re: Generation Junk

#414

Post by blueridge »

apothegm wrote: post #363
jacobkg wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wirecutter is definitely hit and miss but I will say that their upgrade pick for towels (Riley Home) are phenomenal and have held up to everyday use for 3 years and counting: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-bath-towel/

It’s a little sad, though, that it’s now impressive for a towel to last 3 years. The ones my parents bought in 1986 are still in my rotation for everyday use and holding up better than the set I bought (not cheaply) in 2010, which are starting to look like they need replacement.

Too funny, was just talking about this with my parents. My mom has bathroom towels she bought in 1988 that are still used every day. They're a little faded, but they look great and feel great. I think they're from Ralph Lauren. Same with their bed sheets that show no signs of failure after decades of use. They've had the same comforter since I was 5 years old.

Meanwhile we've gone through Parachute, Brooklinen, some sheets and towels from Macy's, and nothing seems to last.

I don't know enough about the brands they sell, but thinking we might buy from here next: https://linensociety.com/

Re: Generation Junk

#415

Post by UncleOxidant »

cameldrv wrote: post #406
spzb wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's also a survival bias in that we don't consider the appliances from yesteryear that packed up back when disco was king.

Thinking back to growing up, we had an electric stove, washer, dryer, dishwasher, and refrigerator. All were purchased from '79-82 or so. 1. Stove died in about 2007 2. Washer/dryer were replaced with something "better", although they were still running in 2009 3. Dishwasher died in 2011 4. Refrigerator was replaced but still running in 2013 This was not just survivorship bias. Basically all of these appliances laste…

Bought a house in 1990 that had all of the original appliances in it from 1974. The stove died around 2000 (26 years). The Fridge died around 2010 (36 years). The dishwasher died in 2012 (38 years).

We started renting that house out in 2010 and bought a different house that had appliances that were about 7 years old (based on what the previous owner had told us). We had to replace the dishwasher in 2012 (so it was 9 years old then) and since then we had to replace it again in 2022 (at 10 years). Had to replace the fridge in 2014 (11 years).

Re: Generation Junk

#416

Post by dmoy »

dmoy wrote: post #409
nunez wrote: post #391

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mid-tier still exists; you've just got to look for it. We purchased a $3200 couch that is definitely mid-tier for its size and it's been a fantastic value so far.

Yea we got something from... uh... (Insert place I'll go look up), which let us select the specific fabric, and took awhile (months?), but was pretty solid. For yea, around $2.5-$3k for a rather huge couch - something like two separate 2m couches that fit together in an L shape. Was able to select very durable fabric too

West Elm?

Guess they're >$3k now, but still well under $5k

Re: Generation Junk

#417

Post by Scoundreller »

YouWhy wrote: post #220
MichaelZuo wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can have that level of quality and care for the entire car, not just limited to the drivetrain and electronics, and it's probably even in a showroom right now waiting for buyers, just at your nearest Rolls Royce dealership.

I would not expect RR to be particularly high quality, due to: 1. Small production batches, 2. Low typical usage - most RR owners do not use it to commute on a daily basis, hence do not face high reliability requirements, 3. The ability of the typical buyer to overspend on maintenance, whether preemptively or on-demand.

Rolls Royces are becoming reshelled BMW mechanics and electronics.

Check this out where the clock spring is the same as a bmw part and just the knobs are fancier (and swappable!):

https://www.reddit.com/r/Justrolledintotheshop/comments/18m5...

Re: Generation Junk

#418

Post by dahart »

dehrmann wrote: post #255
lawgimenez wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

> I’m surprised that this machine is still running very good I'm not. It's a Honda.

My 2017 CRV started bricking itself, of course right at the 5 year warranty mark. something was wrong somewhere and the electronics & sensor system didn’t know where so it was designed to shut all the electronic systems off, like cruise control, emergency braking, road departure mitigation, etc. etc.. about 20 different sub-systems, each one got it’s own separate loud annoying beep in succession every time the car started.

We took it to the dealer many times, and they couldn’t figure out what was wrong either. That didn’t stop them from trying, by replacing whatever part was their best guess and charging us for the new one plus labor. During our final visit to the dealer, only a few blocks away, the car broke down. It limped, smoking, to the dealer where they found the AC compressed had seized causing the timing belt to melt, which then took out the alternator and several other components. After a $5,000 repair and assurances the problem must be fixed, we took it home and had a nice month’s worth of driving, and then it started bricking again. We couldn’t sell it fast enough, what a nightmare.

To their partial credit, Honda later reimbursed half the repair cost, and the dealer admitted the vehicle failure was design flaws that were out of our control. We also found out after the repair that the AC compressor had been recalled, but unfortunately the new one didn’t fix the problem.

Tl;dr I did before I bought it, but I personally no longer believe Honda to be more reliable than any other brand. One major problem across the industry now is that they know how to make good reliable engines and powertrains, but none of them are any good at computer software reliability, and computers have very suddenly taken over all critical systems in the car.

Re: Generation Junk

#420

Post by neonnoodle »

Why? Reaganomics. It's the late 1980s--they shut down the plant and shipped your job overseas. Real wages flatten and stay flat. But not to worry! The products you love are now cheaper (albeit slightly crappier). You buy the cheaper thing more out of necessity than real "choice," since Baumol's cost disease is making everything but consumer goods outrageously expensive. There are more expensive versions of some products, but they're often just overpriced faux-luxury trim on the same junk. Luxury goods stay good, since the wealthy have several orders of magnitude more than you ever will in 1000 lifetimes. There used to be...what did they used to call it? A "middle class"...
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