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When we bought my wife's Audi, we had 3 dealers trying to find the combo we wanted and none of them gave a damn. 'you can buy what we have on the lot' mentality.
We used a car concierge (Automatch, one of the old Jalopnik writers) and paid $500 to get exactly what we wanted, for about 15% off what we were quoted locally, including shipping to our door and a 100K extended warranty.
I will never buy another new car any other way again - my time and peace of mind is worth too much to me to spend it on a dealer.
It's human nature for people to get "stuck" on something, like the cost of things, or music. I feel like my financial awareness is somewhat stuck between 1990 and 2010, and my music never evolved beyond the 80's. I blame rap music, LOL.
Do people like us get stuck, or do we simply expect an evolution without tradeoffs? Cars, clothing, appliances, etc.
What if you could buy a pair of Levi’s that were preshrunk, consistent sizing, a little stretchy and still held up and looked great 10 years later. Would you complain that they cost 3x what you remember paying 30 years ago? Instead, they cost 3x more, don’t last nearly as long, shrink if you forget them in the dryer and are so inconsistently sized it’s comical.
Reliability is what scares me away from new cars. Just like we learned to accept that appliances only last 5-7 years, we are slowly reaching the same conclusion about cars. The problem is that they cost a whole lot more than appliances. 5 year old Tesla Model 3 in great shape, 15k. The industry wants us to look at cars in the same way we view depreciation on our laptop or tablet, but I’m just not there yet.
Last edited by socketz67; Feb 10, 2026 at 10:09 PM.
What if you could buy a pair of Levi’s that were preshrunk, consistent sizing, a little stretchy and still held up and looked great 10 years later. Would you complain that they cost 3x what you remember paying 30 years ago? Instead, they cost 3x more, don’t last nearly as long, shrink if you forget them in the dryer and are so inconsistently sized it’s comical.
Those are called Duluth Trading Co. Ballroom Jeans. 4 pair have lasted me ~5 years of almost daily wear.
Reliability is what scares me away from new cars. Just like we learned to accept that appliances only last 5-7 years, we are slowly reaching the same conclusion about cars. The problem is that they cost a whole lot more than appliances. 5 year old Tesla Model 3 in great shape, 15k. The industry wants us to look at cars in the same way we view depreciation on our laptop or tablet, but I’m just not there yet.
Same. Soon enough our perfectly-fine Lenovo laptops will be unusable since there was a random decision for Windows 11 to not support that particular chip (although on paper it meets all the specs). Soon our kitchen appliances (save the KitchenAid, god bless) will be obsolete once something breaks because no parts are available past about 5 years. That's why RotaryMike (me) no longer has any rotaries... hard to find parts for a 1990s car when aftermarket has never supported the engine let alone the body and interior.
That also applies to me, about to turn 54. If I break something badly LOL I'm cooked.
LOL. Kitchen Aid ain’t what it used to be…I’m on my second, new $4000+ fridge after fighting with them for months to get the first one replaced (they finally did when it TRIPPED my breaker because of the fault! Already had to have the water dispenser replaced on the new unit and water is freezing up again on the bottom of the new fridge so had them out again and another repair coming. So bad that I was forced to take their extended warranty bc I have no faith that this unit will hold up.
Yet, I have two other older Kitchen Aid fridges (one close to 20 years old) running like tops…
Do people like us get stuck, or do we simply expect an evolution without tradeoffs? Cars, clothing, appliances, etc.
What if you could buy a pair of Levi’s that were preshrunk, consistent sizing, a little stretchy and still held up and looked great 10 years later. Would you complain that they cost 3x what you remember paying 30 years ago? Instead, they cost 3x more, don’t last nearly as long, shrink if you forget them in the dryer and are so inconsistently sized it’s comical.
Reliability is what scares me away from new cars. Just like we learned to accept that appliances only last 5-7 years, we are slowly reaching the same conclusion about cars. The problem is that they cost a whole lot more than appliances. 5 year old Tesla Model 3 in great shape, 15k. The industry wants us to look at cars in the same way we view depreciation on our laptop or tablet, but I’m just not there yet.
Part of the issue for me is what is being introduced. It's really the first time in my life that I'm not enthusiastic about anything that is coming out. I mean sure, I'd take a 6MT 911T, but that doesn't fit into my life at all. As somewhat of an Audi-VW fanboy, I was looking forward to the new S4 and A6/S6, until I saw them. I think there is a good % of people coming to the conclusion that cars are becoming disposable. I see a screen spanning the entire dash as is becoming common, and think it's going to end up like any other electronic device in 5+ years -- outdated, unable to update, and if it breaks, you won't even be able to change your HVAC settings. Combined with my preference for sedans, and the available options are getting really slim and basically appliance like. Feels like the goal is to make a car that can survive a 3 year lease, then sold as a CPO, and once out of warranty, thrown away.
I can not speak for their major appliances but my 1970s KitchenAid mixer was still going strong when I gave it to my neighbor a few years back.
Originally Posted by JZ39
Yet, I have two other older Kitchen Aid fridges (one close to 20 years old) running like tops…
Similar story but with Hotpoint refrigerators. During the great war (WW2) it was very difficult to buy new appliances as all of the raw materials were going toward the war effort and with the Depression money was beyond tight. My grandparents bought a used Hotpoint refrigerator (1938/39 model) for ≈$50 when they married in 1941. That thing ran like a top. After they moved from the city to the island the icebox went to the basement where it lived happily.
In 1990 my grandfather tried to order a replacement door gasket and the customer service people laughed at him when he gave them the model/serial numbers. They implied he was a nut job because no refrigerator that old is still running. Well, after a few choice words from him they agreed to "send a tech." A few days later the tech shows up- poor kid, didn't know what he was in for- Grandpa took him to the basement and told the kid "now you tell me if I am a (few choice words) crackpot!" Well, obviously, parts were NLA but the kid did take a generic gasket and with some MacGyver'ing fit a new gasket on. That machine lasted until 2010 when it just stopped. RIP Hotpoint.
Flash forward 1996 I bought a Hotpoint side-by-side and that is still running smooth. Only issue was to replace the defrost heating element which, thankfully, was still available. I had it fixed in under a hour.
America traded their pride in quality/ "Made in the USA" products for cheaper overseas manufacturing thus becoming a throw-away society. Companies are not interested in making quality goods that last any more. They are in business to make money and the more product they can sell the more profits the shareholders make. This is all planned obsolescence. Tech is the worst- my iPhone 14PM is already "outdated," but it is the same with every industry including the drug makers. Why cure when we can sell a annual vaccine?
As for the auto industry... with ugly designs, saturated/ distracting tech, too many damn LED's, and lackluster performance, I shudder to think what that landscape will look like in another 10-20 years. I am at the point in my life I have one more car purchase left before my end of days. Sadly that will have to be a (used) small SUV of some sort (Jag F-Pace- I'm still eyeing you), but given the way the industry is leaning- like it or not- I just might look for a souped up wheelchair and ride off into the sunset that way...
Last edited by ILM-NC G37S; Feb 11, 2026 at 12:31 PM.
Sadly that will have to be a small SUV of some sort but given the way the industry is leaning- like it or not- I just might look for a souped up wheelchair and call it a day.
At 62 and eyeing retirement, I've probably got one more personal car in my future, and at least two more family cars.
It's weird getting old, isn't it? I discovered the other day that I can't do pull-ups anymore, LOL. It was very humbling.
LOL. Kitchen Aid ain’t what it used to be…I’m on my second, new $4000+ fridge after fighting with them for months to get the first one replaced (they finally did when it TRIPPED my breaker because of the fault! Already had to have the water dispenser replaced on the new unit and water is freezing up again on the bottom of the new fridge so had them out again and another repair coming. So bad that I was forced to take their extended warranty bc I have no faith that this unit will hold up.
Yet, I have two other older Kitchen Aid fridges (one close to 20 years old) running like tops…
I digress…
Oh, I only have the 'real' KitchenAid product - the stand mixer. And ours is old enough to have metal gears. Thing is a *beast*
At 62 and eyeing retirement, I've probably got one more personal car in my future, and at least two more family cars.
It's weird getting old, isn't it? I discovered the other day that I can't do pull-ups anymore, LOL. It was very humbling.
One of my go-to complaints has become "I wouldn't trust that person as far as I can throw them, and I've got torn rotator cuffs."
Aging is so weird - my brain still thinks I'm 25ish until I stand up, then I'm 85. It takes an hour and a few Monsters before the clinical dose of caffeine averages me out to my actual age.
I've got *maybe* 5-6 more years of litigating, then I'll need to find a judge's seat somewhere to retire from...
One of my go-to complaints has become "I wouldn't trust that person as far as I can throw them, and I've got torn rotator cuffs."
Aging is so weird - my brain still thinks I'm 25ish until I stand up, then I'm 85. It takes an hour and a few Monsters before the clinical dose of caffeine averages me out to my actual age.
I've got *maybe* 5-6 more years of litigating, then I'll need to find a judge's seat somewhere to retire from...
My old man would always say “I wouldn’t trust that guy’s far as I can pick him up and run with him”
Strange how those sayings vanished from language and everyone became so “literal”.
Love the age analogy as I feel the same, 30 years old till someone shares a picture of me in a group setting. The aching is far worse this time of year, even in the mild climate of SoCal. I see now why so many move to west Florida when they retire. That place is paradise this time of year, but hotter than a well digger’s *** in summer.
You/we are on the second curve, embrace it. Fluid intelligence is in the rear view and crystal intelligence is now our advantage.
Read from Strength to Strength by Arthur C. Brooks. Puts aging into perspective.
I blame rap music, LOL.
