A place to discuss problems of car centric infrastructure or how it hurts us all. Let's explore the bad world of Cars!
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In the absence of a flair system on lemmy yet, let’s try to make it easier to scan through posts by type in here by using tags:
He has been thinking about replacing his 2020 Ford F-150 pickup truck
Just... wtf.... Your car is only 6 years old and it's just so old that you really think to need to replace it? And your story is so relatable it lands in an article? How much difference can you even see between that 2020 and a 2026 model really?
I suspect it's media lying again, in order to normalize replacing vehicles more often.
I don't think it's lying, I was in a lot in 2022 looking at a used 2021 with like 8k miles on it and wondered what they got bought after trading in. The guy said that he actually bought a 2022 of the exact same model, because he didn't want to be seen driving anything but the current years model.
They certainly exist and can be found to quote, just seems out of touch to treat the situation as somehow "worrying" enough to make the cut. Figured you probably could have found someone with at least a decade old car to comment...
He needs more surveillance in his truck.
If they are a frequent driver, they could be putting 20k-25k a year on their truck. Like yeah I wouldn't want a Ford with 120k miles on it either.
I mean, it's a Ford tho.
Surprisingly, a majority of Fords made in the 90's are still on the road today!
...It's simply not worth the expense to haul them away. XD
Jk
How much difference can you even see between that 2020 and a 2026 model really?
I wonder if it was manufactured in that weird sweet (bitter?) spot where "supply chain issues" made everyone use cheaper parts and forego many chip-based components entirely.
It's OK, we'll just rent vehicles per journey, and in order to make things more efficient, put extra seats in and run bigger cars between popular destinations. Maybe even use rails for really popular places.
Maybe they'll think of a name for this in the future.
Maybe if they had a line of them hooked together? A train of some sort?
No what if we sold everyone a new car, and then bored tunnels under the cities to run them super fast with computer control
Oh wait no that's the dumbest thing ever sorry
The auto industry is worried
I mean, they have the power to reduce the price. 🤷♂️
But then the line won't go up as much and the CEO won't get his bonus :(
And it would just be uncouth if the CEO couldn't buy another yacht to go with his new mansion this year.
Corporations pay stagnant wages, raise prices, funnel money out of the economy to shareholders who hoard wealth, and then get worried when there's no one left who can buy their products?
Tell me again why we think C-Suite folks are smart?
Right, because they'll get bailed out again and stay rich. That's why.
It's a god damn disgrace.
I'm sure someone will come around and tell me how complicated economics is and why we should trust business and industry leaders who went to school for this sort of thing, like basic pattern recognition and common sense couldn't have predicted that people who can barely afford groceries would stop buying cars...
Fuck.
Nobody asked for a 100k pickup truck. Who wants to throw boards and chains in that?
maybe stop making everything an apartment on wheels with ipads everywhere. 🤷
Then maybe the auto industry should stop donating to Republicans.
The numbers don't lie. Republicans are bad for our economy. Bad economy means people don't buy the 1st or 2nd most expensive thing they'll ever buy (since many will never be homeowners).
Not just that it's unaffordable but I'm not paying 60k for a car with a porcelain transmission that needs monthly software updates that might just brick the thing.
"Porcelain transmission" sent me.
Don't forget the oil pumps driven by rubber belts that need half the engine disassembled to replace it.
This! When I was 16 I bought a P.O.S. Buick for 600 bucks. I did all the normal maintenance myself in my driveway. Oil, pads, filters, belts.... Seems like you need a special tool for each part on new cars if you can even get to the part to replace without taking half the engine out.
Even the fuckin battery was bolted down with a long bracket that needed a special 18 inch socket extension to unfasten. Wtf
Wait till you hear about the BMW proprietary screws
If I'm buying a car it would be a BYD, not some gas guzzler by an overpriced American manufacturer which are laughing stocks all over the world.
Literally the same day this article was published, Hyundai decided to cancel their electric sedan in favor of an SUV-only lineup.
Crazy, because I've been praising them for their aesthetic design (polygonal angles done right, proving the kampfwagon didn't ruin it for everyone) and cool electrics and wishing I could've got one, but...yeah.
The U.S car sitch is such a tragic joke.
Maybe it is time to switch to communities built not around cars?
Maybe we could have 4 days weeks and more work-at-home to save gas?
cries in walkable cities with public transportation
They all sit on each others' boards. There is no real competition.
This isn't just a car problem. The problem is they won't pay us enough, they know it, we know it. They'll do anything to keep from paying us more than the absolute minimum they must. Inflation is just another word for greed. They're going to keep pushing until the entire thing collapses, and then they're going to go hide in their bunkers.
They're going to keep pushing until the entire thing collapses, and then they're going to go hide in their bunkers.
Which is SO weird. Because even if your bunker is luxurious as heck, why the heck would you prefer that over a functioning world to run amok in?
Especially if, worst case, all that wealth turns into nothing because it doesn't readily convert to bottlecaps or something lol.
Americans cars just suck and always sucked but now they suck at 60k usd instead of 30k usd.
Two problems, US income distribution is pathetic and shareholder power.
My 2014 Hyundai Sonata is about ready to bite the big one. I will not be getting another car for a while. The nearest bus stop to my apartment is just under a mile away, and my knees are shite. I'm looking at getting a motorized scooter to jet me up the sidewalkless stretch of road I live on to the bus stop, then commute in to work. I work for the city, so I have a free bus pass.
It's gonna suck for a while, but I don't have any better options.
2014?? My Nissan Primera from 96 is still running fine. Check with a mechanic if its possible to resurrect your car. It should hold for longer.
wHy Do mIlLeNnIaLs HaTe ThE aUtO iNdUsTrY
So let in the 10,000$ Toyota EV1 and the like.
I’ve been driving the same car for over 20 years and it was old before I bought it. If I ever replace it, it will be for something that doesn’t cost money to operate. I’m hoping Aptera pulls a win and changes the game for everyone.
Weird. Something in the US is becoming unaffordable. That’s wild.