The banner above is an advertisment - if it asks you to download software, please ignore.
Site News -
7/1: Members: Log In to See Fewer Ads! |
5/28: SAAB Evolutions/TSN T-Shirts $14
[General |
Members |
C900 |
9000 |
NG900 & OG93 |
93 |
95 |
NG95 |
99 |
Sonett |
Vintage Models |
Clubs |
Other Cars |
FAQs |
Gifts |
Member Photo Galleries |
Member Directory |
Classifieds |
Manuals |
*Buddy Registry |
*Mileage Registry |
Polls |
What's New |
Raffle |
Photo of the Month |
Sponsors]
[Main General Bulletin Board | BBFAQ |
Prev by Date | Next by Date | Post Followup ]
Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
Re: Well said!
Posted by Tim (more from Tim) on Sat, 2 Jun 2012 06:07:17
In Reply to: Re: Well said!, No Snaab, Fri, 1 Jun 2012 15:59:09
Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup
Even the mid-90's MB's with the 3.2liter V6 had already started Jurgen Shremp's "strategy" of making short service life cars. The 3.2 liter V6 from that era was known to have engine leak before warranty expiration, worse than even the GM tradition of lasting just long enough to avoid warranty service. I remember back a decade ago, many classified ads looked funny: 10+yrs old (1980's) MB's were asking twice as much as recent vintage (mid-90's) used MB's at the time.
IMHO, there are several factors contributing to the phenomenom:
1. Technology content of cars increased significantly in the last couple decades. That makes an old reliable car obsolete. Therefore the production cycle has to be much shorter.
2. The real disposable income among the upper-middle class in the West has been declining. The ultra-rich doesn't buy enough cars to matter for typical manufacturers other than makers of exotics. Therefore, the mainstream luxury carmakers have been moving down-market in the last two decades. The rising upper class in India and China face road conditions and labor environment that it makes sense to let their drivers deal with the traffic jams, so they don't really care much about cars besides the hood ornament and the back seat comfort. Besides, just about any car sells in those markets with scant competition from used cars; it will be a while before the car nuts among them appreciate long-term durability like Americans did during the 60's to 80's rise of Euro imports (if ever, see point 1 above).
3. With auto workers' wages cutting to $15/hr, while local mechanics charging $60/hr ($100+ at the dealership), at some point, cars might just become disposable appliances like TV's became in the 80's and 90's. Before then, there used to be local TV repair shops, and the family TV lasted a decade or longer.
posted by 75.67.1...
Posts in this Thread:
- What current car is most like my '02 9-5 Aero?, sieglo, Tue, 29 May 2012 06:57:49
- I have an 03 Aero and was wondering the same thing, Blake, Wed, 30 May 2012 06:50:06
- Re: What current car is most like my '02 9-5 Aero?, No Snaab, Tue, 29 May 2012 16:06:10
- You have the best now. Just needs a JZW tune-up., Norm95, Tue, 29 May 2012 12:41:24
- Re: What current car is most like my '02 9-5 Aero?, OKSaabs, Tue, 29 May 2012 12:40:50
- Re: What current car is most like my '02 9-5 Aero?, Paul H, Tue, 29 May 2012 08:11:54
- Re: What current car is most like my '02 9-5 Aero?, Dan-O, Tue, 29 May 2012 07:15:50
Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup
Post a Followup
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
StateOfNine.com
![](/tsn/xyz/stateofninebutton.gif) |
SaabClub.com
![](/tsn/xyz/scnabutton.gif) |
Jak Stoll Performance
![](/tsn/xyz/jakstollbutton.gif) |
M Car Covers
![](/tsn/xyz/mcarcoversbutton.gif) |
Ad Available
![](/tsn/xyz/buttonavailable.gif) |
![](/tsn/images/tsnmap.gif)
Random Saabnet.com Member Gallery Photos (Click Image)
This is a moderated bulletin board - Posting is a privilege, not a right.
Unsolicited commercial postings are not allowed (no spam). Please, no For Sale or Wanted postings, SERIOUSLY.
Classifieds are to be listed in The Saab Network Classifieds pages.
This is a problem solving forum for over 250,000 Saab owners, so expect to see
problems discussed here even though our cars are generally very reliable. This is not an anything goes
type of forum. Saabnet.com has been a moderated forum since 1988. For usage guidelines, see the
Saabnet.com Mission and Purpose Page. Please remember that you are
not anonymous. Site Contact | Site Donations | Other Sites by SP -
Poverty2Prosperity.org | Run Club Menlo Park | ScreenBot
Site Members do not see red text instructions, bottom of the page anchor ads, or box ads.
Click here to see all
the Site Membership Benefits!