This Is Why Newer Cars Aren’t Better Vehicles (Generally)

Well, not exactly.

To explain what I mean, allow me to take you through a brief crash course in marketing, and while at it, introduce you to basic human psychology. Without these two (closely intertwined concepts), the grand idea of why newer cars aren’t better vehicles, generally, isn’t ever going to make any sense.

A Crash Course in Marketing (And Basic Human Behavior)

For most companies (every serious company, as a matter of fact), the marketing department is the most serious – and usually, is given the most attention. This is often over and above much more ‘serious’ departments like Research and Development.

The reason? Simple.

If no one buys the end product (coming from R&D), the sole purpose of the company (to make profit) has been thwarted. All actions a company makes, all pivot down to sales (or how to sell their products).

This is the basic truth.

On the other hand, from time immemorial, humans have always wanted newer, bigger, and shinier things, even if these things don’t necessarily mean better.

Curious, you may ask why.

Newer, better, and often, shiny things usually validate the buyer (and user). They distinguish you from the proletarian population and are usually a testament that you’re better off (even when you’re not). The ‘feel good effect’, you’d be right to call it.

The marketing department of automobile companies (thanks to billions spent on consumer behavior and human psychology over the years) understands this more than anything…this is why we have model years that have only a taillight redesign (and a higher price tag to match)!

Over the years, the marketing departments of automobile companies have succeeded in making us all want newer cars, often with the promise of the newer models being safer, more fuel efficient (even if by only one mile, compared to the ‘older’ model). Garnish newer tech and the brainwash is complete…tech that you truly don’t need and can absolutely live without.

But, there are two things these companies never mention that their newer cars are: more reliable and easier to maintain than the older models. Ironically, this is what matters most.

If what matters most isn’t addressed, why are vehicle manufacturers stubbornly persisting in making newer cars the way they are today? The reasons are open secrets (and are summed up into just three): government regulations, consumer craze for tech, and an urgent, unhealthy need for profits.

Government Regulations

Governments the world over are increasingly getting interested in keeping the environment ‘clean’ (never mind that the process of making an electric car is super ‘dirty’). With this policy, older tech is phased out every day and generally, deadlines are given when it becomes illegal to make (or drive) vehicles, powered by engines beyond a certain emission level.

The V8 is being axed by this reality, daily, and that explains why manufacturers are going the turbo and charger way for even full-size trucks and SUVs after slamming V6 and in some cases, lowly i4s under their hoods!

In some severe cases, governments even have a timeline for when the ICE should cease to exist on the face of the earth, in favor of its newer sibling, the electric motor.

But, governments aren’t only pissed off with the pollution of bigger displacement engines: they’re also against the fuel consumption these engines need to run, normally. While this is related to the clean(er) environment factor treated just before now, it’s nevertheless a different subunit, on its own.

It is so because a large engine that somehow manages to keep emissions low, thanks to advancements in its manufacture (like the 2GR FSE), is still going to be shown the way out, eventually, if it doesn’t also double as being fuel efficient.

So, newer cars now need to have engines that are both low on carbon footprint and also double as fuel-efficient. The only challenge is that such engines are usually in the 1-liter range, capable of power and torque no one really wants.

The solution?

Lower displacements. Electric motors. Turbos. Super Chargers.

These additions, essentially, stress lower displacement engines (hello turbos), maxing power basically out of nothing. If stress doesn’t feature, they are simply just an addition, looking for creative ways to break down!

This is why these engines, even when brand new, have nothing on 30-year-old naturally aspirated V8s that simply just keep going, provided they have gas to run.

Consumer Craze (for Tech)

Unfortunately, the government isn’t the only reason we have shitty vehicles today that simply can’t wait to be out of warranty before breaking down horribly. Consumers and their irrational craze for tech contribute heavily to the reason cars are becoming super unreliable by the day.

Allow me a few seconds to explain.

Many Americans today can’t shift a stick! To drive, they need an auto, which is mechanically more complex than a simple traditional shift gearbox.

Traditional radio? Many folks don’t know what that is. Instead, they rely on Android screens that operate on a whole new level of unreliability (compared to the simple radios).

Lane assist? Pedestrian detection? Heated and cooled seats? Tire pressure monitoring systems? 360-degree cameras? The list is endless – and the average vehicle shopper usually wants them all!

The net result? Cars made to satisfy this great consumer craze for tech not only have higher chances of failure and breakdown, but they also consistently rank poorly when compared to older vehicles that are made simply, without any additional, usually unnecessary tech.

The keyword? The more the tech, the more things to go wrong, and usually, the earlier things begin to go wrong (which, in most cases, is right after the warranty period).

It appears, painfully, that for many, peace of mind is just a phrase in the English language!

The ‘Urgent’ Need for Profits

There was a time when cars were made to the highest standards possible and could actually last the lifetime of their owners, if maintained well. Even abused, cars from that era still stayed on the road for longer than the best modern cars offer today.

The Mercedes W124, my best sedan of all time, came from that era.

Called the ‘Golden Era’ (of vehicle manufacture) and spanning into the early 2000s (from the 80s, roughly), that period, unfortunately, is long gone now and is nothing more than mere history today.

Now, accountants are in charge of vehicle design philosophy, and more than ever, what drives vehicle production is PURE profits and not the excellence that the engineers of yore sought.

The result: planned obsolescence. Vehicles, instead of being overengineered and made to last the lifetime of their users, are instead manufactured to begin their failure right after the warranty period!

While this philosophy puts more money on the table for vehicle manufacturers (and makes shareholders of auto companies richer), it also ensures one thing: older cars, especially models that were engineered properly and maintained well, are consistently outlasting brand new cars.

So, what’s the point?

Summary

This article isn’t some sort of persuasion to buy used cars and leave new cars alone. I’m not stuck in the past, wrongly believing, with passionate nostalgia, that every good thing has already happened and there’s nothing worth it the moment offers.

Quite to the contrary, I have a very strong case against accountants and economists, who wrongly believe that used cars are the best deals and new cars should be left alone. In my submission, I argued some time back that you should ignore them and instead, proceed to buy a new car if you can afford it.

So, what has changed now?

Nothing.

The point is that a car isn’t always a great deal because it’s used. A new car isn’t always worth its price tag, even if the manufacturer mentions a billion and one new features (and you think you need the same).

Summary?

Before you opt for either a used or new car, be sure that you’re getting your money’s worth and have value that will last the test of time…that a car is new or used means little in itself.

Importantly, always remember that newer cars aren’t better vehicles (most of the time).

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