There has always been a conspiracy against new cars. Fortunately, this conspiracy has been from the financial point of view. The argument is that new cars depreciate so fast that once they’re driven out of the sales lot, it’s a downhill journey.
This makes sense, at least on the surface – and many buy into the argument. However, as a DIY mechanic and freelance automotive writer, I was able to glimpse what everyone was missing, following the economists and accountants: a new car could be a blessing and a smart economic decision.
However, recently, that position has been threatened by a plethora of reasons, and suddenly, used cars appear attractive again. The main argument of the article I quoted above, reliability and peace of mind, has proved to be lacking in many new vehicles, failing to justify their higher-than-usual price tags.
With reliability questionable and the only real benefit to be got remaining newer tech (which may not be needed), isn’t it time to reconsider the earlier position?
Only, this time, not from the perspective of the economists and accountants but instead, of the regular car user and mechanic.
So, why are most newer cars offering no guarantee of reliability today?
Article Outline
Why a New Car Doesn’t Equals Reliability
It has always been said (without positive confirmation), that most new cars are designed to fail right after their warranty period. Call it planned obsolescence at its finest and you won’t be wrong.
However, that is what’s generally touted around – and it’s smaller than the real issue at stake. The real issue at stake is the ‘why’.
Why are new cars finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with reliability, even right after coming off the assembly line?
It turns out, there are two major reasons:
Untested Tech
In a bid to present a ‘worthy successor’ to a vehicle that is due for retirement, many vehicle manufacturers push in a lot of untested tech – or at best, hastily tested tech into the market.
While such tech appears great on paper, in action, this leads to more breakdowns on the roads and general frustrations than the customer this was meant to please considers acceptable.
A good example of this is the application of turbos on many mainstream models (while keeping or reducing displacement) in order to boost power and retain/reduce fuel consumption.
Another example remains the application of CVT transmissions which has its clear benefits but has proved, generally, to be less reliable when compared to the regular automatic transmission.
However, it’s not only a challenge with the vehicle manufacturers…car buyers/customers of new vehicles also have a huge part to play.
Too Many Tech Pieces
Vehicle consumers appreciate tech – and its trapping, especially when they decide to opt for a new vehicle. A customer who has decided to upgrade from an older model doesn’t just want a new motor and transmission: they also want the vehicle to come with all the recent tech that they’ve read about or seen in their friends’ rides.
While this is a good thing, it comes at a cost.
Tech, generally, indicates a failure point – even when you’re not interested in looking at it that way. More of it, on a vehicle, simply means more avenues of something going wrong.
For instance, a vehicle with all the bells and whistles in terms of technology, while generally great to own and drive, is at the same time, prone to failure from the number of tech pieces/features on such a vehicle.
There’s always a price to pay – and for newer cars and consumers seeking the latest tech, reliability generally gives.
Why Old School Is Winning The Reliability Race
There’s a reason the Land Cruiser has remained the face of off-road reliability for decades: it’s tried and true, simple, spartan on tech, and Toyota isn’t in a hurry to throw in the latest tech to it.
As a matter of fact, its major rivals: the G Wagen and the Ranger Rover, will almost certainly have a feature years before a subsequent model of the Land Cruiser even considers it. And this, amongst other things, remains the secret to Toyota’s reputation for reliability, especially when it comes to models like the Land Cruiser.
To crown it, when Toyota wants to ‘level up’ such a model (if it can be called that), they only opt for tried and true tech while keeping things overall firmly under control.
The secret to the reliability of ‘old school’ models is thus no secret at all: keeping things, tech-wise, at a minimum while ensuring that only the tried and tested tech makes it out to production.
Wrap Up
In most cases, I have preferred an older model to a manufacturer’s current offer. This is why I prefer the original LS400/430 to the current model and I think the W124 Mercedes is the greatest E Klasse ever made.
While this may be my sentiment, others also agree with me and if you’re looking closely, you may also agree.
However, in case you don’t, take a close look at a manufacturer’s newest offer and if possible, talk to mechanics and read about the release from independent repair folks, not just the the press releases, focusing on features and benefits.
Thinking of the warranty cover? Remember that some problems come up later – but luckily, show up what is to come well before that failure time.
If you don’t have access to such independent opinions as mentioned, a good online source to start your research is Car Complaints.