High Tech dashboards.......I'll pass......

A free country, buy the car you want. In my case:

• $24,000 after trade-in of Prius Prime for new 2019 Tesla Model 3 Std Rng Plus
  • Included extra for blue paint and Autopilot (now standard)
  • Sold some TSLA stock so no car payments
  • Liability insurance only
• Tesla supports self maintenance on regular car stuff. I do my own.
• Software updates, free and automatic at home.
• Car has 109,868 miles, it isn't new.
• Bought TezLab App to monitor the Tesla that compares to other App users.

Bob Wilson

 

Not exactly. Depends on what you want.

We love our C. Not available anymore.
I love my Ford Fusion Hybrid. Not available anymore.

I have a CanAm Spyder with fully integrated hard-wired audio.
Intercom, AM/FM, GPS w/bluetooth and CB.
Not available anymore.
Those functions have been "offloaded" onto a phone........
and they don't work good at all.

I don't really get along well with horses but they are looking better
every day.

Automated self-driving vehicles scare the crap out of me.
Almost as much as letting anyone who wants to carry a gun around.

 

Well that is always the case.
But when all or most of your practical options disappear.......
you don't have to be stupid OR foolish to be screwed over.

The Governor of Florida preaches individual freedom
but when it comes right down to it, you only have that freedom
if you agree with HIM. Other opinions be damned.
You are not free to disagree with Gov. Ron DeSatan.

He learned his Fascist lessons well and now thinks he can "out evil"
the Trump master. I think both of them are pathetic and dangerous.

 

problem is, every car maker has or is headed in this direction. i can keep our cars running for awhile, but not forever.
and our government is failing us, as usual:

nhtsa-tells-automakers-to-ignore-massachusetts-right-to-repair-law

 

There was a bill put forward in NJ to prevent the subscription of features in cars.

 

The "heated seat subscription" is reason enough for me not to be planning to replace my current BMW with another BMW. I was horrified when I read about it.

 

First world problems.

@ Flat screens.
They're not going away.
They're putting them in fighter planes, submarines, spacecraft - so why not cars?
I particularly like the "any screen, anywhere" open architecture that the USN uses.
Point is...
Screens are robust, VERY inexpensive, and flexible.
You may "pass on the flat screens," but automobile manufacturers will certainly not.

Prov 22:7: “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is slave of the lender.

You are exactly correct!
You are FREE to do so.
You are also free not to.
It's kind of interesting that we flippantly throw the 'slavery' term about on the day before my beloved Nation's observance of Juneteenth.
But then, most people think that de-jurer slavery actually ended in America in the late 1860's - about 80 years before that actually happened.

Nobody forces anyone legally to buy a new car here in America.
The average new car price is $60k - more than the average US salary of about $55k.
One can still get a rather nice used car for the average price of about $25k.

If you want to squat down and look on the bottom shelf, a brand-spanking new car can still be purchased in the US for less than $20K.

It has an 8" colour flat screen.

 

"right to repair" is a big thing in my industry. Everyday we wrestle with OEMs that try to bill for work they didn't do and timely repairs that ONLY an OEM service laptop and OEM service rep. ID will unlock and allow repair.
The simple solution is people making purchasing decisions needs to stop taking "GIFTS" from sales reps. While it is company policy not to; it only seems to be enforced on those of us fighting the OEM for repair rights. We can't even accept donuts; but you hear about the sales reps. taking the department mangers and secretary out for 2 hour lunches at a restaurant that has a 6 month wait list to get in.
There was a time when the military wouldn't buy anything, unless it could be repaired out in the field - in case an EMP hit them. If the government contracts was simply followed/enforced - right to repair wouldn't be an issue. Everyone we've hired in the last 15 years are simply board swap jockeys. They can't even fix a blown diode on a power supply. By-the-by; you still need the OEM rep to replace the defective board - our customer diagnostic laptop won't allow activation of the new board. This also makes troubleshooting a bear, can't swap out the suspected defective component to test your theory.
Be prepared for the future, because you don't get to buy anything any more - your just renting; when it breaks the OEM is the only game in town, unless your smart about your purchases.

Just my 2 cents....

 

As long as car makers stand united in such policies, consumers are screwed. Now if one or two break ranks, and are successful, come up with a reasonably priced, ergonomic, easier to self-maintain car, maybe that’ll turn the tide.

just a for instance: would a car with a couple of traditional ignition keys, the kind you can duplicate at the shoe repair place, be of interest to consumers stuck with ONE high tech push button fob that pretty near bricks the car if lost.

 

it is ironic that flat screens save manufacturers money, but if a prime screen goes bad after warranty, it's a $10,000. replacement

 

Someone's insurance here insisted on a whole new battery for a Prius Prime because mice chewed up the wiring harness. Tesla is not the only one holding battery data as a trade secret.

 

The non-plug battery is only cheaper by being smaller.