• @[email protected]
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    522 months ago

    It’s sad that you can’t replace the infotainment unit in a new car with an aftermarket unit anymore. I imagine 10 years from now we’ll have a fleet of cars with outdated infotainment systems that can’t connect with whatever future version of bluetooth/carplay/android auto anymore. Imagine driving cars with giant but useless infotainment screens that can’t do anything but playing mp3 off a USB stick because its outdated system can’t connect to your new phone.

      • @[email protected]
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        102 months ago

        Playing MP3’s off of a USB stick is literally all I do with my car’s stereo, and in fact all I want it to do.

        • @[email protected]
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          42 months ago

          i like the police warnings and the apps that automatically look for a better route in real time when there’s traffic; which means i’ll be keeping my already 16 year old car until i die or parts run out, i guess

      • @[email protected]
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        82 months ago

        What happens when all new cars do this and the older used cars dry up? We need laws to prevent this, but i just don’t feel like that’s going to happen unless China is the one doing the data collection.

    • @[email protected]
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      122 months ago

      As long as it can play tapes, I’m okay. Still using a tape adapter to connect my mp3 player :)

        • @[email protected]
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          22 months ago

          Aux port is precisely what I’d look for when getting a new car. Even though by the time I do, perhaps my last Sansa Clip mp3 player will be dead and I’d get a new model with Bluetooth.

    • @[email protected]
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      42 months ago

      useless infotainment screens that can’t do anything but playing mp3 off a USB stick

      i had a similar thought a while ago and it feels like we’re regressing back to the 90’s

      • @[email protected]
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        32 months ago

        I liked my recently departed 2012 chrysler infotainment system quite a bit. The sirius/xm radio kept 50 favorite artist and 50 favorite song alerts, had 300gb of storage for mp3s and the DVD system with headphones for the kiddos while we could listen to something else. No newer car I’ve driven, borrowed, or owned had the favorite alerts, and I’m going to miss the hell out of that feature.

        Oh, it did have an aux jack and USB input as well. It was the cat’s ass. For a grocery-go-getter, it rocked

    • @[email protected]
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      32 months ago

      Yup, sadly you just have to replace the entire car. You certainly can’t attach an entirely new system with speakers and everything to any surface inside the car, just impossible.

      I do agree that it’s not good, but it’s also going to be far less of an issue than you think.

    • @[email protected]
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      32 months ago

      It’s even worse when you have a new-ish car that can handle any size USB stick, but will only load the first 8000 files it sees…

    • @[email protected]
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      32 months ago

      Yeah, it was almost a rite of passage in my teen years - getting a decade-old used car and immediately replacing the crap factory system with some overmarketed, overpriced, but really cool kit. Of course nowadays the factory systems are better sounding at least, but you’re spot on regarding the out dating of software and protocols.

    • @[email protected]
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      2 months ago

      Who wants to buy / drive a 10 yo car though…I feel those get shipped to the 3rd world anyway where people have different needs than the latest connectivity

      • @[email protected]
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        302 months ago

        Who wants to buy / drive a 10 yo car though…

        I do. Less built-in obsolescence, let spyware, less vendor lock-in. More durability. Ain’t ditching my '97 Fiat anytime soon.

      • @[email protected]
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        272 months ago

        Dude im driving a 33 year old car as my daily. Sub 100 thousand miles and gets better mileage than quite a few modern cars, gotta love government fleet cars. Anyways take your classist shit and shove it, just cause you can and your ilk can buy a new car every other year doesn’t mean most people can, will, or want to.

        • @[email protected]
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          22 months ago

          Buying is the first mistake. I’ve never done it, I don’t know anyone who has. Leasing is the way. A depreciating asset like a car is the perfect thing to lease.

          • @[email protected]
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            52 months ago

            Depreciation is a myth. A car is a tool not an investment. And if depreciation is a real worry for normal people then why do houses not depreciate? They don’t last forever. In fact on average they only last 50 years. But their prices never go down. Not until they get condemned. Why doesn’t the price on a 5 year old car go up instead of down? It’s got 10 more years in it easily and it’s proven not to be a lemon.

            But you know what the real insanity is? Paying 400 dollars a month for years for a car with extra restrictions and then having to turn it in or pay even more to own it. Subscription cars need a lot more consideration, like full warranty, maintenance, and insurance for the entire lease period. Upgrade deals at the end. Because the way it is now you’re just giving shit up to keep paying a corporation.

            • @[email protected]
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              12 months ago

              I’m not paying the lease, the company is. Don’t know anyone who pays for transportation

              • @[email protected]
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                72 months ago

                Where the fuck do you live that everyone drives company cars? Where I live the closest ya get is company trucks with the water or electric company.

                • @[email protected]
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                  32 months ago

                  The only place I’ve heard of everyone in the company driving company cars was in California, a water manager was stealing water and selling it on top of some other scams. He spread the spoils around to keep people quiet it took over 20 years before he was caught.

                  • @[email protected]
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                    42 months ago

                    Ok, that fucken explains most everything. I dont know how folks over in Germany do things, but im gonna presume that theres a decently functional public transit system available in most regions. That doesnt exist here in the US for the most part, need to get anywhere you’ll probably be driving, and if you need to guarantee that the vehicle will work then you will probably own your own car.

                  • @[email protected]
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                    42 months ago

                    I saw elsewhere you’re in Germany. Most countries do not have a rule requiring companies to provide cars for work. It’s only available for executives or workers that often have to travel without being near a company office. That’s why we’re all so incredulous that you consider it normal.

          • @[email protected]
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            52 months ago

            Leasing is you paying the estimated depreciation of the lease period. The 1st 3 years is when a car depreciates the fastest and you have nothing to show for it.

            • @[email protected]
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              12 months ago

              That’s all rentals, just much much cheaper than a true rental. And no, leasing rates are completely flexible and much more goes into them than just a basic calc of depreciation. I’m not here to say that all leasing offers are great, probably most are bad and screwy. But if you look for a while you can find great lease offers. For example if a new model of a car is about to be launched, the maker will try to get rid of all their stock of the previous model. Like happened with the Audi A4 a few years back.

          • @[email protected]
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            42 months ago

            Coming from someone who sold cars via a dealership (sorry): leasing is a perfect way to get fucked in the ass every day of the year, and twice on renewal day. Yes, it is a titled asset. Yes, it has a depreciating value. BUT - the only way leasing makes financial sense is: 1) you can expense the lease payment to a self-owned business (and it needs to be a pretty big percentage), or 2) accept that you are paying a gobsmackingly large amount of money to eat the absolute shit out of the depreciation you’re seeking to avoid, only to do it again in 3 years, for the ability to drive that new car off the lot on the regular.

            • @[email protected]
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              2 months ago

              Yes 1. is the norm and of course you have to look for good offer and not just get the first one you see - same as with buying. For example, I used to lease a $90000 car for $240 / month with no money down, and including all-risks policy. It’s almost too good to be true, but possible because the maker had a “lease our cars” campaign running when I was looking for one. Meaning this price is subsidized by the maker for marketing reasons for a limited time. But I had to compare offers for about 1 week and had to be flexible with the choice of car, if you want to lease your “favorite car” regardless of campaigns and special offers, then it’ll be too expensive as you say.

              • @[email protected]
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                32 months ago

                You’ll have to pardon my skepticism on that claim of a $90,000 lease for $240/mo, even subsidized to the moon. Combined with the earlier statement that they were all employer-provided.

                • @[email protected]
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                  2 months ago

                  Never said all. Used to, and current, are different things. Also I’m not living in the 2nd world but a country with consumer rights.

      • TigrisMorte
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        182 months ago

        “Americans are keeping their vehicles longer than ever. According to new data from S&P Global Mobility, the average age of cars and light trucks on U.S. roads is a record 12.5 years this year. That’s up three months over the 2022 analysis.May 18, 2023”