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Re:Chip shortage leads carmaker Opel to shut German plant un... by asdff on Thursday September 30, 2021 @02:21PM (#28709388)
Anyone driving a car thats older than 15 years old is already driving the car that OP is describing.
Re:Chip shortage leads carmaker Opel to shut German plant un... by paxys on Thursday September 30, 2021 @02:32PM (#28709535)
And that car is worth $2000 on the market. No matter how many features they cut manufacturers aren’t going to be able to sell a new car at that price.
Re:Chip shortage leads carmaker Opel to shut German plant un... by a1369209993 on Thursday September 30, 2021 @02:56PM (#28709845)
> And that car is worth $2000 on the market.

Yes, because the only reason a person would be willing to part with one at anywhere near that price was if was a lemon.

Re:Chip shortage leads carmaker Opel to shut German plant un... by LawnGnome on Thursday September 30, 2021 @02:23PM (#28709421)
Sure, but do they actually want that car, or is that just what they have and can afford?
Re:Chip shortage leads carmaker Opel to shut German plant un... by dropofwill on Thursday September 30, 2021 @04:38PM (#28711034)
I personally have no interest in any upgrades over my 20 year old car. Maybe electric or no car at all if my living situation changed to support it. Obviously my hand will be forced soon enough as it slowly degrades.
Re:Chip shortage leads carmaker Opel to shut German plant un... by asdff on Thursday September 30, 2021 @05:12PM (#28711368)
I mean I drive that car because I don't see what I get out of a newer more costly model. I get my 35mpg and have my blutooth. Everything in the new car is exactly the same as everything in my old car.
Re:Chip shortage leads carmaker Opel to shut German plant un... by eMSF on Thursday September 30, 2021 @03:37PM (#28710389)
Is a typical new car buyer currently driving a 15-year-old car?

You could say that's plausible. In a way it even makes sense, that people buy cars and then drive them for as long as they reasonably last. But if you had to, would you guess that this is how the market operates?

Re:Chip shortage leads carmaker Opel to shut German plant un... by asdff on Thursday September 30, 2021 @06:52PM (#28712283)
No, because in every product sector people have shown when given a choice and the means to make it, they'd rather buy a shiny new thing than mend an older one. We are addicted to the dopamine hit of consumption.

They aren't buying a new car on all these new widgets that might be different between one today and one from yesteryear. I bet for the vast majority of people the primary technological wants of a car are cold AC and blutooth. Everything else, your TPMS, your brake alert system that beeps like a missile is locked on when you inch too close in traffic, no one stood up and asked for any of that stuff. The market just saddled it upon us and the higher per unit cost is passed right along to us with markup.

Re:Chip shortage leads carmaker Opel to shut German plant un... by oh_sigh on Thursday September 30, 2021 @02:43PM (#28709641)
Then OP can just buy a used car that has low mileage. Also, with many of the features they list, if they break, then they're just broken. It would have no effect on you if you aren't using those features already. A broken seat with a warmer is just a regular seat.
Re:Chip shortage leads carmaker Opel to shut German plant un... by jacquesm on Thursday September 30, 2021 @02:35PM (#28709562)
Mine's from 1997 so easily in that range.