Changing vehicle looks for the sake of change

[DweezilAZ]

The absence of "planned obsolescence" was a selling point with some makes and a virtue in the advertising of Pinto, Vega and Maverick when they came out. The VW Beetle had worked that marketing angle for years, as well as Studebaker, Rambler/AMC and Volvo. And of course Checker.

The heads of the auto industry were touting the "No change for the sake of change" angle in the early 70s.

Of course the money saved by not doing a traditional two to three year design cycle couldn't have been a factor. Or the concentration on meeting emissions and safety mandates.

Personally I find a common and long running platform to be a selling point, as I keep my cars long term with an eye to easily found parts and service and proven reliability. Though that's not borne out as evidenced by the number of recalls on items that have been in production for years.

As always, many of my theories have been proven to be wrong, so take it all with a pound of salt.

As each iteration of a model gets bigger and more complex, they seem to lose what made them popular in the first place. And a lot of the "improved" products seem retrograde compared to the earlier model: Cruze, Sonic, Civic, Altima, Maxima, Odyssey, Fit, Scion XB.

 

[skyactiv]

 

[chrisri]

I think I'm with you sort off. The other day I was listening radio show, about German Government giving money for scraping pre 05 diesels (Euro 3 and older) in change for hybrids / electrical vehicles. Main concern by the radio host were will this cheap cars find their way into Croatia. I personally don't give a f.. , most will go to the Bulgaria /Romania and even if some reach us, it will be rural and not here. Anyway, it would be an improvement for two of mine neighbors with a 92 80/B4 diesel and an 91 Civic. 05 Civic and A4 sound certainly better front health point.
So how much does overall energy and pollution is made by producing new electric car (batteries and all) and recycling old diesel versus keeping old diesel (well maintained) on the road for, let say, 10 years or so? Not financially, I know that would be cheaper to maintain a 10 yo diesel for another 10 years then buying a new Tesla. But what about environment?

 

[A_Harman]

Originally Posted By: skyactiv
There was a time when the auto makers changed the car every model year.
The 55, 56, 57, 58 Chevy as an example. Or did Chevy reach the pinnacle of automotive design with the Citation II?


'57, '58, '59, and '60 Chevies were complete redesigns from the preceding model year. '55-7 were the same with just trim differences, and are referred to as Tri-5 Chevies.

 

[ArcticDriver]

Originally Posted By: Shannow
Didn't you already post basically the same thread that they shouldn't change the looks of well selling vehicles a few months ago ?

We no longer tie an onion to our belt (which was the fashion at the time from what I've heard0


The memory goes as age sets in.

Its actually not as bad as it sounds for the aging person--just for all those around us.

Grampi, change is not easy but you are only making yourself miserable by fighting it as much as you do.
Shake up your routine a little.

Join a yoga class. Learn Spanish...or better yet, Swahili. Take part in a rainbow coalition march. Think BIG.

 

[ArcticDriver]

Originally Posted By: skyactiv



That is a beautiful looking van. I like how they redesigned the amber sidemarker lights because it gives it a completely new look.

 

[barryh]

When the car is fundamentally right then buyers are happy to see only small incremental changes. Manufacturers with a best seller on their hands usually play very safe and conservative. E.G. VW Golf. I think there is little risk of a ***** Golf replacement.

 

[gman2304]

Originally Posted By: ArcticDriver
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Didn't you already post basically the same thread that they shouldn't change the looks of well selling vehicles a few months ago ?

We no longer tie an onion to our belt (which was the fashion at the time from what I've heard0


The memory goes as age sets in.

Its actually not as bad as it sounds for the aging person--just for all those around us.

Grampi, change is not easy but you are only making yourself miserable by fighting it as much as you do.
Shake up your routine a little.

Join a yoga class. Learn Spanish...or better yet, Swahili. Take part in a rainbow coalition march. Think BIG.



Isn't the Rainbow Coalition Jesse Jacksons old, uh...organization?

 

[Garak]

People have enough trouble hanging onto their own vehicle for more than a few years. So, I expect the automakers to be enablers in that regard. Now, I wish I could try "new" versions of vehicles that are gone, but that's life without unlimited income, not the automotive sector's fault.

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: funflyer
What did Honda end up doing with the Civics that had the coolant seeping engine blocks? Did they just extend the warranty or actually replace engines. I was looking at used Civics back in 2010 when I found out about their issue and quit looking after three dealer's service departments told me they never heard of the problem.


They weren't just seeping, they were leaking because they were cracking. Models affect were '06 thru early '09, then they started installing a beefed up block. Honda extended the warranty on all affected models 6 years...

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: ArcticDriver
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Didn't you already post basically the same thread that they shouldn't change the looks of well selling vehicles a few months ago ?

We no longer tie an onion to our belt (which was the fashion at the time from what I've heard0


The memory goes as age sets in.

Its actually not as bad as it sounds for the aging person--just for all those around us.

Grampi, change is not easy but you are only making yourself miserable by fighting it as much as you do.
Shake up your routine a little.

Join a yoga class. Learn Spanish...or better yet, Swahili. Take part in a rainbow coalition march. Think BIG.



Jeez, I just thought this might be an interesting topic, it's not like I'm losing sleep over it...

 

[ArcticDriver]

Originally Posted By: gman2304
Originally Posted By: ArcticDriver
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Didn't you already post basically the same thread that they shouldn't change the looks of well selling vehicles a few months ago ?

We no longer tie an onion to our belt (which was the fashion at the time from what I've heard0


The memory goes as age sets in.

Its actually not as bad as it sounds for the aging person--just for all those around us.

Grampi, change is not easy but you are only making yourself miserable by fighting it as much as you do.
Shake up your routine a little.

Join a yoga class. Learn Spanish...or better yet, Swahili. Take part in a rainbow coalition march. Think BIG.



Isn't the Rainbow Coalition Jesse Jacksons old, uh...organization?

I suppose word puzzles might be a better option to help him out of his rut?

 

[PimTac]

Tough audience here. For the youngsters here, one day you will be old too.

 

[DBMaster]

It's a societal, mostly capitalist construct. It falls in the same realm as clothing changes, home remodeling, and furniture styles. Capitalism only works if we spend with reckless abandon.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: PimTac
Tough audience here. For the youngsters here, one day you will be old too.


That's only if you're lucky enough to live that long.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

Originally Posted By: skyactiv

Looking at my neighbor's 09 Chevy Cargo van he uses for his contracting business, and it looks almost identical to the 17 van shown. His van has more chrome around the grill.

 

[turtlevette]

We've gone thru a period of years where everything looks like a prophylactic for the sake of aerodynamic efficiency. I think it was a good move to make the Vette look like something again. I think it was a great move to do the retro mustangs, Camaros and challengers. Most everything else on the road today looks ho hum.

Those 4th gen Camaros just looked terrible. Almost killed the car forever.

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: turtlevette
We've gone thru a period of years where everything looks like a prophylactic for the sake of aerodynamic efficiency. I think it was a good move to make the Vette look like something again. I think it was a great move to do the retro mustangs, Camaros and challengers. Most everything else on the road today looks ho hum.

Those 4th gen Camaros just looked terrible. Almost killed the car forever.



The new Vette looks like something alright...a transformer...the C5s and C6s were MUCH prettier...

 

[turtlevette]

Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: turtlevette
We've gone thru a period of years where everything looks like a prophylactic for the sake of aerodynamic efficiency. I think it was a good move to make the Vette look like something again. I think it was a great move to do the retro mustangs, Camaros and challengers. Most everything else on the road today looks ho hum.

Those 4th gen Camaros just looked terrible. Almost killed the car forever.



The new Vette looks like something alright...a transformer...the C5s and C6s were MUCH prettier...


If you like the look of a butt plug, yea.

 

[Andrew1972]

Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: turtlevette
We've gone thru a period of years where everything looks like a prophylactic for the sake of aerodynamic efficiency. I think it was a good move to make the Vette look like something again. I think it was a great move to do the retro mustangs, Camaros and challengers. Most everything else on the road today looks ho hum.

Those 4th gen Camaros just looked terrible. Almost killed the car forever.



The new Vette looks like something alright...a transformer...the C5s and C6s were MUCH prettier...


Well the new Vette is the first car to catch the eye of my 11 year old artistic daughter. She loves the sharper lines, edges and abruptness. Instead of drawing Harry Potter she was sketching a Corvette like car. First time she had any interest in cars.