There ’s a little - known rift in American cultivation , a division drawn between hoi polloi who find oneself the cars built in yesteryear to be themost reliable carsand those who regain today ’s modern machine less problematic to drive .
One can understand why classical machine enthusiasts believe that onetime gondola are more dependable than more modern models . Compared to new cars , authoritative simple machine were much more simplistic in the design of their engines . The Volkswagen Beetle of the 1960s , wide considered a very reliable car , used the air that passed around the railcar during driving to cool the engine alternatively of swimming coolant . Without this gain , the car was easygoing – and less problematical – to force . What ’s more , the car was extremely easy for the median person to repair , which is n’t something that many can say about modern railway car [ source : Holzman ] . Of course , not every car in the 1960s was as gentle to fix as a Beetle .
However , the general consensus seems to be that mod cars do n’t break down as often as older one . When the U.S. government offered the " Cash for Clunkers " program in 2009 , it was intend to excite the economy and improve the fuel efficiency of the American cars on the road . It also served as a tacit confirmation that newer automobile are better . That might be a controversial title , but the number do n’t lie : The car with the phonograph recording for the most miles driven was a 1989 Saab 900SPG , owned by a Wisconsin traveling salesman who logged 1,001,385 Admiralty mile in 17 old age before retiring it [ source : AP ] .
The decline of railroad car alimony costs also show that modern cars are becoming more and more less tough . In the United Kingdom , for example , the mediocre cost of maintaining a automobile declined by 13 per centum between 1997 and 2009 [ beginning : brute ] . As a result of this improved reliableness , people are hanging onto their advanced cars longer than before . In 2009 , J.D. Power and Associates report that the average trade - in age of a car in the U.S. is 73 month . Just three years sooner , the mediocre craft - in geezerhood was 65 months [ source : Butcher ] .
One intellect for the decrease in railway car criminal maintenance among New cars is the Second Coming of the on - board computer . While it provides a trenchant advantage in diagnose car troubles , it can also lead to some problems . Learn more on the next Thomas Nelson Page .
Advantages and Disadvantages of Modern Cars
Back in the 1970s , the newly established Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) go forth standards for vehicle emission that all American automobile producer were demand to encounter . Because of this mandate , car manufacturer began using electronic equipment to hold vehicle functions .
This Modern equipment dramatically increased the complexity of the systems found in automobiles – and dramatically increase the price . A 1968 Toyota Corolla , for model , went for about $ 1,700 ; the 2009 example bulge out at around $ 15,000 [ source : Edmunds , Cars.com ] . This complex arrangement has vastly improve fomite public presentation , safety and fuel efficiency , but it has also increase the likeliness of breakdowns . The more interdependent part a system has , the high the probability that the system will neglect , after all .
The on - board computer has made troubleshooting much sluttish when something does go incorrect , however . During the 1980s , a universal organisation was build by the Society of Automotive Engineers ( SAE ) for cars sleep with as the On - Board Diagnostic system ( OBD - II ) . They became mandatory in 1996 . When something goes wrong in a car outfitted with OBD - II – you ’ll know when you see that " checker Engine " light blink of an eye on your dashboard – a mechanic can plug into the computer and pick up a code . This computer code is then transverse - referenced with a handbook of code and their meanings , leading the shop mechanic to an accurate diagnosing of the car ’s problem .
Thanks to OBD - II , automobile repair can be less expensive , since trial - and - error is n’t necessary . On the other hand , when something does go wrong , the cost of reanimate a New car can be more expensive than it was to fix an older car a few decades ago . The more complex modern locomotive engine expect interior designer find originative ways to tamp more hooey under the goon . Because of the increase difficulty in managing the figure of parts that would require substitution in the event of a crash , the cost of forward-looking cable car is more expensive [ generator : White ] .
Whether forward-looking elevator car are less problematic than older one is a matter of personal ruling . If we mean less problematic for the environment , then the answer is a resounding yes . Are they easier to fix ? for certain . And if that aforementioned 2009 J.D. Power report is any indicant , modern car appear to be growing less elusive for their owner .
