I have always been a car guy, too. In high school/college, I loved fixing my car, just to learn about how cars work -- and to save money I didn't have. Now, I can appreciate what is under the hood without having the need to do it myself. Gone are the days where I'm scraping my knuckles on a stripped bolt, trying to get into the furthest crevice of the engine bay.
I have been looking forward to the day when my car drives itself, but I realize that others aren't so sanguine about it. For me, it's a luxury to sit back and work or read (or have a drink) while not having to navigate traffic and deal with the maniacs on the highways. I'm not talking about people who drive fast, but people who drive irresponsibly. Passing on the right at 80mph, texting, veering between 3 lanes in one change, etc. Every day on I-55 in Chicago there is a roll over because one of these people did not know how to handle their car, and now I'm 30 minutes later than I would have been.
Self-driving cars would make the roads more efficient and safe, while giving me the ultimate luxury of having my own personal "train car." Basically a chauffeur. To me that's a good tradeoff for the "freedom" of sitting in stop and go traffic, stressing myself out. But it appears to be getting pushed back much further than they thought; obviously it is much more complex than they thought.
I still love the classics, and I will retain that skill as a hobby.
Otherwise I'm supportive of cars advancing with "software" for my commuting purposes. There will be plenty of cool cars still around for my Sunday drive in the summer, should I want to do that, so I'm not worried about it.
As for the subscriptions, well, like you said, the free market will sort that out.
I was never a car guy but I’m finding mechanics to be unreliable and expensive, and thus by necessity, have become “YouTube Certified” on many mechanical repairs. And have gone to older “analog” vehicles because of the reasons you cite. Right now my newest is a 2009 Lincoln MKZ with 170000 miles. Even that has more tech than I would like now. But it’s too cheap to drive and fix to justify getting rid of it.
Re electric cars, the overlooked adverse environmental impact of creating, powering, and discarding them notwithstanding, I do believe small electric cars are a great option in urban and near suburban contexts where the service/plug stations can scale, especially in temperate climates, though it is doubtful that the grid could handle the electricity required on a large scale at this time. Probably nuclear plants will be needed to make it reliable. However in rural and especially northern areas, they make no sense whatsoever and probably never will unless there is a Great Leap Forward in battery tech. That said, the vast majority of humanity could benefit greatly from ebikes. I believe there is a business opportunity to make it easier to charge them while you’re riding it or when you can’t plug in (like camping or long rides) say with solar or some such method. I’m sure someone is working on it, but I haven’t seen anything besides homemade systems.
I agree Jeff. The service departments pay the mortgage and the light bill for the dealerships. And SaaS will be more prevalent on vehicles like you said. Tesla has already been doing this with software updates, but it is not like offering heated seats for a monthly charge.
IF, the states start to lose big gasoline tax bucks, I wonder how fast they will turn on their green brothers? And versus a smog check for the evil-gas, you will have to do your yearly odometer check at the licensing station, upon which you are taxed for every mile driven. Tax bill in the mail.
For old guys like me, subscription auto features seem impossible.
I have always been a car guy, too. In high school/college, I loved fixing my car, just to learn about how cars work -- and to save money I didn't have. Now, I can appreciate what is under the hood without having the need to do it myself. Gone are the days where I'm scraping my knuckles on a stripped bolt, trying to get into the furthest crevice of the engine bay.
I have been looking forward to the day when my car drives itself, but I realize that others aren't so sanguine about it. For me, it's a luxury to sit back and work or read (or have a drink) while not having to navigate traffic and deal with the maniacs on the highways. I'm not talking about people who drive fast, but people who drive irresponsibly. Passing on the right at 80mph, texting, veering between 3 lanes in one change, etc. Every day on I-55 in Chicago there is a roll over because one of these people did not know how to handle their car, and now I'm 30 minutes later than I would have been.
Self-driving cars would make the roads more efficient and safe, while giving me the ultimate luxury of having my own personal "train car." Basically a chauffeur. To me that's a good tradeoff for the "freedom" of sitting in stop and go traffic, stressing myself out. But it appears to be getting pushed back much further than they thought; obviously it is much more complex than they thought.
I still love the classics, and I will retain that skill as a hobby.
Otherwise I'm supportive of cars advancing with "software" for my commuting purposes. There will be plenty of cool cars still around for my Sunday drive in the summer, should I want to do that, so I'm not worried about it.
As for the subscriptions, well, like you said, the free market will sort that out.
I was never a car guy but I’m finding mechanics to be unreliable and expensive, and thus by necessity, have become “YouTube Certified” on many mechanical repairs. And have gone to older “analog” vehicles because of the reasons you cite. Right now my newest is a 2009 Lincoln MKZ with 170000 miles. Even that has more tech than I would like now. But it’s too cheap to drive and fix to justify getting rid of it.
Re electric cars, the overlooked adverse environmental impact of creating, powering, and discarding them notwithstanding, I do believe small electric cars are a great option in urban and near suburban contexts where the service/plug stations can scale, especially in temperate climates, though it is doubtful that the grid could handle the electricity required on a large scale at this time. Probably nuclear plants will be needed to make it reliable. However in rural and especially northern areas, they make no sense whatsoever and probably never will unless there is a Great Leap Forward in battery tech. That said, the vast majority of humanity could benefit greatly from ebikes. I believe there is a business opportunity to make it easier to charge them while you’re riding it or when you can’t plug in (like camping or long rides) say with solar or some such method. I’m sure someone is working on it, but I haven’t seen anything besides homemade systems.
I agree Jeff. The service departments pay the mortgage and the light bill for the dealerships. And SaaS will be more prevalent on vehicles like you said. Tesla has already been doing this with software updates, but it is not like offering heated seats for a monthly charge.
IF, the states start to lose big gasoline tax bucks, I wonder how fast they will turn on their green brothers? And versus a smog check for the evil-gas, you will have to do your yearly odometer check at the licensing station, upon which you are taxed for every mile driven. Tax bill in the mail.
For old guys like me, subscription auto features seem impossible.
It will be interesting going forward. Great post!