How long should stuff last?

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I saw some building show a few years ago, can't remember which one, where the 'star' of the show decided he was going to make his own house the project. He built himself a nice 4BR 4 bath 2 story with a double garage... cost over a million. I'm guessing he got some pretty sweet kickbacks for product placement too. But he'll build yours to code for less than 200k. You get what you pay for.
 
My dad almost always sold cars before 60,000 mi / 100,000 km back in his day (1950's onward - he's in a retirement home now) and there would often be problems and rust by that time. The longest and most mileage ever on a car that he owned was a 1978 Honda Civic and that's only because I took it over (hand-me-down) and it was completely thrashed, rusted out, burning oil, and unusable at 12 years and 180,000 km and went to the scrapper. In that time I think I changed the water pump 5 times. Had it down to a science and could do it in 2 hours.

I haven't owned a car that has not gone at least 280,000 km before I got rid of it and that was the first two (1980's era), and the last couple have gone 400,000 plus and were still serviceable (and they still felt pretty much like new until 300,000 plus). The one I have now is not there yet but it's closing in on what the Civic had, and still drives pretty much normal.

I'd rather have a newer-built house than an older one if only for the better insulation and wiring.
 
I was working on cars in the 70's era, I don't recall any level of engineering or longevity that would make me miss them. Yes most shade tree mechanics could do repair and replace and you could stand in the engine bay of an F150. But you also had points/cap/rotor , plugs and wires to replace and brakes at 20,000 km, drum brakes on the front....... I don't miss it at all except for the nostalgia.
 
eljay said:
I saw some building show a few years ago, can't remember which one, where the 'star' of the show decided he was going to make his own house the project. He built himself a nice 4BR 4 bath 2 story with a double garage... cost over a million. I'm guessing he got some pretty sweet kickbacks for product placement too. But he'll build yours to code for less than 200k. You get what you pay for.
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Framing and foundations will be the same. Majority of the cost goes into expensive interior finishes. You can build two identical size and shape houses one for $200/sf and the other for $600/sf.

You can build an entire kitchen for $25k... Or you can spend that much just on the stone.
 
I'm not being nostalgic, I have no misconceptions of what cars were like in the 50's and 60's. I'm speaking from experience and specifically to statements like they rusted out after 2-3 years and were all junk after 5 years. We're not talking about Chrysler "K" cars from the 70's!

How many of you "know it all's", fathers, brothers or uncles were automotive mechanics in the 50's or 60's? How many of you apprenticed as an automotive mechanic or worked in a garage in the late 60's or 70's? I see one.
Well I worked on these cars off and on from the mid the 60's into the 80's. I remember that cork gaskets would dry and become brittle over time so valve covers and oil pan gasket did leak. So too did the rubber O ring seals on Corvair push rod tubes. So what? That doesn't translate to junk after only five years. (Please refrain from making stupid Corvair jokes, thank you very much.) Enough of these "junkers" were still on the road 15 and 20 years after they left the assembly line to help pay for my hobies. Do not mistake "failure to maintain" a vehicle for "designed in" five year self destruction.

There are many things that I do not miss about the older cars. However, new cars come with their own head aches. Got a problem with you BMW Mini's transmission? Sorry, we can't pull it apart to see what's wrong because it's a sealed unit. We'll have to order you a whole new transmission. And don't get me started on trying to diagnose electrical problems. Sorry sir we can't find the problem. Your vehicle has 5 separate CPU's. An engine management module, a drivetrain module, an accessories module a safety module and a communications module so they can all talk to each other. But, we're not sure which one is screwed up.

If you're going to start throwing statics around then please get them right. Automotive research firm Polk's most recent study shows that the average light vehicle in operation in the US was indeed 11.4 years old. However, it did NOT state these average light vehicles were registered to the SAME owner for that entire time period. In fact in other published reports the average new car owner keeps a new vehicle for only 4 years. Even though that sales surveys indicate that the average new owner claim's to be looking to keep a new car for at least six years. Imagine, consumers lying on surveys, who'da thunk it?
 
Keep things lubed properly, they last longer.
 
This weekend I bought an authentic Tilley hat. Made in Canada and is guaranteed for life. $75 was a lot for a hat, but if it lasts half of advertised, I'd be happy. Heard good things about them...
 
1997 Acura with 545,000km and still going... I havnt done an oil change or any maintenance in the past year, still holding up Lol.

Old Toshiba televisions, We still have 1 in our basement and it's probly around 20 years old and still works... 50" Plasma Toshiba television lasted about 5 years...

I also wonder how these newer cars are going to take the test of time, especially with all new electronics in the luxury cars. How long are they going to last and how much will it cost once it malfunctions?

I would love to have me a newer up to date car with modern technology but nothing compares to the earlier cars, they just feel more "real" or "raw" with actual throttle cables and actual power steering and etc. Non of this electric throttle or power steering stuff.

My parents have a 2013 car, and It feels so weird to drive, not really liking the throttle or the steering feel.

Smart phones vs old Nokia's... no comparison on durability, iphone drops from 3 feet and cracked my screen.. like wtf.. old Nokia I dropped down a flight of stairs, battery came out, put back in and turned on n works like a charm still lol.
 
ravensix said:
Smart phones vs old Nokia's... no comparison on durability, iphone drops from 3 feet and cracked my screen.. like wtf.. old Nokia I dropped down a flight of stairs, battery came out, put back in and turned on n works like a charm still lol.
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Nokia's were designed to beat someone to death while you were on a call.
 
Stuff should at least be repairable within reasonable cost and accessibility. Very quaint I know.
 
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I have not done extensive research on this but I have found that the length of time something lasts is directly proportional to how bloody ugly it is and how badly I want to get rid of it. I cannot bring myself to toss something if there is an iota of use left in it, so some crap seems to linger.
 
eljay said:
I saw some building show a few years ago, can't remember which one, where the 'star' of the show decided he was going to make his own house the project. He built himself a nice 4BR 4 bath 2 story with a double garage... cost over a million. I'm guessing he got some pretty sweet kickbacks for product placement too. But he'll build yours to code for less than 200k. You get what you pay for.
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Its (was) for sale, make your offer. and if you ever watched his show, his wife was a prime candidate for unlimited biatch slaps.

http://www.hgtv.ca/blog/for-sale-the-real-house-of-bryan/
 
An interesting topic.....I just learned that because Toronto is a big user of glass in condo sky rises, the majority of glass used, is designed to last 30 years or so. This would be a lot of glass/ windows to replace.
 
Dino Z said:
An interesting topic.....I just learned that because Toronto is a big user of glass in condo sky rises, the majority of glass used, is designed to last 30 years or so. This would be a lot of glass/ windows to replace.
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They should install them that they don't fall out before 30 years. That would be a minor win/win.
 
Dino Z said:
An interesting topic.....I just learned that because Toronto is a big user of glass in condo sky rises, the majority of glass used, is designed to last 30 years or so. This would be a lot of glass/ windows to replace.
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Glass is almost an unlimited resource

Sent from my tablet using my paws
 
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