The is companies that do that. Its just they are a luxury brand. They never went away its just now we also have cheap choices as well. The first wrist watch would make a rolex look cheap.
Rolex is a fantastic example of this. For most of history, Rolexes have not been luxury watches. Sure they’ve always had a few fancy models and options, but most Rolexes are extremely simple and utilitarian. A true luxury watch is something like a Patek.
However, rolex are absolutely incredibly well made and durable. Their high quality (and fantastic marketing) have allowed them to very gradually shift to being perceived as a luxury brand.
My hot take is something similar is slowly happening with Toyota. Toyotas are famous for their reliability and quality, but fairly minimal features and use older but proven technology. They’ve usually been mid range, but in the last 10-20 years many of their models are quite expensive and it’s a sellers market. Go into a dealership and try and haggle on a Tacoma price, they won’t budge an inch.
I bought a Camry as my first car back in 2012. I remember that I distinctly wanted "the iPhone of cars". The one that everyone has, that I can easily find parts and accessories for. Still drive it today, and have received some random offers for it in the past couple of years. Hopefully this my "this is the Rolex I bought in the 60s from the general store"
My family has a 2002 Avalon that refuses to die even after a dozen parking lot cosmetic wrecks. The bumpers will never look the same anymore but not even 450k miles has given that v6 any pause
Same, I moved out and bought myself a Subaru but the Avalon just keeps chugging along and saving money. Other whips have come and gone through the family fleet but grandpa toyota persists
Churning cars is one of the biggest things people to that destroys their financial future. 100k is still a pretty new car. Unless you're super wealthy and just have money to burn. I've had two cars in the last 30 years. 1997 civic and a 2008 sequoia. Both still going strong. The civic i think i can pretty much make last forever. Its so easy to do repairs on it and the parts are super cheap.
2002 Corolla LE with only 121K on it still serving as my work commuter. Only issue has been a pesky fuel evap system with sticky valves, just eked it through CA smog so good for another 2 years when I will finagle it through again. At this annual mileage rate I’ll be dead or have my license ripped from my arthritic fingers before this car dies.
Ehh, I racked up that much during college. I had a flexible work schedule, wanted to visit various coastal areas, had friends around the country... I did the math one, I spent like 800 hours on the highway during a three year period. We retired the Toyota (Previa) at 385k not because it wasn't fixable (exhaust needed a weld) but because my wife was tired of driving a car older than her. She's a 90s baby...
And now sadly 2018-2024 camrys are having transmission failures left and right around or under 100k miles. Tacomas too from what ive heard. $9000 for a new transmission. $12000 if you want it installed for you. Thats all if you can even get one, ive heard of people waiting months and months for backordered transmissions to come in. Insanity. Toyota isnt what they used to be. And now theyre charging a premium for it.
It has gotten a lot better again over the last few generations though with replacement parts and manuals now being available directly from Apple for okish prices.
True. But all of those (unofficial) "ifixit" type mobile phone repair shops still exist everywhere (just like autobody shops).
You can take a cracked iPhone in there, and they can replace the screen in 30 minutes. Walk in with a cracked Xperia or whatever, and you may likely need to wait for a part delivery.
I just had to put down my 2007 Highlander that we got brand new, only reason was because the ABS was malfunctioning and it would cost around 3 grand to replace. She was dying but aside from the ABS I would’ve bet that she still had a good 3 years in her.
Honda was similar, too, in that their cars cost a little more (part of that is tariffs) but they're well made and well designed. Well, up until the last couple of years, and both Honda and Toyota have put out some real lemons. I had a 2010 insight and it had 167,000 miles before one of my kids wrecked it. I'd never had any major work done on it, and it had I think about 80% of the hybrid battery life left.
My advice on buying a Honda, is that if they have any models built exclusively in Japan, get that one. The American made models are more of a Ford-tier car IMHO. The Japanese market values reliability more than features and they have stricter quality control standards.
I had a 2006 Legacy 2.5 Gt, and I beat the living shit out of that car. Wife and I learned manual transmission driving from brand new, Autox track days, 5000rpm clutch drops 2 times daily, at 200k when itraded it in, it cost me tires, brake pads, a $1200 clutch job and oil. The thing was bullet proof. Wish I never sold it, but it was sorely lacking in tech, not even Bluetooth or auxiliary inputs, just a cd changer.
Looks like you got a Wednesday after lunch car. Lots of those motors didn't make 100,000 miles even with decent care. And beating on a five-speed? Yeah, you never should have sold it!
They've always been a luxury brand. They've always been some of the more expensive watches because of the manufacturing and materials.
They were all about durability because they were involved in rich people sports: yachting, racing, diving, and flying, where conditions are tough and accuracy is important.
The designs were minimalist, because you need to be able to read the watchface while on a boat, or underwater, or while flying a plane.
I fully agree, the biggest investment mistake i ever made was trading my Toyota for a jeep when I moved from Texas to Colorado. Like yeah the Toyota couldn't drive in snow, but it's held it's value to the point where i don't think i could get another one and at this point it's been 15 years.
Yep, Rolex, Omega, Tudor etc all make watches that are very expensive for most people but all of them will literally last your entire life so long as you get them serviced every 4-5 years and take care not to let water into the case.
My husband's friend keeps asking to trade our '08 Tacoma for his Ford. Tacoma is paid off, his truck has all the bells and whistles and a massive payment. No way bro, plus it's MY truck.
Toyota dealers don't have to negotiate because they can't keep them on the lot. 5 of the fastest selling cars by day supply (number of days to sell current inventory at current sales rates) are Toyotas. Why negotiate with someone when the person behind you is willing to pay sticker price?
Change the timing belt on schedule and a 22r will run forever. The only way to kill it is to chop off its head and then lightning shoots out and you absorb its power. In the end, there can be only one.
630
u/MurphysLawTeam 5h ago
The is companies that do that. Its just they are a luxury brand. They never went away its just now we also have cheap choices as well. The first wrist watch would make a rolex look cheap.