[Shop-talk] Let's run right out a get a Porsche

[Douglas Shook]

I think Moose's 2015 "cut-off date" for purchasing a vehicle is sound.

Remember when exhaust systems on new cars would rust out in three years (in
Northern climates), starters and alternators would need to be replaced by
50K miles, water pumps, hoses and radiators would be fortunate to last 70K
miles, brakes would need to be relined every 20K miles, etc.? Spark plugs,
wires, caps, rotors, etc, were regular maintenance items? When cars would
be high performance if they had over 250HP, and average gas mileage was in
the teens?

I love the old cars, do not take me wrong, I have five of them, but for all
practical purposes the newer cars are so much more reliable, powerful and
fuel efficient there really is no comparison for most drivers.

These new cars can go 100K miles without much of anything done to them,
maybe a sensor here or there.

The one major disadvantage exception is for those of us who want to work on
our own cars. I think the 2000 to about 2015 as Moose said is somewhat of a
sweet spot in that you get 90% of the performance, efficiency, reliability
improvements without all of the complexities of the last decade of
technological "improvements" that make the cars almost unserviceable at
home.

I have never leased a car before, but I almost think that now it may make
sense to do so if you want to drive a new car. Buying a new car and keeping
it for ten or 15 years does not sound like a good option anymore. I just
cannot imagine what one of the new cars will be like to own once all of the
electronics start to age and fail, or what equipment one would need to try
to even diagnose the faults, let alone get to the defective part if it
still is even available.

This may be less of a problem for states that do not have smog checks, but
for California, cars 1975 and older do not require smog checks, but 1976
and newer need biennial smog checks and all of the systems must be
functioning correctly.

Because of the smog checks, I will only own pre-1976 cars or cars newer
than 1990 as the smog equipment and systems on the 1976-1990 cars are so
horrible to try to maintain, all of the vacuum lines, EGR systems, etc, the
parts are not readily available, etc. Newer engine designs and fuel
injection helped immensely to simplify the emissions equipment.

Attaching a photo of two of the old cars that I still can maintain. ;-)
[image: PXL_20251220_234227522.jpg]

On Tue, Jan 20, 2026 at 10:16 PM Mark Bradakis <mark at bradakis.com> wrote:

> On 1/20/26 12:40 PM, eric at megageek.com wrote:
>
> >
> > I'm an American truck guy, and I don't think I'm ever buying a vehicle
> > newer than 2015.  8>0
> >
> > Moose
> anage: http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/shop-talk/mark@bradakis.com
> >
>
> I recently bought a 2010 Jaguar XK.  Fun to drive, lovely car.  But
> there is way to much computer stuff in it for my tastes.  I still don't
> know if it has an actual dipstick, you check the oil through the dash
> display.  It is one car I will probably almost always take to the dealer
> for everything, it is not DIY friendly.  But it is the fastest vehicle I
> have ever owned!
>
> mjb.
>
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