I like newer vehicles and newer tractors. Your mileage may vary. Plenty of older iron out there for sale if you prefer that. And yes, I’ve rebuilt several older vehicle carburetors on my work bench. I’ve not yet had an ecm fuel injection issue. When or if I do, it will be towed to a shop, but newer vehicles are still far more reliable. I also remember changing plugs, points and condensers every 25k miles. Yeah, no thanks. I’m glad those days are over.
Your comparison doesnt work.
We are talking about diesel engines, gas engines (in your carburetor example) dont have DPF/DEF.
So let’s keep it on diesels and set aside pollution controls for a moment…
Newer common rail diesel vehicles & tractors have evolved into more reliable machines in
some aspects for the operator, not the mechanic. Computer controlled common rail diesel fuel injection systems are much more expensive to fix when it breaks. The injectors cost more and the pump costs more. The CAPS pump on my Cummins powered tractor is
$5,000. An old school mechanical pump was much less. The injectors are much more expensive, too. So would you rather have a computer controlled diesel that runs a bit better & more efficient but costs a fortune to fix, or a simple mechanical diesel that is cheaply & easily fixed?
Now again, staying with diesel engines, add pollution after-treatment equipment. It simply MUST be less reliable by the addition of more sensors, wires, computers and wear parts. It simply
cannot be more reliable unless additional advances, separate from the DEF/DPF, were made.
Although common rail is better at cold starting, it is not enough additional reliability to make up for the additional problems caused by DEF/DPF sensor and related failure.
I actually like the newer diesels, but they are shockingly complex and hard to fix without a great deal of backround education in diesel technology or expense.
And BTW- “older iron” does NOT work in some states now. CA has banned older diesel engines. Other states are following.