Who still drives a stick in 2025?

[2manyrocks]

Had to scrap an otherwise fine GE clothes washer for lack of a timer control.

Wife has 2024 Jetta. That car has so many sensors and interconnected systems that I dont even think we will be able to service it without the dealer. One of the few cars in that price range that can be had with a real auto transmission that isnt a cvt.

 

[WinterDeere]

I agree that the average vehicle lasts far longer now than in the "good old days " but when that period of parts and specialty tool support ends there is no way for an average back yard mechanic to keep them going.

Bull. I have spent my life working on cars, this has literally never happened to me. I'm sure you can dig and find an example from some anonymous poster on the internet, but this is not a real problem for normal people.

Heck, I found an exhaust manifold for a 20+ year old Nissan King Cab hardbody 4x4 pickup, a vehicle so rare I was surprised if I saw three in a full year of driving. It had to be pulled off a totaled truck one or two model years newer, but it was a direct fit, and worked fine.

Manufacturer's support usually goes at least 10 years out past the end of a model series production, and after that there are junk yards chock full of parts. I have never been unable to find any part I've needed for any vehicle I've owned, no matter the age.

 

[jyoutz]

I don't know how popular this tractor was, but it's not reasonable to expect parts (especially oddball/proprietary ones like you describe) to be available forever. Goes with the territory if you want to keep old equipment running. Always been that way.

True, but usually parts are available for 20+ years and there are often workarounds.

 

[ultrarunner]

No trouble finding parts for 100 year old cars here… it is actually easier with the internet…

I do have problems with electronics starting from the 1980’s… and California only emission equipment back to 1976.

I was offered a garage kept 1984 Lincoln with 17,000 miles in mint condition except the instrument cluster was dead… the owner had already spent over 2k at Lincoln Mercury attempting repair with no luck…

He passed away and the kids wanted it gone as they were selling the home.

Not saying it could not be fixed but at what point is it no longer worth it?

Another friend junked 750 BMW because it could not pass smog and as it was a California only model the unique parts needed no longer existed… car was otherwise clean and ran well.

I currently have a similar problem with a 1976 BMW thermactor California emission equips not being able to pass smog.

Also with a 76 Triumph with cracked exhaust manifold… all the ones I found with California emission also cracked so I bought headers and now have a great running spitfire unable to pass smog…

 

[jyoutz]

No trouble finding parts for 100 year old cars here… it is actually easier with the internet…

I do have problems with electronics starting from the 1980’s… and California only emission equipment back to 1976.

I was offered a garage kept 1984 Lincoln with 17,000 miles in mint condition except the instrument cluster was dead… the owner had already spent over 2k at Lincoln Mercury attempting repair with no luck…

He passed away and the kids wanted it gone as they were selling the home.

Not saying it could not be fixed but at what point is it no longer worth it?

Another friend junked 750 BMW because it could not pass smog and as it was a California only model the unique parts needed no longer existed… car was otherwise clean and ran well.

I currently have a similar problem with a 1976 BMW thermactor California emission equips not being able to pass smog.

Also with a 76 Triumph with cracked exhaust manifold… all the ones I found with California emission also cracked so I bought headers and now have a great running spitfire unable to pass smog…

Vehicle smog testing has outlived its usefulness and become a money racket. It was needed in the 1970’s with those old polluting smoke belchers that needed timing and carburetor adjustments to run cleaner. There are so few of those vehicles on the road today and the modern cleaner cars really don’t need much in the way of tune-ups.

 

[ultrarunner]

Yep… close to $100 for older vehicle inspection on treadmill with Evap test…

We still run soon to be 50 year old cars through smog by techs in their 20’s that have never worked with carburetors…

Both of my 1976 are stuck shifts and run very well… just no longer able to be on California roads.

 

[2manyrocks]

No trouble finding parts for 100 year old cars here… it is actually easier with the internet…

I do have problems with electronics starting from the 1980’s… and California only emission equipment back to 1976.

I was offered a garage kept 1984 Lincoln with 17,000 miles in mint condition except the instrument cluster was dead… the owner had already spent over 2k at Lincoln Mercury attempting repair with no luck…

He passed away and the kids wanted it gone as they were selling the home.

Not saying it could not be fixed but at what point is it no longer worth it?

Another friend junked 750 BMW because it could not pass smog and as it was a California only model the unique parts needed no longer existed… car was otherwise clean and ran well.

I currently have a similar problem with a 1976 BMW thermactor California emission equips not being able to pass smog.

Also with a 76 Triumph with cracked exhaust manifold… all the ones I found with California emission also cracked so I bought headers and now have a great running spitfire unable to pass smog…

Analog speedos never much of a problem, but the capacitors in a electronic speedo display tend not to hold a charge in cars seldom driven. Understand there are some shops who can replace the capacitors to get them working again.

But this makes me think newer cars chock full of electronics will quickly become junkers.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Bull. I have spent my life working on cars, this has literally never happened to me. I'm sure you can dig and find an example from some anonymous poster on the internet, but this is not a real problem for normal people.

Heck, I found an exhaust manifold for a 20+ year old Nissan King Cab hardbody 4x4 pickup, a vehicle so rare I was surprised if I saw three in a full year of driving. It had to be pulled off a totaled truck one or two model years newer, but it was a direct fit, and worked fine.

Manufacturer's support usually goes at least 10 years out past the end of a model series production, and after that there are junk yards chock full of parts. I have never been unable to find any part I've needed for any vehicle I've owned, no matter the age.

Finding an exhaust manifold, even a rare one is one thing, many amateur mechanics and welders could even build a header if a manifold can't be found but there will be no way to keep a car from today with 12 or more ecms on the road, especially something not mainstream.

We are at the point where cars will not function without all the controllers in place and communicating, it's not as simple as converting an 70s car back to points or an 80s car back to carburetors. No one will be reverse engineering a dual clutch transmission control module, it will just be scrap metal. My original point is still, a standard transmission is easily overhauled by a home mechanic and even a traditional 3 or 4 spd automatic. When there were only a half dozen models out there the parts suppliers had the volume to keep making replacement parts and the demand was there because more people could actually install the parts.

 

[masseyrider]

Analog speedos never much of a problem, but the capacitors in a electronic speedo display tend not to hold a charge in cars seldom driven. Understand there are some shops who can replace the capacitors to get them working again.

But this makes me think newer cars chock full of electronics will quickly become junkers.

An older friend of mine has a 2010 Impala. Low miles, great overall condition, he says he's too old to be buying a new car and is somewhat cash shy for what now runs $50k for nothing special.
Lucky the emissions testing was cancelled in Ontario a few years back.
An idiot light has come on in his dash that would preclude it from passing testing.
The mechanic says it doesn't effect how the car runs and to keep driving it the way it is. Ignore the light.
You can no longer get the part needed for the repair from GM and no aftermarket is available.
Scrapping such a car would be so helpful to the environment by replacing it with a new build.

 

[jyoutz]

Finding an exhaust manifold, even a rare one is one thing, many amateur mechanics and welders could even build a header if a manifold can't be found but there will be no way to keep a car from today with 12 or more ecms on the road, especially something not mainstream.

We are at the point where cars will not function without all the controllers in place and communicating, it's not as simple as converting an 70s car back to points or an 80s car back to carburetors. No one will be reverse engineering a dual clutch transmission control module, it will just be scrap metal. My original point is still, a standard transmission is easily overhauled by a home mechanic and even a traditional 3 or 4 spd automatic. When there were only a half dozen models out there the parts suppliers had the volume to keep making replacement parts and the demand was there because more people could actually install the parts.

Vehicles are so much more reliable today. The last two vehicles I had were bought new and driven for about 300k miles each, and then sold for a few thousand dollars, still running and drivable. Those old simple to repair 1970s vehicles needed engine overhauls at about 100k miles and were pretty much junk by the high 100k+ miles. I buy new, drive them for 250-300K miles and then get rid of them. And typically with only minor maintenance and repairs. Don’t care if they last 20 years because they will sold around year 10. Yes I do put 25-30k miles per year on my daily drivers.