Cars getting older... slowing down adoption of new dashboard technology

[davideduardo]

Old dashboard tech has just had more years added to its life. Reports show that the average age of American cars is increasing to, now, over 12 years.

Cars on American roads keep getting older

The average age of vehicles on U.S. roads has been rising for decades as cars grow ever more durable — and expensive.

www.cnbc.com

Of course, this means that more people will still have traditional car radios... and for longer. And, I guess, some will even still have CD players! This is an interesting read, and shows that the change to newer technology still takes a decade or more.

 

[CTListener]

Old dashboard tech has just had more years added to its life. Reports show that the average age of American cars is increasing to, now, over 12 years.

Cars on American roads keep getting older

The average age of vehicles on U.S. roads has been rising for decades as cars grow ever more durable — and expensive.

www.cnbc.com

Of course, this means that more people will still have traditional car radios... and for longer. And, I guess, some will even still have CD players! This is an interesting read, and shows that the change to newer technology still takes a decade or more.

I was planning to say goodbye to my 13-year-old Jetta this year, but instead have dropped another $2,000 into maintenance and repair, as the chip shortage that's slowing down new car production has trickled down to the used car lots, and buying any used vehicle makes no sense at all. So yes ... standard AM/FM radio, CD player, no aux ports, no internet, SiriusXM radio in a cradle and powered through the DC outlet (where, in earlier cars, the cigarette lighter would be).

 

[frankberry]

I have a Ford Escape that is 14 years old. It's in great shape with low mileage. I drive less than 2,000 miles per year and, while I can afford it, I really can't justify buying a new vehicle.

 

[davideduardo]

I have a Ford Escape that is 14 years old. It's in great shape with low mileage. I drive less than 2,000 miles per year and, while I can afford it, I really can't justify buying a new vehicle.

We are doing the same thing. We used to get new cars regularly, but are now in the 7th year of both of them and have no plans to get new ones for at least 3 or 4 years... perhaps more. We have all the current safety features, so there is no point on spending for something that will depreciate most of its value in the first 2 years.

 

[RadioFan2J3]

My Montero Sport is a 2003 model. Only 120K miles and still running fine. About three or four years ago, I did have the timing belt changed out. Too much work for me to do by myself without a dedicated garage, so I bit the bullet (and credit card) and let someone else do it. Next time for a timing belt change, I may be too old to worry about it!

 

[Time Traveler]

My newest car...a 2018 Kia Rio has a surprisingly sensitive FM/AM radio which also includes Sirius/XM...But I still have a couple of much OLDER cars that are in surprisingly good condition that I never had the heart to part with! They include a (sub-compact)1989 Pontiac Le Mans and a 1977 Buick Le Sabre which are equipped with FM/AM Cassette units!!! So...I don't know when I will buy another new vehicle...if ever at this rate...

 

[Deleted User]

I can't think of any 2021 model car that has a CD player

The CD player in my 2007 Mustang GT failed (Ford has always put crappy CD players in their cars IMHO)the car has 9000 miles on it and the CD player crapped the bed..... which gave me the opportunity to put a double DIN Android Auto capable head unit in.

Right now the only car in my fleet with a CD player is my 2013 Highlander, and my 2013 Harley has a factory CD player

I would LOVE to see HD radio as standard equipment in a car, once you have heard HD radio in a car you'll ask yourself how you lived without it.... unfortunately only my 2016 Rav4 has it, but as soon as inventory and pricing stabilize I will be in the market for a new family truckster and it will have to have HD radio... it is a deal breaker for me.



I think we are going to see more phone integration and or 5G connectivity in order for radios to be updated once they leave the dealership

For example, if I want to update the SD card that has the map files for my GPS in the Rav4, my cost as an jobber is about $120 dollars, and even then chances are the map package will be a year old..... certainly not current so as States re-number exit ramps on interstate highways as Massachusetts has just done in order to keep some federal funding, the GPS files are now wrong, but if you have Android Auto or Apple car play and are using WAZE or Google Maps, the app on the phone is displayed on the head unit, and it is a whole lot more accurate than the SD card data.

Plus I am able to drop a SXM subscription and stream the service using Bluetooth or the Android Auto function, I don't have to use a stand alone XM radio or buy the tuner module for the aftermarket radio. But I will say using the app is not as nice as using the tuner. At some point SXM is going to figure out the cost of all those satellites can be replaced with an app for 99% if their subscribers and get out of sat casting

 

[Mikey Radio]

I normally keep a vehicle up to about a decade, then once it starts into the "nickel and diming" phase, that's when I'll upgrade. My current vehicle is a 2017 Buick. The first year they offered that model was I believe 2013 and they did a complete dash retool and upgrade in I think 2016. Though I've been plenty happy with all the features it has (many of which I'll never use), that particular model doesn't have HD Radio available.

While I did buy my latest vehicle new because I wanted that exact model, prior to that I was a fan of CarMax and others in my family have purchased there as well. As has been mentioned above, new car values depreciate greatly in the first few years (I've heard it said that once you drive a new car off the lot, the value can drop as much as 30% almost right away depending on the model and if you tried to trade it in at a dealership). CarMax tends to sell some gently used vehicles, many with low mileage and much of the original warranties still remaining that can be transferred to the new owner, for some really attractive prices. Best of all, there's no haggling. The price marked (or listed on their website) is the price you pay.

 

[ZantennaG1]

2005 Jeep owner here, and before that, a 2002 Subaru. There is a certain quality you get out of vehicles made in the early 2000's, mainly that the radios don't soft mute on weak AM, allowing me to Dx easier.

 

[anotherguyTN]

My wife's 2016 Hyundai Elantra has a CD player but my 2019 Elantra doesn't. But I've been using MP3 players or phones with FM transmitters or Bluetooth adapters for years so it didn't bother me, and I switched to USB and Bluetooth when I traded. But no HD radio on either of them.

We're about to pay off my wife's car and I've told her don't get any ideas of trading any time soon since it's still running good.

 

[oldradiotapes]

I think I can one-up all of you since my primary vehicle is an '87 Grand Wagoneer SJ. It still gets around and there's nothing wrong with it (except that it's a gas pig and it idles kind of rough sometimes). Its factory cassette player went buh-bye a long, long time ago.

You kids and your modern cars....

 

[ZantennaG1]

I think I can one-up all of you since my primary vehicle is an '87 Grand Wagoneer SJ. It still gets around and there's nothing wrong with it (except that it's a gas pig). Its factory cassette player went buh-bye a long, long time ago.

You kids and your modern cars....

Figures it would be a Jeep, as Jeep is the kingpin of off-road, long-lasting vehicles.

 

[oldradiotapes]

Jeep, and older (80s-late 90s) Subarus. Wagoneers got even better after Chrysler took AMC over in early 1987. Mine's one of the early Chrysler units my dad bought new in late '87, and I ended up with it after my '87 Bronco was stolen and torched in IIRC 2012.

 

[Kelly A]

Seems like for years auto manufacturers touted the latest in-car entertainment systems as a huge selling point in vehicles. Over the past ten years or so, the emphasis has shifted to driver safety systems such as lane control warning, adaptive cruise control, self-driving, and cameras all over with even a birdseye view from above. Things like FM radio and ability to play into the vehicle from your phone have become as ubiquitous as windshield wipers. A radio is expected.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

10 years for one car in the house, 8 for the other and no plans to dispose of them near term. Older car has a CD player easily accessible but never used. Other has a weird flip up way to access it, also never used. And we were told the last model year to have a CD player. Both have a form of wired Pandora connectivity but nothing like Car Play/Android auto. That's fine--I can ask Siri to do whatever I want by voice command anyway.

 

[CTListener]

At some point SXM is going to figure out the cost of all those satellites can be replaced with an app for 99% if their subscribers and get out of sat casting

SXM is popular with long-haul truckers and others who regularly drive through places (or live in them) with limited or no mobile internet connectivity. There are also the technophobes and financially challenged for whom satellite radio via satellites and on a radio is still the preferred method of delivery. The satellites are going nowhere, as the churn generated by their phase-out would be catastrophic.

 

[RadioGuy1864]

I can't think of any 2021 model car that has a CD player

My wife just got a 2021 Subaru Forester with a CD! Did not order it, came that way. So they are still out there

 

[Theater of My Mind]

I was planning to say goodbye to my 13-year-old Jetta this year, but instead have dropped another $2,000 into maintenance and repair, as the chip shortage that's slowing down new car production has trickled down to the used car lots, and buying any used vehicle makes no sense at all.

Same here, and also with other family members. I did just drop a new Pioneer AVIC head unit into the dash after the old radio developed problems though, so my dashboard technology just got a nice upgrade anyway, and Android Auto works beautifully.

Another factor slowing down a new car purchase for us -- does it really make sense to buy a gasoline fuel vehicle right now when the market seems poised for a transition to EVs? That seems like a poor investment, but then EVs aren't really ready for primetime yet, so lets wait a couple more years and see what happens.

 

[Kelly A]

SXM is popular with long-haul truckers and others who regularly drive through places (or live in them) with limited or no mobile internet connectivity. There are also the technophobes and financially challenged for whom satellite radio via satellites and on a radio is still the preferred method of delivery. The satellites are going nowhere, as the churn generated by their phase-out would be catastrophic.

Especially now that SXM has spent major money to replace the aging birds for both Sirius and XM.
They're new offering in cars includes the merger of a satellite tuner and Internet streaming. It's called "360L". The tuner is able to switch between the two based on availability.

 

[CTListener]

Especially now that SXM has spent major money to replace the aging birds for both Sirius and XM.
Their new offering in cars includes the merger of a satellite tuner and Internet streaming. It's called "360L". The tuner is able to switch between the two based on availability.

And there you run into the glacial rate of new car buying.