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Throw away thinking

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dakazman:
  Can you imagine all the manufactures of cars in the past not supplying parts after 10 -20 years or so?
 
   JUST TRY TO GET A COMPUTER SCREEN FOR A NEW CAR AND HAVE IT PROGRAMMED TO WORK IN 20 YEARS. OR FIND THAT PLASTIC LENS AROUND THE HEDLIGHTS OR GRILLE?
   What are they doing?
Dakazman
 

Richard48Y:
Realizing Chevrolet's dream from 1955!
The original SBC was an exercise in cost cutting that made aftermarket suppliers rich.
To cut cost, even minor items like exhaust gaskets were not used.
The idea being that when those were needed the car would be scrapped and they could sell another.
Aftermarket spoiled that by suppling the parts.

But with the model proliferation now, and many if not most being completely restyled every year, the pie has too many very thin slices for the aftermarket to care.
So only the most popular models are supported, for a short time.

Forty - fifty year old cars from extinct makers are now better supported than ten year old cars!

EuropaTC:
It's already with us, and with Lotus. I've decided to put the Elise on the road next summer after far too long sitting in the garage, so I made a list and went looking for bits.

Thankfully not needed (fingers crossed) but the plastic front/rear indicators & stop lamps are NLA, SJS have recommissioned a batch apparently but the OEM headlamps, an odd size with a recurve glass, are again NLA. Old stock (if you can find any) is expensive as you'd expect.  Some suspension parts are the same and don't even think about asking for a replacement chassis. And that's on a car that is just over 20yrs old, mine is '99 and they were sold into 2000-2001 I think. I'll bet that the S2 Elise, <20yrs old with moulded headlamps is already in the rocking horse poo category now.

We bought a new Ford at the end of last year and there's so much electronics in the thing that I think cars are becoming like the modern TV, washing machine or freezer - work brilliantly until right to the point where they don't, and then you just dump it and buy a new one.....

Edit to add - out of curiosity I looked up the lamps for the S2, <2007. Still available at roughly £1k per corner....    wow.

S2Zetec54:
£1000 for an Elise s2 headlight …..  :huh:

EuropaTC:
Yep, Lotus only parts ain't cheap any more.  I had a swift intake of breath when I saw £300 for the fuel pump and £1700 for the Stack instrument unit although I suppose that does cover speed/revs/temperature & fuel.  Half a dozen Smiths gauges are still cheaper though !

Brian

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