When will cars be appliances?

[supton]

I know, we joke about some being appliances vs others, and it's because of its usage vs driving feel.

Got into a conversation with coworkers recently, and I joked about wanting an appliance for a vehicle next time. He corrected me, stating that cars will be appliances when you have to pay to get rid of them. Just like getting rid of a washer/fridge/sofa.

Right now, there are people who will drive to your house and give you a couple hundred dollars for a beater, just for the scrap metal. Can get a few hundred for almost anything, either in scrap or from someone actually interested. Will that change in the future, when it costs more to dispose of the plastics or the fluids or whatever?

I thought it an interesting counterpoint to the insult of calling particular vehicles an "appliance".

 

[SwampSurvivor]

They already are, aren't they? Get in, use it, don't maintain it (that much), discard in 3 years.

 

[Scotty59]

Already happened, Toyota Camry....

 

[SLCraig]

Originally Posted By: Scotty59
Already happened, Toyota Anything....


Fixed

 

[supton]

You missed the point. You don't pay to get rid of a car, at least not currently. Not unless if you consider the dealer undercutting you at tradein--but that's true on any vehicle.

 

[danthaman1980]

Originally Posted By: SLCraig
Originally Posted By: Scotty59
Already happened, Toyota Anything....


Fixed

Haha - Almost. I'll give the Tundras and Tacomas the benefit of the doubt, but yes anything else Toyota is pretty much already a transportation appliance.

But in the end, nothing says 'transportation appliance' like the 3 most generic looking cars ever made.
1992-1995 Ford Taurus
2003-2007 Honda Accord
2006-2013 Chevy Impala

Just my $.02

 

[HM12460]

Originally Posted By: Scotty59
Already happened, Toyota Camry....




Yeah, that was the first thing thought of when I read the posting title.

 

[sciphi]

They're getting there in terms of reliability, but the engineers keep slipping engaging driving dynamics past the bean-counters when they get bored. The closest anybody's come to appliance status has been Toyota. Every single Toyota I've had experience with has left me feeling nothing, just like interacting with my appliances. The 2012 Yaris I spent a week with while my Cruze was in the shop was a great little appliance. It did its job with a minimum of fuss and without any characteristics that anybody could disagree with.

 

[SatinSilver]

I guess you havn't visited the Ford dealer lately. Everything in the showroom is an appliance. Kind of looks like the applicance section at Sears.

 

[rjundi]

Sofa takes up landfill space(a lot at that) or machine to crunch it down. Fridge requires freon capture.

Stoves & washers they take free at scrap yard and our local transfer stations with scrap pile.

Cars have way to much value in scrap and recycle to have a fee. Especially in battery core, cat convertors and iron beyond.

OT: I love transportation appliance like the Honda Accord with a manual transmission over a sport or GT vehicle with automatic. I would prefer to own a manual Accord over a BMW with automatic which ruins the experience.

 

[expat]

+1 on Toyota (and I have owned several, and would probably buy again)

But I also rent cars on occasion, and believe me, there are a lot of cars that 'feel' like appliances out there.

But is that a Bad thing?
Much of the time, Driving has become a 'less than' pleasurable pastime, Just a means of Getting where you are going.

Perhaps this is where there will be a niche for 'Specialist cars'
Cars with Quirks, imperfections.

I guess that is why I have my Triumph.
It sure could not be called practical transport.

 

[supton]

On topic: I thought it interesting. I guess though that the value of scrap iron will keep it from happening--you'll always get something for a vehicle. Pennies perhaps, but something. I'll make sure to tell my coworker that. I win this argument.

Off topic: I like driving my VW. It likes being pushed. But the older I get the more I wonder. Didn't Carlin say, everyone who drives faster than you is an idiot, and everyone who drives slower is a moron? Not a week goes by that we don't complain here about aggressive drivers. Now, I understand that an aggressive driver can be behind the wheel of any vehicle, and vice versa. But for me, I do know that I tend to drive my VW more aggressively (and it rewards me for it, in that it literally runs better after a good flogging).

Boring cars make for boring drives, which makes for other boring drivers on the road. Is that a bad thing, what with road congestion?

 

[eljefino]

Those self driving google priusses might count as appliances. I guess they still have humans behind the wheel, waiting to take over. What's that experience like? Can you pick up on the computer's personality, like a pedestrian faking out that they're going to jump in front... will the computer react this time?

 

[Smokescreen]

What is the meaning of appliance? Is it a machine that does the job unfailing for years and years without drama? Does any appliance ever invoke passion? What about a good power tool, does that invoke passion when chewing through concrete or a log?

Most cars are tools for a job. Trucks haul stuff, cars haul people. Vans haul people and stuff. Sports cars are toys more or less, they invoke passion for those that wish and do drive them, while they drive them. Is the definition of a car/appliance something that does not invoke passion. Is something you consider to be an appliance, considered by someone else to not be one?

Does boring always = appliance....a long drive in a boring car performs its function, that allows you to view nature uninhibited, gets you to destination without drama or worry. Do you look back on appliance cars and say "man, that car performed without drama for decades, so boring though I wish I never had it" Does older outdated cars that were appliance-like then invoke passion now because of its age and simplicity?

Back in the days of horse drawn carriages, wagons and buggies. All were appliances. Work horses, draft horses. Race horses were the toys then.

In the future, they usually depict travel as being performed by an appliance, a simple method of transport. Is this our future? Will we keep older outdated methods of transport around even though less efficient because they bring back passion?

Many things to think about. Many views to what is of value.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: Smokescreen

Back in the days of horse drawn carriages, wagons and buggies. All were appliances. Work horses, draft horses. Race horses were the toys then.


But a horse could love you back, as a living creature...

My grandfather once told me about his father, and how his father would take the horse (and buggy?) to town on a Saturday, and come home at night. If he fell asleep, the horse would just continue on home, it knew where it was going, and how to get home.

Now when a car can do that...

 

[morepwr]

Originally Posted By: HM12460
Originally Posted By: Scotty59
Already happened, Toyota Camry....




Yeah, that was the first thing thought of when I read the posting title.


+1

 

[KitaCam]

Originally Posted By: Smokescreen
What is the meaning of appliance?


Well, not my Camry with its MT, thank you very much...

...an appliance is a machine that operates with minimal need for human involvement...push the button, walk away, job gets done....this is not to denigrate such automation...as you say, the appliance allows you to do other things while IT does YOUR work...or without you having to be reminded to do it
...my cousin loves her Camry because she's not an aficionado of machines...for example, she loves the "auto" lights-on feature.

When the machine makes decisions for you then it becomes that appliance...like the auto lights-on. (and lights-off!), and on other cars, auto-wipers, auto-braking, blind-spot avoidance, etc...

 

[mechanicx]

I've had appliances not last as long as cars. Of course the appliance didn't get any maintenance and maybe could've been repaired.

 

[Landrew]

Some items called appliances only do one step jobs and are in need of watching.

I was sad to see in the show iRobot that you didn't get to actually drive the cars, they did it for you. I love to drive (probably why I had to have a Miata after one ride in it) and enjoy it most everytime. Ahh the future - soon we will all be like the movie Wall-E.

I've wanted to change the grease/oil to synthetic in our DeLonghi mixer for some time now. Mobil Counter 1 Oil coming soon.......

 

[01rangerxl]

Your coworker is wrong about the definition of appliance...if you pay to get rid of a fridge, washer, water heater, hvac components, etc, you're doing it wrong. If it has a fair amount of metal in it, it's money. Take it to the scrap yard, or put it on the street. It will be gone within the day (probably the hour).

Some power companies will pay you for your old fridge ($30 or so) and come pick it up.

Cars are definitely appliances already. Blingy, shiny, expensive appliances, but appliances nonetheless. They will always have value due to the materials needed to make them.