March 31, 2006

  • Don getting the new wheels got me to thinking about how the auto industry still has a ways to go to grasp how the driving habits of American has changed.  ISTM extended warranties are an absolute necessity these days, for who only drives 36,000 miles in 36 months? 


    Okay, back when lots of people took busses to work, and people lived fairly close to work, school, stores, etc. I can sort of see it.  Maybe.


    But nowadays it's come to be the norm to live a fair distance from one's place of employment, etc.  We live in Fort Worth but Don works in Dallas.  My sister, Elaine, lives near us and Hal works in Dallas.  My son-in-law lives in Keller but works in Plano.  They'll hit the standard warranty limit real fast.  Heck, I'm zooming up on it yet I don't even work!  Last year Dmitry attended a school 12-13 miles away, so there was 1000 miles in a month right there, never mind the other driving I did.  And the trips to Lubbock and Ruidoso.


    When I was much younger those parameters were achievable and reasonable, but no longer.  Doubtless those extended warranties are a significant profit center for the automobile manufacturers, though, so the chances of their bringing their standard warranties into some sort of line with reality are remote at best.