Toyota- Oh dear

[ebikeerwidnes]

Financial people love the idea of subscriptions
Every car they sell is an income stream for the next x years - when x may be up to 10 maybe

Of course, at some point they may decide to 'upgrade' the central system and you 5 year old car that you bought second hand will require several hundred pound to install a new board somewhere so you can keep using it
I would guess that this will be a main dealer only 'upgrade'

The problem is that people don;t really look ahead at costs - after all it is only a few quid a month

I got this sort of thing a lot when I was an IT Technician in school. Teacher and management would come along witha really wonderful new IT system or website that they wanted to start using.
OK - how much?
It's only £x and then £(very small amount) a month per user

By the time I added up the full costs over 5 years it had normally gone to a figure that made the senior management squirm.

but I was the only one that seemed to see it

according to some people I was always negative

but over 5 years this sort of subscription can get silly - especially when you need a connected system that will last the lifetime of a car - which could be 15-20 years

 

[oldwheels]

My first Land Rover was even less complex!!
(1969 2A Light-Weight)


Plus, I remember my dads first car, that he owned, rather than a 'works van', had a radio aerial!!
We used to take the transistor radio from the kitchen & plug it in, whilst out
Then it could barely be heard over the engine/gearbox!!
(Austin Cambridge A60)

My A60 was quiet and refined in comparison to the A30 which I had before.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Another company wanting a slice of the addictive "subscription model" pie! I couldn't quite believe it when I first saw a company that wanted to sell gym leggings to women, on a subscription.
Who the hell needs a monthly clothing subscription? That's some workout if you're destroying your keks every month!

 

[Oldhippy]

The more it costs to own a car the better in my opinion.

 

[presta]

according to some people I was always negative

I used to get that at work too. As an engineer, I saw it as my job to foresee what might go wrong, and then do something constructive to make sure it didn't. That was being negative, the required philosophy was "Oh, we'll worry about that if it happens".

The more it costs to own a car the better in my opinion.

The cost of a car should be in using it rather than owning it, otherwise you have a regressive charge that rewards the profligate at the expense of the frugal.

 

[mustang1]

Some subscription models I've seen:
shaving club (they call it a "club" like you belong to a community - screw that, you belong to THEM!)
gym (of course, around for ages)
music/netflix etc (youtube have really turned up the adverts and keep telling me "get the 1st 3 months free!" - yeah, no thanks)
food delivery
wines
bikes (this is not bad for kids who will grow into the next size up)
disk space (for photo backups)
websites
washing up powder
water softeners
breathing air (no wait, that's not out.... yet)
computers
phones of course/internet contracts etc
home-exercise (pollutionaton etc)
dating services (I think, i have not checked - honest!)
watches
car clubs (both normal cars and supercars)

Wait until e-bikes get 5G setup then all these subscription services for your car might end up on your bike! You've been warned folks, take heed.

Initially I was susprised about the Mercedes steering-on-subscription but actually, I am not that bothered.

 

[DRM]

The people who used to shout "big brother" and "they're trying to control us" are laughing now! I am very surprised at Toyota. Their whole (what's the word.....ideal.....ethos...) was about making bullet proof cars that would last a lifetime and be affordable for the average person. This type of crap seems like the new CEO has been watching too many influencers on Youtube

Toyota even have a subscription ignition system on their fork trucks called I-site, there’s no key, it either has a keypad and each driver has an individual number to start it, and it can also have a pre shift checklist, alternatively it can use a card reader to check a drivers keycard instead of inputting a number, it’s great fun when the codes get altered by accident and no one can start the things

 

[Brandane]

I'm beginning to be grateful that my next birthday is my 60th, and that if I really want to, I could be in a position to retire.
At that point I will no longer be a slave to car ownership, and will take great delight in telling them to shove it, and the expense involved.
Don't get me wrong, those who have been on this site for a while will realise I am a bit of a petrol head. I used to enjoy driving, and riding my motorbike, and in the right conditions I still do. But in general, it has become a royal PITA and the golden age is well and truly over. Give me my free bus pass in May, and I won't need a car!

 

[tyred]

Reasons to continue driving my ancient Peugeot #54,876.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Some subscription models I've seen:
shaving club (they call it a "club" like you belong to a community - screw that, you belong to THEM!)

I know - I always wondered about that when they send you a new razor every week!!

WHAT
I think I am being excessive if I have to change my razor blades every 2 months - I just never seem to wear them out

then I read an article about them which claimed their who business strategy is based on a plastic handle that feel REALLY nice but is dirt cheap to make
then using blades that are carefully, and very well designed, to start really sharp but are made of cheap metal that dulls very quickly.
Therefore people can really feel the difference when they start with the new blades but they are working on the basis that people don;t realise that using a better quality blade would mean it last many times longer

mind you - I did use to know someone who used a new blade every day because his beard hair was like steel wool - so maybe it would work for him!

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I used to get that at work too. As an engineer, I saw it as my job to foresee what might go wrong, and then do something constructive to make sure it didn't. That was being negative, the required philosophy was "Oh, we'll worry about that if it happens".

Yup - then guess who they blame when it happens??