They don't build them like they used to

[envirotex]

I think it depends on the car...while I do think that cars are designed to go more miles than they were ten years ago, I have a 1985 Toyota Land Cruiser with 240K miles that starts up every time I need it...it's about to get a paint job and then get handed down to boy #1.

 

[goodal]

We bought our washer/dryer used 11 years ago. So im guessing they are around 21 yrs old now. The washer has a popsicle stick holding the door contactor closed. Ive replaced more parts on the dryer than i care to count and she still has to run it twice on EVERY load to get things dry.

Jeans do last forever (or 6-7 years whichever comes first).

I typically go through a pair of tennis/office shoes every two years, but I'm working on 2.5 with my current ones.

I am kinda worried about the new LCD I bought at walmart last winter. I've never bought a new tv, much less given $800 for one. So I'm hoping to 30-40 years out of this one.

Computers kill me. I go through one every two years at work. Not because its just "slow". I typically go through a power supply and one other board (network, sound) in that time and by 2 years the hard drive craps out. Of course there is not much to compare comupters to 30 years ago.

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

the preacher who married us actually told us during the "pre wedding meetings or whatever they call those thigns" that if they made tennis shoes out of vagina parts you would only need one pair your whole life...
I am sure there was some sort of message there but it was a little creepy, actually very creepy...

^I don't understand that at all...

I means, you would not be able to wear them out. ( I think the creepy message, was that you wouldn't need a 2nd)

I thought it meant that it's tough to get your foot into one and even if you use odor eaters it will still stink.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Computers kill me. I go through one every two years at work. Not because its just "slow". I typically go through a power supply and one other board (network, sound) in that time and by 2 years the hard drive craps out. Of course there is not much to compare comupters to 30 years ago.

We usually get a new one every five years at home. But the one we have now is closing in on five years and is still running pretty well.

 

[snickerd3]

mr snick built his current computer. So when parts die or he wants the latest greatest speed he just buys those parts and replaces them himself.

 

[snickerd3]

which i think is going to continue for quite some time because he loves his computer case. It is see through on one side, has about 4 fans with blue LED lights in them.

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

I can't seem to keep a computer running for more than 4-5 years before something dies, and it's usually the software. I don't remember to install updates regularly and clean out the junk files which leads to it slowly degrading to the point it takes 20 minutes to turn on.

The majority of my clothes are older than my kids, although the more worn out items have been slowly "disappearing" as my wife does the laundry. A couple weeks later, I'll discover a replacement for whatever disappeared that she went ahead and purchased for me and just "snuck" into the dresser.

No idea on car durability. I never seem to own one past 75k before I want to trade it in.

New home construction is absolutely horrible. Anyone who has a home built by one of these national builders is an idiot.... oh wait. I'm actually very impressed in the quality of workmanship in the new house so far. Any defects I've found have been quickly addressed by the crews. I would definately recommend my builder to anyone.

 

[FusionWhite]

4-5 years on a computer is pretty good. I worked at a small mom and pop computer store while I was in school and I always laughed to old people who would come in and tell me they wanted to buy a computer that would last 10+ years. They thought it was like an appliance that should last forever.

 

[csb]

I'm afraid to mention it, because they might hear me and die, but the washer and dryer set are still running after about 20 years.

We had a maytag dishwasher get recalled and we replaced it with the super rebate. My parents just replaced a dishwasher from 1968. It just started to crap out. That thing was amazing and my mom never pre-rinses anything. Our new one can handle a lot, but sometimes it can't handle too much food on the plates.

My cell phone is still going strong:

 

[snickerd3]

that dishwasher recall happened in our old house as we getting ready to sell it. Perfect timing too because the pump motor was starting to go on the existing dishwasher. The rebate paid for almost of the new dishwasher. we paid maybe 25-40 bucks out of pocket. nice listing the house with BRAND New Dishwasher in the description.

 

[willsee]

Unless it's a german car

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Fifteen years ago they sold Toyota for a while at the local Sam's club. Didn't do it very long.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Box fans are a lot worse than they used to be. We have one running in the bedroom for white noise, and have gone through at least four since 1998. Box fans at my parents and inlaws were built in the fifties and sixties and still running strong. Shoot, my sister had one that sat unused in the barn for 20 years that runs great. I remember when mom bought it to cool the horses back in the early seventies.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

Box fans are a lot worse than they used to be. We have one running in the bedroom for white noise, and have gone through at least four since 1998. Box fans at my parents and inlaws were built in the fifties and sixties and still running strong. Shoot, my sister had one that sat unused in the barn for 20 years that runs great. I remember when mom bought it to cool the horses back in the early seventies.

They start fires pretty reliably. I see lots of burned up box fans.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Box fans are a lot worse than they used to be. We have one running in the bedroom for white noise, and have gone through at least four since 1998. Box fans at my parents and inlaws were built in the fifties and sixties and still running strong. Shoot, my sister had one that sat unused in the barn for 20 years that runs great. I remember when mom bought it to cool the horses back in the early seventies.

They start fires pretty reliably. I see lots of burned up box fans.

From what, mainly? The wiring always looks suspect to me.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

Box fans are a lot worse than they used to be. We have one running in the bedroom for white noise, and have gone through at least four since 1998. Box fans at my parents and inlaws were built in the fifties and sixties and still running strong. Shoot, my sister had one that sat unused in the barn for 20 years that runs great. I remember when mom bought it to cool the horses back in the early seventies.

They start fires pretty reliably. I see lots of burned up box fans.

From what, mainly? The wiring always looks suspect to me.

The varnish used on the copper windings in the motor is cheap. When the motor heats up from use, the varnish wears off and allows the winding wires to arc. Lasko "solved" this problem by incorporating a 2.5 amp fuse in the power cord.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Box fans are a lot worse than they used to be. We have one running in the bedroom for white noise, and have gone through at least four since 1998. Box fans at my parents and inlaws were built in the fifties and sixties and still running strong. Shoot, my sister had one that sat unused in the barn for 20 years that runs great. I remember when mom bought it to cool the horses back in the early seventies.

They start fires pretty reliably. I see lots of burned up box fans.

From what, mainly? The wiring always looks suspect to me.

The varnish used on the copper windings in the motor is cheap. When the motor heats up from use, the varnish wears off and allows the winding wires to arc. Lasko "solved" this problem by incorporating a 2.5 amp fuse in the power cord.

I wondered what was up with their weird plug.

 

[Carnac]

I can't seem to keep a computer running for more than 4-5 years before something dies, and it's usually the software. I don't remember to install updates regularly and clean out the junk files which leads to it slowly degrading to the point it takes 20 minutes to turn on.

I have a PC that I bought new in December of 2007 and it got to running slow so I added another 2 GB of RAM and re-installed the OS and it runs like new. I think unless you're running intensive software, anything that is 5 yrs old or even a little older will run fine as long as A) it's a dual-core processor or better (that's a big one) and B) maximum Ram (Win XP 4GB max - do it). Your PC will last a long time. Just don't install a bunch of cr#p programs and know what to remove that slows your PC down (like Nero Scout and Nmindexstoreserver.exe if you have Nero DVD burning software).

I just reinstalled and it boots in 30 seconds then I give it another 30 seconds to load all programs. It's just as fast as my work PC which I built myself and is less than a year old.

So my take on PCs is that the old ones are good for 90% of users out there

 

[Master slacker]

We still use the ole laptop the wifey-wife got in 2004. Maxed the RAM out at 2GB about 3 years ago and works good enough for us.

 

[humner]

how about ethynol killing small engines. even after putting Sta-bil in the gas and then running the tank dry, I am constantly working on my small engines. weed wackers are the worst. I actually got so aggravated with one that I just through it out.