site banner

Friday Fun Thread for June 21, 2024

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

3
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

Is it just me or are there also absurdly fewer colors of cars on the road now too?

It is not just you.

I'd tend to blame the obsession with resale value, taken apart in this article about watches. Time was, cars didn't last nearly as long as they do now, especially American cars. 100k miles used to be "on death's door;" now it's a warmup for a lot of models. It was common for the first owner to drive the car all the way to the junkyard, or to sell it for a minimal amount when they were done with it. Modern cars on the road are close to 14 years old, in 1970 the average was under 6, and it only broke ten well in the Dubya administration.

Once reselling your car becomes a concern, tastes become recursively drawn towards the inoffensive median, an ouroboros of boredom. Most people don't mind a white, silver, gray car. Personally, I would love a baby blue or orange car, but never buy a red or gold or black car. But I wouldn't reject a white car. Another person would utterly hate a baby blue or orange car, but would buy a red or gold car. But they'll also accept white. So someone selling a white car has more buyers than someone selling an orange car, giving them higher resale value.

It's recursive, because if the second owner expects to sell to a third owner later on, then he will also prioritize white over orange, and so will pay more for a white car than an orange car. And so on down the line.

People bought fun cars when they expected to drive the car all the way to the junkyard, or they simply didn't care and chose what they liked personally. Today, people make responsible financial choices, and pick boring colors. Everything trends towards a mushy middle. C'est la vie.