Drive a high tech car, get your checkbooks ready!

Maintaining the Bells and Whistles:
How Much Will Technology Cost You?



In July 2005, Jennifer Matthews of San Francisco was driving with her 85-pound pit bull, Chopper, in the backseat of her five-day-old 2005 Lexus RX 330. A deer jumped in front of the car, and Matthews slammed on the brakes. Chopper flew forward; a front paw hit the windshield and his back paws went through the LED screen of the navigation system. The damage was caused by an accident, and therefore it wasn’t covered under warranty. The cost to replace the navigation system: $6,600.

Replacing the screen on a Lexus navigation system could cost you over $6,000.

In today’s high-tech automotive industry, computers and sensors are rapidly replacing mechanical parts, increasing vehicle safety. But this additional convenience can bring frustration and debt. Consumers aren’t buying sparkplugs or gaskets or even plain metal keys anymore. Some of the newer, hot vehicle options include rearview cameras, adaptive cruise control, radar sensors that slow you down if you get too close to the car in front of you and keyless entry — all electronic, and all very expensive.

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E34M5E34M5 - 5/5/2006 12:56:01 PM
+1 Boost
that all this why-tech that mfgrs are throwing at us are going to be incredibly expensive to repair in 10-15 years. they're in the business of selling new cars, but this could start to hurt resale value. Imagine being in the market for a 6 year old RX330 with 100k miles. nowadays a Honda or Lexus with those stats is still a sure-fire reliable car. but if even 1 in 20 needs a new LCD before 200k miles, people are going to pass on that used RX and it will hurt new Lexus sales at that point.


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