Consumers Demand And Love High Tech - But Wince At The Cost When It Breaks

At night, the thin band of bright red LEDs on the rear of the 2015 Dodge Durango stares back at the drivers behind like an evil-looking menace in a space helmet.

It’s one of the most unique lighting signatures on the road today.

Just don’t hit it.

There is a downside to rapidly advancing automotive technology: Break something, and you’ll pay an eye-popping amount to get it fixed.

We all know about showroom sticker shock. Average transaction prices for light vehicles in the United States hit a record in January, according to Kelly Blue Book, before falling slightly to $33,299 last month, up from about $28,000 in 2010. And nearly a third of new loans are now 74 months or longer, NPR reported last week.

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randy3023 - 3/27/2015 11:40:03 AM

+2 Boost

I love hearing people whine and bitch about the high cost of repairing their Cadillacs, BMWs, and Volvos. As if they didn't know what they were getting into.

PUGPROUD - 3/27/2015 5:08:09 PM

+1 Boost

Simple solution...never buy, always lease a new car with a warranty. Better to lease a Ford Focus under warranty than to buy a used Mercedes
SL65 out of warranty.-

gkearns56 - 3/27/2015 5:25:43 PM

+3 Boost

Who and how many did they poll to get these so called results on "Consumers Love and Demand High Tech". That's a very blanket comment and no stats to back that up.

It depends on WHAT technology we want. Some of it I love; other I HATE. I really like that "blind spot" when you are changing lanes. My mirror flashes when someone is in the blind spot. I could care less about the "heads-up" display that is projected on the lower front windshield. Wife test drove a few new cars this past weekend since she is looking now. The Mazda 6, a very nice economical car but the "heads-up" display in that car is a small 3" inches wide by 1" inch tall. Gosh that was distracting and annoying that small little screen up projecting a small white image on the front windshield. I have no use for that!! Park yourself cars not something I need.

dumpsty - 3/30/2015 11:24:44 AM

+1 Boost

Consumers should be better educated about the range of pricing to replace many of the seemingly "inexpensive" car components. Dealerships & salesmen assume we all know & understand that HID & LED lighting is much more expensive than replacing a simple bulb in the old-skool systems. If the light is damaged, the whole assembly must be replaced.

It's bad communication & ignorance on both sides. The average vehicle costs a heck of a lot more than what it did 10 years ago. You get less car for that same amount of money & there are a lot more federal govt standards that help to increase the base costs as well.