robert. wrote:"Sadly we are burdened with a ton of electronic gadgetry that we cannot opt out of, so in my case it will just sit there never used." rufus.
I'd love to opt out of power windows, power seats. power trunk and fuel door. ever jeep wranglers come with power windows now. Way to much crap to wrong in 5-10 years.
Doubtful I'd keep anything that long. First thing to go wrong, the vehicle is gone. That's my rule. (Although I did keep my '72 Pontiac Gran Prix, even after its wipers needed replaced and the water pump needed replaced, oh, and the struts, too. But I really loved that ride! Throw a set of chains on those rear wheels and it could go through just about any snow, even uphill. Kept it 'til 1977 when I had saved up enough cash for my first Cadillac Seville - pretty but a douche.)
And as soon as a manufacturer says it's done betting on the vehicle via its warrantee, by having a date upon which the warrantee expires, I say, well, you know your car best, certainly better than I, so I am not going to say I know better and bet my well-being on it by taking a chance on getting stuck out in no-man's-land by myself with your heap. So, warrantee is up, car is gone.
The lone exception I have made is my wife's 2012 "E", which has only 2,000 miles on it. To us, that means it's new, so we take it in for required "maintenance" and love the car. Basically, it's a garage-queen.
However, at my age, this 2018 GLE (the Ml model's replacement) is probably my last vehicle for purchase. I doubt I will be launching myself across the country to that client's layout in Kansas, again, for example, I think, maybe, sorta, so I just don't need to keep getting new stuff to drive locally, plus the occasional trip into PA and/or Upstate NY.