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Comment by Judgmentality | Hacker News Reader

> cars are lasting longer every year, since quality and durability keeps increasing.

This isn't true. Japanese cars don't have the same reliability they did in the 90's. You're not gonna find anything like a 2JZ engine on an affordable car these days.

VW quality seems to be on the verge of falling off a cliff as they seem to be desperate to increase profits without improving quality.

Oddly enough I would mention Korean cars for being especially reliable, but then Hyundai and Kia got hacked the other day, so...

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By the data, it IS true, though. Cars—especially the engines—are lasting longer because we're just better at making them. Reliability by manufacturer varies of course. Since the engines are lasting longer, our durability problems now turn to the interiors, which currently can't be updated or refreshed the way say a kitchen can. Would like to see that change.

You're right, the data does seem to support you.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cars-now-last-longer-than-ever-...

I rag on body styling but in terms of engine power, efficiency, safety, durability, features, and interior quality, cars have gotten much, much better. The launch of new innovative disruption first from Japan, then Korea, and now homegrown competitors like Tesla has really improved competition and driven more innovation in the industry. The new tech is also getting insane, with hand gestures recognition, cameras everywhere, blind spot sensors. It's a great time to drive a car.

There are cons as well. Manufacturers are mostly moving away from buttons, which is arguably a safety issue. It's harder to find hydraulic steering so we're left with the muted electronic racks you find today. They have all sorts of technology you find useful, but I actually spent a significant chunk of time figuring out how to remove the modem in my car. Oh, and they're typically much heavier, the bane of any performance vehicle (and bad for the environment, fuel economy, and safety for pedestrians).

The 2JZs cost Porsche money new. Here in New Zealand Japanese imports could be had for a massive discount but they were never an affordable car.

The 2JZ is a ridiculous bargain for the value, even today. I'm not sure what you consider Porsche money but you can get a brand new 2JZ for 4 digits.

The other engine that comes to mind is the LS1, which was also developed in the 90s and is still used by GM today.

Outside of those two I'd start looking at supercars (I don't mean Porsche, I mean Koenigsegg) for engines that are as impressive.

What's so impressive about 2JZ?

Ability to handle vastly more power than from the factory with bolt-on upgrades.

Extreme reliability and ability to handle massive amounts of power.

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