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There was a stat on this released by BMW recently - something stupid like 90%(!!!!) of all owners of new BMWs don't keep them longer than 3 years. So in a way, if you were running BMW engineering division.....yeah, why make them last any longer than that. Clearly the people who actually make you money by buying new cars don't give a crap about longevity - Plastic oil pans it is.

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As anyone in automotive should know: you make them last longer because the people who buy a new car every 3 years can only afford to do this because there is a lot of trade in value left in the car. If the car was dead and worthless in 3 years they would be forced to buy much cheaper cars.

That’s because BMW (and their dealers) want to sell every car twice. Once new and then again in a few years as a certified pre-owned car that has retained quite a bit of value. Makes them more money than just selling new cars.

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