They don’t make them like before, you often hear disgruntled consumers complain. You think it’s a legitimate complaint?
I had an AEG washing machine which lasted us for 42 years. I also have an AEG drill. It’s more than 20 years old and still working fine.
My first car, a second-hand Peugeot 404 was being eaten away by rust, but the engine purred along. And there was a friend of mine who had his mother’s 50- year-old Frigidaire fridge still in working order.
There are many more examples of old appliances which have even outlived their owners.
Manufacturers soon realised that while strong, long-lasting products were good for the consumer’s pocket, they were not good for the profitability of the company.
So the age of mass production was born. With the invention of the conveyor belt, manufacturers could churn out cheaper products that lasted just a few years, boosting sales and profits.
Your trusted old Defy stove which once lasted a lifetime and was the pride of the kitchen now has a shortened lifespan. After a couple of years, it either has to be repaired or replaced.
Manufacturers have even gone one step further. Many of the products these days cannot be repaired. You are forced to buy a new one.
Manufacturers have also been quick to cotton onto people’s love for new things: a new toy, a new dress and a new car for Christmas.
Through clever advertising and sweet sales talk, they have made consumers believe that anything that is a few years old is outdated.
Motor manufacturers and car dealerships are noted for this sort of sales gimmick. Every few years, they come out with new, updated models with an array of fancy gadgets to entice the motorist. A three-year-old car is too old, they say, and you must trade it for a newer, better model.
In fact, motor dealerships go as far as making customers enter into a three year purchase agreement, at the end of which, the customer trades in his ‘old‘ car and gets a newer model.
While many may reminisce of the good old days when cars and appliances were solidly built, we must admit that tremendous mechanical and technological advances have been made in new cars, all designed to make our lives easier and more comfortable.
The new cars are a pleasure to drive. They are frugal with petrol, stable on the road and handle better. A lot of emphasis has been put on driver and passenger safety and comfort.
Formula 1 racing driver Romain Grosjean had a horrific crash at the Bahrain Grand Prix over the weekend when his Haas car smashed into a barrier at high speed, split in two and burst into flames.
Miraculously, he got out alive with minor burns on his hands. The halo system, designed to protect the driver, saved his life. The only drawback with new cars is that they cannot be fixed by the home mechanic.
Another major innovation has been the development of all kinds of glue to bond various materials together. In the old days, skirtings and quadrants had to be hammered in with steel nails into the walls.
In time, the nails would rust, leaving an ugly black blotch on the timber. Now there’s an easy- to-apply, non-solvent, silicone adhesive which simply sticks the skirting onto the wall. And what about the air fryer which can fry your chips without oil?
Look, old man, no nails and no oil! Isn’t life much better now? We have a lot to be grateful for to modern science and technology.
THYAGARAJ MARKANDAN, Kloof
The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of Independent Media.