Heard on NPR the other day (half of what I talk about is stuff I hear on NPR. If this surprises you, it shouldn’t.) that car sales spiked in 2015. The article went on to mention that a lot of these car “sales” were 3-5 year lease agreements and that “the modern car buyer is more interested in having a car with the most up to date gadgets and connectivity than in previous years”.

Hearing that made me follow the train of thought, as it were, to its extreme (logical?) conclusion.

How long will it be, I wonder, before cars come with data plans? Or you can’t access some of the bells and whistles of your car unless you purchase the accompanying data plan.
Or, how long will it be before we start having ads for cars like there are currently for various mobile phone and phone services? An ad for a car that offers to pay off the lease on your trade in so long as you purchase the appropriate number of minutes of connectivity?
How long will it be before automobiles will be seen as mobile phones are now? Disposable because the newest version just came out. I realize there are some people who have always operated in exactly this way, trading in once a year or every other year just to have the newest and best model, but is that going to become the norm?

Meh.
Certainly won’t with me. I’d still be driving my ’97 Impreza wagon if I’d not been facing something like $3K to replace the clutch and the head gasket on a car with 150K miles on it.
I’m hoping to drive my Forrester until she’s a crotchety little old bump mobile too.