Don't you just love the bean-counters with their planned obsolescense? The fit and finish of the products of today are very high. Be it a car, microwave, toaster or desk chair, they look great. For about a year or so, then the shiny wears off and the marketing dept releases pictures (or video) of the next model.
All part of the plan to separate you from your dollars & cents (pounds, shillings and pence).
I've heard that theory for years and I don't really buy it. Like I said, modern cars last a lot longer than they used to mechanically. I think the difficulty of working on them is driven by efforts to make everything compact and by government safety regulations that mandate adding all sorts of devices and technology you don't really need just to have a working car.
As for finishes, those can be tricky things. But in general if you leave your car out in the hot sun and other weather it won't last as long as if you keep it in a garage.
There's a guy where I work who has a 10-15 year old Chevy suburban and for some reason the roof is rusted, like he parked it on the beach or something. Other trucks, same manufacturer, same time frame, look fine.
In Baltimore there's a chemical plant called Sparrow's Point. I knew someone who worked there, and the story was that if you worked there you had two cars: one for normal family driving, and a beater for driving to work, because sitting in the company parking lot meant your car's finish would get wrecked due to the chemical fallout from the plant.
Glad I don't work in a place like that, imagine what that does to your body after 30 years.
