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The Tech Driving Today’s Vehicles Could Turn Them into Tomorrow’s Junk
We’ve all seen an exotic car in a magazine or at a car show and thought, “One day, I will have one of those.” The miracle of depreciation means that today’s Lucid Air Sapphire or Mercedes-AMG S63 could one day be yours for the price of a Camry. But there’s a big catch: The computers in modern cars—or more precisely, the computer software—may mean that today’s exotics will never be affordable to own. Some may not work at all.
Computer chips have, of course, been making their way into cars for quite some time. You can find circuit boards in many 1980s vehicles and pretty much everything produced in the 1990s. Modern cars often have dozens of chips controlling everything from engine management systems to seat heaters to the operation of headlamps.
This computer hardware presents challenges of its own as it ages, particularly for less common vehicles. But for the most part, if you have mechanical skills, ambition, access to good used parts, and perhaps your tech-savvy friend’s scan tool, it’s still possible to own the most interesting cars from 15 to 20 years ago.
The real shift started around 2010, when automakers began integrating “connected” features—technology run and updated via cellular networks. Many dream cars built in the past decade relied on 3G cellular connectivity for features such as GPS navigation, traffic updates, app-based remote starting and locking/unlocking, stolen vehicle recovery systems, and pre-heating/cooling, not to mention SOS services like automatic collision notifications. The problem is that 3G was sunsetted by cellular providers in 2022. If you own or want to own a car that relies on 3G connectivity, you are no longer able to use those features. This includes some cars made through 2017-2019 from Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Porsche, Subaru, Volkswagen, BMW, and others. For example, with the exception of the F-Type, all 2016 and 2017 Jaguars were affected by the elimination of 3G.
But it was Tesla that took the idea of over-the-air (OTA) software updates from the smartphone industry and directly applied it to cars. Not only could a Tesla often be repaired by sending an update to your car via cellular data services—meaning no trip to the service department—but new features could be sent to your car, allowing it to get better over time instead of growing out of date.
The car companies also saw OTA as a potential revenue generator. In 2020, BMW started charging customers a monthly fee for the privilege of using the heated seats in some existing models. Because of OTA, BMW could enable or disable features that were built-in. Just three years later, BMW gave up on this plot due to customer and media backlash. But similar programs exist in other cars, including Tesla’s Full Self-Driving for $99 per month and Ford’s BlueCruise at $49 per month.
A related Tesla innovation was the concept of “domain controllers,” complex chips that control huge numbers of functions throughout the car rather than using one small chip for each component. Domain controllers eliminate dozens of little electronic control modules and run all the functions from one source, with virtual firewalls between the stacks of code. For a car company, this saves massive amounts of money on engineering, design, and development, as well as on physical parts. It also saves the weight of those chips and the associated wiring. Even simple things like fuses can be eliminated because the component can be shut down by the domain controller if a problem is detected. Importantly for the car company, it allows all of the software to be controlled by its engineering team instead of being dependent on suppliers.
Legacy carmakers started joining Tesla on this bandwagon as soon as their platform changes allowed the implementation of new electrical architectures. As a result, we are now entering a world of software-defined vehicles at all price points, from all carmakers.
As you might imagine, cost savings and convenience for the carmaker rarely work out in favor of the owner when the car is out of warranty. When that amazing, but complex, domain controller fails in your out-of-warranty Porsche Taycan or Mercedes-Benz EQS, you should not be surprised if the cost of replacing it is a significant percentage of the value of the car.
Like your smartphone, your car will update and get better over time, with multiple functions being controlled by software running on domain controllers. But like your 2009 iPhone 3, the day will come when it won’t work anymore because the hardware is no longer compatible with modern apps.
The average owner of a 2025 connected, software-defined car will be out of luck in fewer than 10 years.
Carmakers are building in “headroom” for future updates, but how long any particular OEM will support software updates is anyone’s guess. Smartphones can typically receive updates for seven or eight years depending on the brand. If carmakers run at a slower pace of change and updates are available for 12 years, what will happen to the cars after that?
The average car on the road is 12.6 years old and growing older by a few weeks every year. That means that software in today’s cars will need manufacturer software support through at least 2036 and, for many cars, through 2040 and beyond.
That amazing modern exotic car you want might finally become affordable in 15 years, but the sad reality is that in 2040, the incredible 2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V, 2025 BMW M5 hybrid, or 2025 Ferrari SF90 may no longer be viable from a software point of view. Your dream car may not even have a way to connect to an over-the-air data service to get important updates.
No automakers are making public statements about how long they will be committed to making software and hardware updates to their cars, but if traditional parts availability is any indicator, the average owner of a 2025 connected, software-defined car will be out of luck in fewer than 10 years. It is an urban legend that there is a law requiring carmakers to provide parts support for 10 years. In many cases, modern car owners are simply on their own after seven or eight years.
Will the aftermarket evolve to address these changes in the long-term service needs for today’s cars? Will it be financially sensible for small aftermarket companies to create updates for the hardware and software of enthusiast cars in the future? Sadly, it’s an unlikely scenario.
All of this means that the sweet spot for future enthusiast cars will be non-connected cars from a simpler era. So continue to enjoy that manual-transmission pre-aughts enthusiast car. You’ll be able to keep the fun rolling for years to come.
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This story first appeared in the May/June 2025 issue of Hagerty Drivers Club magazine. Join the club to receive our award-winning magazine and enjoy insider access to automotive events, discounts, roadside assistance, and more.
You Think?
This has been going on for a while now. You have Astons that are not worth much resale now as they often has more issues than they are worth. Computer failure are normal.
Plastic guides on BMW cam chains can make them lose tons of value as the cost to fix make them technically totaled unless you can do the job yourself.
Plastics in general are making it difficult to impossible to repair some cars as they are not available and if you find used they are just as brittle.
The Car Wizard covers this often where cars just are not worth fixing.
He showed a V12 roadster Benz. They made the wire harness to be biodegradable. The problem is they are failing years before expected. To fix it one guy in Georgia will fix them for around $20K but the cars are not worth that much most of the time.
The Benz looked perfects but would not run and the work needed was not worth the cost.
In the Future Hybrids will be too costly to repair and EV cars will be out dated to the point few will want them. They will be like a Apple 5 Phone and no updates and no one wanting old tech even if it works when new is out and will take you farther.
👍👍 It wasn’t that long ago (well, realistically, maybe it’s actually been a long time ago), when the term ‘upside-down’ generally applied to financed payments vs. residual value as a vehicle depreciated; now, as time has progressed (inexorably, as it does), ‘upside-down’ commonly applies not only due to depreciation, but to include repair labor and parts on non-financed depreciated vehicles.
I suppose that’s why the choice to lease has become increasingly popular, at least in affluent markets?
In the 1990’s, I had a friend who worked at a Benz dealership. He told me that 80-90% of their higher end Mercedes were leased, and that leasing had become the rule, not the exception, for all luxury vehicles except Lincolns and Caddys. So even back then…
To be fair,.the wiring harnesses were just for the first couple of years of the W140 and R129 cars…1990-95.
They rapidly fixed the issue.
Not the MB doesn’t have a lot to answer for on other fronts. No replacement keys for the ’90s SLs.
On a forum, A guy inherited his grandfathers SL. But no keys were found, the old guy lost them. A dealer told him to junk it.
You’re going beyond the scope of this article. If you want to talk about the kinds of issues that render otherwise working vehicles useless, you can go back to the beginning of the production of the car. The author’s story specifically relates to computer hardware and, particularly, software as potential problem points that may render some functionality of a vehicle no longer operational. Or worse, potentially the whole vehicle.
Some intrepid people have found case-by-case work-arounds. For example, in our 11+ year-old vehicle, I was able to replace the touchscreen and associated module that controls it with one from a newer-generation vehicle as a means of upgrading the software and features. This provided a higher-resolution screen and an interface that gives the vehicle a more modern look and feel, as well as supporting newer features like CarPlay. Think of it as upgrading a computer OS to a new version. For those who care less about originality and more about functionality, options like this may be viable for some vehicles. It largely depends on whether the underlying interconnected systems remained the same–something that usually is the case at least for a mid-cycle refresh, and often for even longer. In my case, the whole replacement was easily performed in less than an hour using basic tools. Granted, this scenario may not be viable in many cases, but it is one option for at least a substantial subset of older vehicles. Maybe some of those 3G vehicles could get an upgrade to a newer version of hardware that supports current technology.
Yes, but newer vehicles are starting to enable components like headlights, so if you change the light you need to reprogram the car to accept the part and use it. Otherwise it is not usable. That is a trip to the dealer of course. Same thing Apple did with the phones, no right to repair. I had this issue with the first gen Smart 450 and it has gotten way worse.
No new cars in this household past 2007.
Great points all-around. Much of the weight savings in newer vehicles comes from replacing metals with plastics many of which are less durable. Also interesting that you used BMW and MB as examples. Why anyone would purchase a brand-new MB or BMW, esp the high-end models, will forever remain a great mystery. The high-end models depreciate faster than a rock falling off a cliff while strapped to a jet engine at full thrust.
If I had to get a new car, I would consider leasing. Never been fond of leasing in the past, but the issue of rendering cars obsolete due to failing or non-supported tech despite otherwise fine mechanicals is making me look at leasing in a new light.
will a customer return to buy a new car from the same dealership when his wiring rotes away in his present car?
Not Can, Will. Then you’ll have to buy, (or better, Lease/Rent, or whatever they call it) a new one. Won’t that be a shame…
Ultimately, all cars are disposable. If they transition to collector status late in life, they aren’t driven and are preserved. I’ve got a 22 year old Honda with 300k miles, I’ve been replacing suspension and other parts to keep it reliable because I work it hard. The after market has responded and I can get just about anything and very cheaply, but interior plastics and other low demand parts will have to sources used or be very expensive. Eventually it will be crushed but as long as it’s economical to keep running I’ll keep going. But nothing lasts forever and cars are expenditures meant to be used up and discarded. If software decays faster, hopefully it does not affect the core features of a car, but it could very well. You can drive a car without heated seats but electric door openers connected to a CPU over a common bus could be an insurmountable problem. Hopefully the after market responds.
My previously bulletproof ’93 Dakota is sidelined now awaiting repairs. Guess what failed? The computer!
OMGosh! I’m the same regarding my 2001 Dakota, bullet proof…currently rebuilding the engine/ transmission instead of getting a new truck…but never thought of the computer in this 2001…hmmm…sh*t…. And also knocking around building a 60’s Ford pick 4×4 up to my own “modern” spec, so it will run forever, Belt driven, roll up windows and button door locks, modern crate motor and suspension….. Don’t hate the player, hate the game. With that said, I still have my high school car, a 1971 Chevelle…new crate motor, 5 speed trans, and the most reliable car in my personal “Fleet”, including a 2012 A7…just sayin’: the author is right.
Valid argument but there has always been, and likely continue to be a hack/work around.
This was something I contemplated in the 90s when I saw the carburetor getting pushed aside for EFI. Things have changed though, and I don’t think all is lost. I am willing to bet that all of the OEM electronics could be stripped out of a modern car and replaced with a microsquirt, speeduino, etc. and I imagine as things go on there will be arduino based variants for body control modules, ABS, etc. One of the projects I’ve often considered is getting my hands on something like a flood car, strip all of the OEM stuff out, and see how basic yet functional I could make it with this aftermarket technology
If you actually do this, take lots of pictures and notes, write it up, and sell it to Sajeev.
That’s an interesting comment, but in my case, if I did that (Megasquirt etc) to my car, I suspect the next time I go in for my once-every-two-years emissions test, as soon as the testing station plugged their connector into the car’s OBD port, they’d tell me my car can’t be licensed use on public roads.
Fortunately in my realm of the universe nothing 94 or older gets inspected, but I hadn’t considered if anything 95 and up would be emissions compliant with a Microsquirt. I imagine it still has an OBD connector and I would imagine it still registers fault codes – not sure if it would be immediately obvious that it’s not OEM.
I would be really interested in the process for getting a license plate on a build like that…because, just like PCs, people will start building and coding their own…the same thing as racecars…you can build your own everything and code your own everything…but you can’t get a plate.
I register my non SMOG compliant cars in Arizona (Not PHX or TUC), There are still many jurisdictions that require no inspections of any kind. Plus in AZ you can tag your car for 5 years for $200. Fagettaboutit!
I just renewed Arizona registration on 3 vehicles, a 68 Vette and 2 Harleys. 5 years each, less than $200.00 total. No emissions, no problems. The stock gas tank cap on a 68 Vette is vented, emissions shot me down right away when I was in Maricopa County. Classic car insurance, or get out of an emission county, that’s the ticket here.
You’re on the right track. My Fiero has a software bug that back in the late 80s caused problems on some 87-88 cars. Pontiac’s “fix” was to stop the car, turn it off, restart and continue on because they determined it was a “nuisance” issue; the TSB directed replacing the computer PROM (remember those days?) with a newer version that fixed the issue if the problem worsened to the point the owner complained…yet the issue for most owners didn’t occur until after the warranty and was not a safety ir emissions issue so changing the PROM was expensive.
Fast forward to today and my 87 exhibits the software bug EVERY TIME I start it, forcing me to pull over and restart it after it warms up…and it is a common complaint with Fieros yet most owners are living with it or swapping engines.
Well, not me. I built a custom-designed Speeduino tailored to the Fiero TBI (because the existing boards don’t mate well to the Fiero design) and spent a LOT of time on tuning. Result? My Fiero runs quite well on it and WITHOUT some “quirks” from the factory, such as the 2000 RPM cold idle intended to warm up the cat faster yet doesn’t. I then provided the design free to the community should others want to fix theirs since virtually every year model has software bugs that later years tried to fix with very little success.
Many 90s cars and even some 2000s car can still become viable with Megasquirt, Speeduino, etc if owners are computer-savvy enough. Full disclosure: I’m a retired electrical engineer with tons of firmware design experience so I wasn’t intimidated by this yet almost any car nut knows someone with this type of knowledge today. I’ve also successfully 3D printed numerous plastic parts that are no longer available except as brittle used parts and have provided the designs free to the community, such as the front trunk (“frunk”) latch cable retainer needed if you want to continue accessing critical stuff up front…which you do 😁
You can – mechanically or through aftermarket suppliers – repair or renew engines, drivetrains, suspensions, climate controls, and most of the electronics that existed in some form up to the early 2000s. Then, custom entertainment systems took over the console from the radio – including Nav systems, satellite audio, etc. Scotty Kilmer says once a modern car has been in an accident or a flood, it is a lost cause as there are computers in every corner controlling things in the most complicated way. I see that as a challenge to just make everything old-school to work again.
The exception is the passive restraint system. Ever have an airbag light come on? Find anyone suggesting you repair it yourself? This is where the insurance industry comes in. You could probably put an LS in a Tesla and they would underwrite it. I’m betting they will not cover you driving with a malfunctioning or removed airbag system.
You cannot legally drive a vehicle with the airbag removed or non-functional in New Jersey. Unless, of course, it’s old enough to have never had one to begin with. Same deal with over-shoulder seat belts.
It think it’s part of the big reason 90’s and 00’s cars are growing in popularity. Modern tech but not so modern they can’t function without being connected to the internet. Plus a double din slot you can change the factory stereo in!
A couple questions/comments. 1) I don’t know if the aftermarket will catch up or not. I’d like to think so but I think some fundamental technology shifts will need to happen (AI tools to reverse engineer circuits and SW functions for example) to be able to stay caught up. Part of that complication is the greater demand for Cybersecurity which seems to often conflict with aftermarket solutions.
2) seems like it may be case by case on what cars will still be valuable in spite of their tech. Because the difference between an iPhone and a car is that an iPhone’s usefulness is a direct function of its SW and connectivity. But even if the SW is no longer supported on a car, as long as the car still runs, does it really matter?
3) Hate to say it, but the reality is most of the car buying population doesn’t care. I watch cars go buy and see the same boring appliance roll by interrupted once in awhile by something interesting. So even though it’s frustrating for those who like the later and want to keep them running, I suspect we are in such a small minority that I can’t blame car companies for not caring.
There are some cars that hardly make it out the showroom before they have tech glitzes. Nothing like an older Corvette compared of the current C8. Yes there are extended warranties, but do you want to wait weeks or months for the dealer to figure things out and get replacement parts.
I’ve been an entrepreneur in the art and tech world for 30 years. The more tech they put in these things the more E-WASTE they become all together. There’s a time and place for electronics and honestly for most pedestrian folks on the road…. they should be riding around in their electric toothbrush on autopilot because they can’t stop looking at their phones anyway.
For me that’s cool to get around and be able to work effectively bumping around town. I’ve drove electric pretty extensively and the way to describe it is “effortless”… no warmup, idle down… you don’t need to be able to pay attention that much. Now I know this thread isn’t about electric vehicles but they are all electronics.
The reason most of us are even taking time to comment is because we like to drive. We like paying attention to what’s going on with the machine we are commanding down the road traveled.
The past, present and future consists of two types of people… Passengers and DRIVERS. All the new tech gadgets are just about the passenger.
I’m a driver myself.
We won’t have to wait into the future for today’s vehicles to turn into junk. They are junk now. Adding distractions every model year to take away the driver focus, junk. Dealers not retaining skilled and experienced techs to repair this technology, junk. Manufacturers discontinuing critical parts way too soon, junk. Unfortunately all this junk will be sitting in wrecking yards waiting to be crushed with durable shiny paint and rust free bodies.
Even mechanical things are becoming suspect.
Case in point.
My daughter’s 2024 Durango just had the rotors and pads replaced on front and rears with under 8k miles on it.
She drives very conservatively with equal amounts of stop and go surface streets and freeway driving. (Phoenix metro)
Service writer said it’s the “lighter” materials being used now…
My ‘16 3500 Ram has over 200k with only 2 brake jobs
Btw
They didn’t charge her either…
What the heck is up with that?
Ignorance can be bliss, or the fire that keeps you up at night. Frankly, if the scenario is exactly as you state, most likely there’s something wrong with the vehicle. I’m thinking there’s something keeping too much residual pressure on the brake’s hydraulic system, enough to cause premature wear but not enough that one would notice while driving. I’d contact the manufacturer’s consumer affairs division, find out if there are any known issues, bulletins, etc.
I tend to agree Norm.
I have a trustworthy technician @ the Ram store just around the corner from the Dodge store whom I will be checking in with soon…
I forgot to inform my Daughter of him taking care of her car rather than the store she purchased it from.
Thanks for reminding me!
It’s sort of like modern major appliances.They have so much technology in them,what they are 10 years old and crap out,you go and buy a new one.
Your so right, I had and old Kenmore washer and dryer that lasted 30 plus years. It had a simple dial that you turned and a manual button to press on. Now days it’s all hi tech touch panels that fail in a few years.
At least compared to modern cars, modern appliances are fairly cheap. The stripped down models are even cheaper, have fewer gee-wizmos to break, and are just as reliable.
Looks like we will keep my wife’s 06 Accord longer. I don’t mind as long as I can get parts for it to keep it running. It is much less complicated to fix than my much newer Subie. The Honda is also better constructed. Less cost reduction of parts shows as it does not break often.
Specifically, what is affected with Jaguar’s connectivity? I have a 2014 XKR Coupe and a 2011 XJL Supercharged Sedan.
I’ve said in the past, how are you going to restore a car when the satellite that relayed the software crashed into the Indian Ocean 10 years ago. We had a software failure “brick” a vehicle several years ago. The factory rep showed up with what was left of a 286 computer, the hard drive had the only known copy of software to correct it, saving the car from being totaled.