Model S ... the key packaging

[FlasherZ]

(IIRC 35 years is about when a car starts becoming a collector's item).

I've given a lot of thought to this over the last few years, in considering whether to purchase and garage a new car like, say, the Dodge Challenger or something that might be saved for the future, but I keep running into the problems associated with maintaining the car and all of its support systems. I *can* work on my 1964.5 Mustang, or my 1965 GTO, because they're basic and simple to work on. But I can't imagine collecting all the tools and spare ECM, BCM, etc. modules so that you have them ready in 35 or 50 years. Maybe you'll be able to buy emulation boards or something, but I am having a hard time seeing the ability to keep cars (to stay on topic, including the Model S) for more than an immediate useful life of 10-15 years.

[Robert.Boston]

I'm hoping that Tesla is building the boxes out of "waste" aluminum punched out of the side panels or something similar. At least that's what I will pretend until otherwise informed.

[brianman]

@FlasherZ - Depends on what you're keeping it for. If you're keeping it for fun, go with what you can enjoy working on personally. If you're keeping it as an investment, there are simpler "vehicles" to do so with (and with none of them being automotive vehicles). If you want a Mad Max (survival) vehicle, you probably want something before all the electronics (pre '78 or something like that) with EMP being just one of the reasons.

[AnOutsider]

I'm willing to try out the fancy packaging. It works for Apple, and if I had to guess they're trying to emulate that experience, or the experience of buying a really expensive watch where the box and packaging are part of the whole cache and experience of ownership. I could see, if it's nice enough, holding onto the box and then bequeathing it to the next owner (OK, not me because I'll never sell it, but others might!).

Mmm, if the box has the new car or new gadget smell (like buying a new phone or laptop), then I'm going to store it somewhere safe and bring it out to sniff once a year on the anniversary of my car's delivery.

[jerry33]

I've given a lot of thought to this over the last few years, in considering whether to purchase and garage a new car like, say, the Dodge Challenger or something that might be saved for the future, but I keep running into the problems associated with maintaining the car and all of its support systems. I *can* work on my 1964.5 Mustang, or my 1965 GTO, because they're basic and simple to work on. But I can't imagine collecting all the tools and spare ECM, BCM, etc. modules so that you have them ready in 35 or 50 years. Maybe you'll be able to buy emulation boards or something, but I am having a hard time seeing the ability to keep cars (to stay on topic, including the Model S) for more than an immediate useful life of 10-15 years.

I don't know about that. I drove my Land-Rover Series three for almost twenty years and as far as I know it's still running in the hands of its new owner. Anyway, the most collectable cars are the ones that there aren't very many of. If 90% of the Teslas are gone in 15 years (and I don't believe they will be), then the ones that are left at 35 years will be worth quite a bit. This will be true in spades if Elon achieves his goal of electrifying all or most motor cars because the Model S will be the car that really touched off the revolution.

[Trnsl8r]

On topic: I don't need some expensive box that will be tossed in the garbage. I'd just as soon receive my keys in recycled cardboard.

I'm willing to try out the fancy packaging. It works for Apple, and if I had to guess they're trying to emulate that experience, ....

Actually, most of Apple's packaging is recycled cardboard...

[FlasherZ]

Anyway, the most collectable cars are the ones that there aren't very many of. If 90% of the Teslas are gone in 15 years (and I don't believe they will be), then the ones that are left at 35 years will be worth quite a bit.

While I agree with your points, think about this for a second: My Mustang was built in 1964. The primary source of parts nowadays for those vehicles (especially that lovely 170 ci straight-6 in mine) are reproduction houses. But parts are fairly easy for 1960's cars as they're all hardware. I'm having a hard time betting that we'll have reproduction houses to provide all those computerized bits (both components and software) as these parts die, to keep these cars running 35 years from now. My TRS-80 Color Computer from the early 1980's is beginning to show some electronics fatigue, with the occasional resistor or capacitor failing on the board. Take today's incredibly complex surface-mount electronics and fast-forward 35 years -- how will you replace a dead ECM in the car? How will you troubleshoot it, with most of the scanners and tools slowly dying away during the same period?

I'm betting that 35 years from now, the car won't have nearly the relative value that a early-1970's car carries today.

[olanmills]

These types of electronics parts can be reproduced. If there is sufficient demand, someone will do it.

[FlasherZ]

Indeed, it is POSSIBLE, yet there are many things that aren't reproduced, even for the simple 1990's ECM's, where we're still consuming OEM replacements from parts stores. Whereas you can reproduce every single part on my 1964 Mustang through physical copying techniques, deconstructing and reverse-engineering software is a far larger undertaking. I can't imagine a software house taking my Suburban and reverse-engineering the software in all the different control modules, especially if -- as automakers continue to guard their intellectual property -- we see more and more encryption so the code cannot be extracted. At that point you have to completely reverse engineer these pieces, and I know what that's like -- it's incredibly expensive to do so... moreso than just machining a part.

At the end of the day, it's my belief that -- for the current crop of cars produced today -- their serviceability for the computer parts runs out when the OEM parts supply runs out, in this order: 1) original OEM spares through the parts channel then 2) used parts from disabled vehicles via the salvage channels then 3) rebuilding some parts of the boards. 3) is a very limited possibility, because it includes only those "hard parts" electronic components; for items with software embedded, this is sometimes impossible. So once you exhaust 1) and 2), without 100x the effort of copying a mechanical part, you won't get reproduction parts.

[qwk]

If the Model S becomes a success, you can bet that there will be replacement parts for a very long time. There are very many aftermarket tuning options for ICE ECU's of any kind now, Tesla will be no different.