There were over 200,000 Lincoln Town cars made in 1988 alone. How many of the 1988 model still exist today?

This car was a good car that was repairable. Eventually the government got involved.

How many of them are still working today?

Sure. But that doesn't mean they were made to last. It just means that they were easy to repair. Because of the old tech, they broke more frequently than the newer tech. And things had to be replaced to keep it going. Most of the old car parts are super rough in terms of precision. It's like how the hinge design has evolved in foldable phones. It's just a matter of better tooling over time creates better products that last longer (if the manufacturer wants it). But the point is that, it's not because it is old that things were designed to last. A bunch of crap didn't survive.

I just wanna be able to swap the starter or alternator in my own car in a reasonable amount of time with basic tools in my own garage. I don't think that's too much to ask.

Mercedes W123.

What code is easier to debug and fix: Code written by a 25 year veteran Code vibed by a kid with some Claude credits

AI code is almost always easier to understand and debug than any human I have worked with.

Oberklassenmodell. That's like referencing a Bentley. 🤣 I think more people were driving a Trabbi.

Only in eastern Germany naturally. This one was peak engineering.

Fair enough. I haven't written much code but I doubt you've done much car repair either. Trust me when I say theyre making it harder to fix your own shit, and I believe theyre doing it on purpose.