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Originally Posted by andygrif
Cars cost less now (as a percentage of income) than they ever have.
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Sorry that I didn't reply to this part of your post earlier, I am well aware that with the exception of house prices, most things are cheaper in relative terms as a percentage of income. If you had read my post carefully you would have understood what I was saying. The reason I chose cars & washing machines for my anology was because they are both 'old' technology when compared to computers, DVD recorders etc. Fifteen or twenty years ago, a 1000 rpm spin, basic washer would have cost you around £300 or more. Today you can buy a 1600 rpm spin, basic machine for £199. The only way you can do this is by reducing production costs, or reducing the quality. In most cases the major manfacturers have chosen the latter option, helped along by the 'sheds', Comet, Currys, et al. So I will reverse my analogy and say that if cars had changed in price like washing machines over the last 15 to 20 years, a basic Mondeo would now be costing you around £6000 new. The sad fact is that whilst cars are more reliable today than they have ever been, the same cannot be said for your average, £200, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, Korean, Chinese pile of junk washing machine.
NB. Miele are, I would say the best machine on the market today, but what I said earlier holds true, you only get what you pay for, and Miele are very expensive to buy. They do have a 10 year warranty but you must treat them with care. A customer of a colleague of mine accidentally damaged the door seal on her Miele washer/dryer last week, cost of replacement door seal £156
. Cost of door seal for most washer/dryers on the market is between £25 & £45.