Will People Want It in 50 Years? - 2015 Chevrolet Colorado Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,315
edited April 2015 in Chevrolet
imageWill People Want It in 50 Years? - 2015 Chevrolet Colorado Long-Term Road Test

The 2015 Chevrolet Colorado is a midsize truck by today's standards, but 50 years ago it would've been longer than most full-size pickups. Five decades from now, will the Colorado have the same appeal as its post-war predecessors?

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  • ebeaudoinebeaudoin Member Posts: 509
    Simple answer- Nope.
  • reminderreminder Member Posts: 383
    Simpler answer-Time will tell.
  • fordson1fordson1 Unconfirmed Posts: 1,512
    "...four-speed "Synchromesh" automatic transmission." I see - a synchromesh automatic? I think you need to spend more time researching on the internet.
  • stuntman_mikestuntman_mike Member Posts: 57
    edited April 2015
    Yes, when everyone else is in an electric, driver-less, Google car.
  • cmhj2000cmhj2000 Member Posts: 381
    Nope, When I first saw the new truck I liked what I saw. Then I sat in it> Next vehicle please.
  • kirkhilles1kirkhilles1 Member Posts: 863
    No way. The problem is that ICE vehicles have gotten SO complex that as the miles increase, it becomes to the point to where the car is practically un-servicable (which is ironic because they have gotten more reliable over the years). Its to the point to where a $40k+ with 200k miles on it might not be worth keeping even if it was given to you for free. I'm hoping that Electric Vehicles provide the simplicity to change that trend.
  • grijongrijon Member Posts: 147
    Great post, Dan.

    I've wondered about that, too, with cars over the years. I think that post-1960s vehicles will be a conversation point 50 years after they're out of production, but I don't think that they will ever be classics. It's kind of like in music that Oldies are Oldies - they're not Oldies because they're "x" many years old, but because they are what they are; in the same sense a 1985 Chevy Celebrity will never be classic like a 1957 Bel Air, and a 2015 Colorado will never be a 1958 Apache.
  • zimtheinvaderzimtheinvader Member Posts: 580
    Well said, grijon.

    There are very few mainstream cars anymore that have something unique enough about them to make them collectable. Something that freezes a moment in time or something that can't be made today with modern regulations. It is very true that nobody will want that 85 Chevy they drove in high school now and nobody will stop and reminisce about it at the gas station if they do drive one.
    A new batch of strict regulations like the smog and crash ones in the 70's could set another line in automotive history that would make cars from before that time become desirable though.

    Plus add in all the complexity of modern vehicles and just try to keep them running 50 years from now. With the true classic cars you just need fuel and fire to make them go.

    I drove a 42 year old car 50 miles to work this morning and can't imagine a new car that would be as enjoyable. I don't know that in 2057 a FRS will fill those shoes.
  • squarefoursquarefour Member Posts: 24
    zimtheinvader said:

    I drove a 42 year old car 50 miles to work this morning and can't imagine a new car that would be as enjoyable. I don't know that in 2057 a FRS will fill those shoes.

    I think you may have picked a poor example there at the end. The "86" cars just might end up being one of the few cars from this era with that certain something special that makes a classic.

    Other than that, yeah, today's autos are pretty much just complex milquetoast. They're pretty antiseptic in feel and personality, yet so complicated as to render them outside the realm of most shadetree mechanics. People sometimes forget that a large part of the experience of owning a classic car is in the restoration/maintenance/hot-rodding. You bond with a car you can work on, but you trade in a car you can't.

  • moparfoolmoparfool Member Posts: 8
    Fifty years from now today's vehicle electronics (engine management, body control, fuel injection, GPS, etc.) systems may not be serviceable for various reasons. Replacement electronics for these units will no longer be made, and the diagnostic scan tools to detect and explain fault codes may no longer be available. The diagnostic tools will have the same issues , with no way to fix them if they fail. How many people are still around to fix the old vacuum tube TVs? Vacuum tubes and tube testers are still available, although now replacement tubes are made in China and Korea, or come from a dwindling hoard. Does anyone still make replacement TV screen cathode ray tubes? If there is enough demand for certain 50 year old vehicles, perhaps some enterprising person will supply replacement electronics for these vehicles. Just some thoughts.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I figure some of today's cars will be like old busted mantle clocks that aren't valuable enough to have repaired but are kind of cool to look at. Rip out the guts and put a $2 battery movement in them and you're good for another twenty years.

    For your 2006 Colbalt, just hang an electric drive motor in a wheel hub or two, kludge a rheostat to the accelerator to control the speed and you'll be good to go. B)
  • moparfoolmoparfool Member Posts: 8
    @stever - good thought there. Instead of installing a Chevy 350 crate engine like today, 50 years from now install an electric motor and the new and improved regular car battery sized Tesla battery that is good for 10,000 miles on one charge.
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