Electronic Steering

[63burban4x4]

I think technological advances and cheap construction are two different issues. If you want to consider them one and the same, that's fine, but even the 60's era vehicles were very much technologically advanced from any earlier vehicle. My late model Silverado is massively more comfortable, dependable, powerful, and safer than my 63 Suburban, to a large extent due to technological advancements. Will it last as long? hell, no. But I didn't expect it to when I bought it, either....I know it's a disposable vehicle. But if they are not more technologically advanced, why are so many of our trucks updated to later model running gear, performance options, and comfort upgrades? How many guys here are running 6.0 LS motors and 4160E transmissions, air suspension, disc brakes, etc? Why is that, if they are not better?
Arguably, vehicles today are driven more miles in a shorter time, with less maintenance than they were 50 years ago, because drivers/owners have come to expect that, as well as replacing them in a shorter time. When I was young, any vehicle with 100K miles was considered a very high milage vehicle. I saw an s-10 pickup this morning my brother just bought, the speedo reads in excess of 400K. That was unheard of back then. (Yeah, it's a pile of rust) Have manufacturers conditioned owners to that, or have owners conditioned manufacturers to it? Which came first, the chicken or the egg?