The purchase that outlasts the years: from a Kindle to a Mi4
From a 285-euro Xiaomi Mi4 to a Kindle: the purchases that satisfy most are the ones still working years later, not the most expensive ones
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
From a 285-euro Mi4 to a Kindle: the purchases that survive
Which purchases stand the test of time? The question runs through a conversation that starts with a 285-euro Xiaomi Mi4 and ends with a 2003 Seat Ibiza. The pattern is clear: what satisfies most is not the most expensive or the newest, but what keeps working when nobody talks about it anymore. One reader sums it up with an idea that works as a thesis: "the more time passes, the more we notice the quality and value (or the opposite) of our good (or bad) purchases".
The starting gun is fired by a Chinese phone that, according to its owner, offers "very good hardware" and software that "leaves no one indifferent". The comparison with the iPhone 6 is explicit: superior components "for less than half the price". The Xiaomi brand comes up again and again until it becomes the thread running through half the conversation: 10,400 mAh power banks, a dual-SIM Redmi 2, headphones, an action camera. One reader admits to being "eager" for the company to launch its own scooter, now that it has bought Segway.
The cheap gadget that refuses to die
Against the enthusiasm for novelty, long memory. A 2005 Dell Inspiron 6000 with a 1680x1050 screen is still in the hands of its buyer's sister. A 2007 Dell laptop, 17 inches and 1,000 euros, works "without problems" after reinstalling the system. One reader boasts of a Western Digital media player that, at four or five years old, still receives updates and even support for Miracast and bittorrent downloads.
The list of objects resisting obsolescence is long and varied: an 80-euro Kindle, a second-hand Garmin Etrex Summit that has been guiding its owner through the mountains for eight or nine years, an 80-euro HP F2180 printer with nine years of service and cheap cartridges. The question hanging over it all is the usual one: planned obsolescence or simply bad luck? Here the data suggest that cheap does not always die young.
Decathlon's technical clothing and the car that never fails
Hard-wearing consumption has its own league. Several agree on Decathlon clothing and footwear: waterproof trekking shoes used daily for work, T-shirts that don't fade or pill, a 200-gram fluorescent orange jacket that is "extremely" warm. The question another reader raises is the usual one: how long do three-euro sneakers really last? No answer arrives, but the brand consolidates itself as a safe bet.
In the garage, reliability is measured in kilometres. A 1998 Citroën Berlingo with a single breakdown in three years (the water pump). A petrol Peugeot 307 with 250,000 kilometres and 13 years without a single breakdown. A Kia Shuma with almost 16 years and no major mechanical failures. A 2004 Honda SH125i, bought second-hand, with more than 50,000 kilometres and a single 300-euro repair due to poor maintenance. The scooter, moreover, still has its original battery.
The indulgence that pays off
It's not all austerity. One reader says he paid 600 euros for an inflatable mattress that saved him hotels and petrol on six trips to the beach, while carrying Blablacar passengers: "a round deal". Another celebrates a 20-euro CD player that saved him spending 300 on a new computer. And someone finds satisfaction in a 2-euro knife peine that cuts through a pack of kleenex "practically without applying pressure".
The most unusual anecdote comes from someone who bought the front section of a plane from Iberia in 2002 and turned it, after two years of work, into a home simulator that appeared on TVE's Telediario news and on foreign channels. The most satisfying purchase is not always the most useful: sometimes it's the one that gives you a story to tell.
Where you buy matters as much as what
The conversation drifts towards the sales channel. Amazon comes out well: a dozen orders "smooth as silk" and a problem solved in ten minutes. Carrefour's online shopping, on the other hand, accumulates complaints about slow connections, confusing instructions and endless phone calls. The implicit conclusion is that customer service weighs on satisfaction as much as the product.
The underlying debate is price versus durability. Some argue that Chinese products don't satisfy, and others respond with a Mi4, a power bank and an action camera. The phone brand slips into almost every page. And the closing is provided by a 2003 Seat Ibiza SDI among its owner's best purchases. Fine irony: the oldest object on the list is also the one that has disappointed the least.
Which purchases stand the test of time? The question runs through a conversation that starts with a 285-euro Xiaomi Mi4 and ends with a 2003 Seat Ibiza. The pattern is clear: what satisfies most is not the most expensive or the newest, but what keeps working when nobody talks about it anymore. One reader sums it up with an idea that works as a thesis: "the more time passes, the more we notice the quality and value (or the opposite) of our good (or bad) purchases".
The starting gun is fired by a Chinese phone that, according to its owner, offers "very good hardware" and software that "leaves no one indifferent". The comparison with the iPhone 6 is explicit: superior components "for less than half the price". The Xiaomi brand comes up again and again until it becomes the thread running through half the conversation: 10,400 mAh power banks, a dual-SIM Redmi 2, headphones, an action camera. One reader admits to being "eager" for the company to launch its own scooter, now that it has bought Segway.
The cheap gadget that refuses to die
Against the enthusiasm for novelty, long memory. A 2005 Dell Inspiron 6000 with a 1680x1050 screen is still in the hands of its buyer's sister. A 2007 Dell laptop, 17 inches and 1,000 euros, works "without problems" after reinstalling the system. One reader boasts of a Western Digital media player that, at four or five years old, still receives updates and even support for Miracast and bittorrent downloads.
The list of objects resisting obsolescence is long and varied: an 80-euro Kindle, a second-hand Garmin Etrex Summit that has been guiding its owner through the mountains for eight or nine years, an 80-euro HP F2180 printer with nine years of service and cheap cartridges. The question hanging over it all is the usual one: planned obsolescence or simply bad luck? Here the data suggest that cheap does not always die young.
Decathlon's technical clothing and the car that never fails
Hard-wearing consumption has its own league. Several agree on Decathlon clothing and footwear: waterproof trekking shoes used daily for work, T-shirts that don't fade or pill, a 200-gram fluorescent orange jacket that is "extremely" warm. The question another reader raises is the usual one: how long do three-euro sneakers really last? No answer arrives, but the brand consolidates itself as a safe bet.
In the garage, reliability is measured in kilometres. A 1998 Citroën Berlingo with a single breakdown in three years (the water pump). A petrol Peugeot 307 with 250,000 kilometres and 13 years without a single breakdown. A Kia Shuma with almost 16 years and no major mechanical failures. A 2004 Honda SH125i, bought second-hand, with more than 50,000 kilometres and a single 300-euro repair due to poor maintenance. The scooter, moreover, still has its original battery.
The indulgence that pays off
It's not all austerity. One reader says he paid 600 euros for an inflatable mattress that saved him hotels and petrol on six trips to the beach, while carrying Blablacar passengers: "a round deal". Another celebrates a 20-euro CD player that saved him spending 300 on a new computer. And someone finds satisfaction in a 2-euro knife peine that cuts through a pack of kleenex "practically without applying pressure".
The most unusual anecdote comes from someone who bought the front section of a plane from Iberia in 2002 and turned it, after two years of work, into a home simulator that appeared on TVE's Telediario news and on foreign channels. The most satisfying purchase is not always the most useful: sometimes it's the one that gives you a story to tell.
Where you buy matters as much as what
The conversation drifts towards the sales channel. Amazon comes out well: a dozen orders "smooth as silk" and a problem solved in ten minutes. Carrefour's online shopping, on the other hand, accumulates complaints about slow connections, confusing instructions and endless phone calls. The implicit conclusion is that customer service weighs on satisfaction as much as the product.
The underlying debate is price versus durability. Some argue that Chinese products don't satisfy, and others respond with a Mi4, a power bank and an action camera. The phone brand slips into almost every page. And the closing is provided by a 2003 Seat Ibiza SDI among its owner's best purchases. Fine irony: the oldest object on the list is also the one that has disappointed the least.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (91 replies).
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