...Not a single individual here aside from Old Dog, would accept a brand new automobile that broke down and failed to function right off the dealer lot. Not one of us.
You bring up an excellent point that has been completely overlooked. I'm old enough to remember new cars from the 60's.
They were junk, pure and simple. I never remember my parents ever buying a new one that didn't have to go back to the dealer 3 or 4 times to fix squeaks, rattles, this or that not working correctly, if at all.
And the cars were ALL far more simple back then. You could look under the hood and see the pavement. No matter, they still produced crap.
Today the cars are all MUCH MORE complex. And yet they run far better and last longer. And are much more dependable and trouble free overall. And why? Because modern computer controlled manufacturing and assembly, along with manufacturing programs like ISO-9000 and Six Sigma have been implimented.
All to catch and fix potential problems BEFORE they reach the consumer.
The end result is a better, longer lasting, more trouble free product. And remember, auto makers introduce dozens of new models every single year. Consumers are not afforded the "luxury" of waiting until 2022, to buy a new 2020 model. So they can, "get all the bugs out of it". Or else, "Let someone else be the Guinea Pig".
I purchased 2 brand new vehicles the very first month they were introduced. A new 2015, and more recently a new 2018.
Both have NEVER been back to the dealer. Not once. Everything on them works the way it is supposed to. Not one single problem, in 2 new vehicles from different manufacturers, over a 5 year period. And they're both used every single day. Sometimes several times a day.
Not only that, the warranties are all better and longer. In the 60's if your car lasted 100,000 miles, you bragged about it at the bar. Now you don't change the spark plugs or coolant until then.
Now, look at the gun industry. It's the exact opposite. Back in the 50's and 60's firearm recalls were all but non existent. Guns ran properly when you bought them. Today it's the reverse. It's one recall after another. To fix one problem after another. The gun won't feed right. Or else it's unsafe, and could fire accidentally if dropped. Or it jams constantly. Or else it could fire if you remove the safety. And on and on with an endless stream of problems.
And yet these exact same advanced manufacturing methods, standards, and machinery are being employed as much in the firearm industry today, as they are in the auto industry.
And before someone starts clamoring on about how they, "got a bad car", tell me this. How many parts are in a new vehicle that all have to work right, compared to a damn revolver?
But the sad fact is the exact opposite has happened. Today's guns have gotten WORSE. Much worse. And the true tragedy is, we as consumers not only tolerate it.....
We make excuses for it. "Oh well, S*#T happens!", is now the new norm. And some are even dumb enough to be B.S.'d into thinking they're, "better"!