Would you buy an iPhone 8 ?

[Walter Eagle]

I've gradually come to realise that our cars will become more and more like our phones. Not entirely, but with a far greater degree of obsolescence than they had in the past.

If you consider the basic functionality of the iPhone 8 it can probably still do everything that even the the latest and greatest iPhone can do: make & receive calls, send & receive SMS, email, browse, take photos. But, still, you just wouldn't go out deliberately looking for an 8, would you? And if you've got one, you accept that any second-hand value it had has plummeted.

And so it will be with the Enyaq ME3.x
By the time ME12 or whatever is available with the corresponding hardware changes that appear, anyone stuck on ME3.x will find the attractiveness of their vehicle as a second-hand item is very low indeed. More so than when cars were less dependent on software.

Am I being pessimistic or am I just very slow in coming to this realisation?
And what is the consequence if I understand things correctly?
How many people buy a car outright these days (cf how many buy a phone) or is it mainly on short 24-36 month lease/hire contracts?
Someone, somewhere, will have to pick up the costs of all these second-hand units. You can't just shove an old Enyaq to the back of the drawer when you replace it.

We're doomed, I tell ye!

[Bikeronnie]

You could apply this logic to any used car! My wife's car doesn't have DAB radio, matrix headlights, LED headlights, auto headlights, welcome home lights, in dash sat nav, nor does it have the ability to get OTA updates as the software it was sold with is the same software that it runs with today! At least we have the ability to receive any updates we can until the car stops supporting them, much like an iPhone 8 running on ios 11!

[Vasarolli]

I am sure we don't have to worry much, for VAG and Skoda it will take a few decades to get to ME5.

[AndyH]

Your analogy is well timed as Apple release IOS 17 today, which funnily enough drops support for the iPhone 8 and, at the time, the revolutionary iPhone X. Owners of these will still receive security updates, but will be stuck with the feature set of IOS 16. However, iPhone owners have had it far better than Android owners, Google’s Pixel phone excepted, who hardly ever received Android updates from the vendor they purchased it from. Despite Apple’s lack of legacy support within the macOS, they have been more then than fair with IOS and iPadOS (who the heck wants Stage Manager anyway?). I’ll soon be replacing my iPhone 13 Pro by the newly released iPhone 15 Pro, at a higher cost than its predecessor. However, the 13 Pro will replace my wife’s 11 Pro, which will go to our son to replace his iPhone 8, which despite its limitations, will replace one of my parent’s iPhone 6’s. I expect there to be some similarity here with the second hand EV market, with the exception that often the passed on iPhones will have a new battery installed in them. At that point, I suspect the similarity will end.

Equally, I would never have expected any ICE car I’ve owned to add native features during the duration of ownership, so I guess it is fair.

The progress of electronics is amazing and all of this is to be expected. Thankfully, we’ve grown up in a period during which there is always a better laptop or phone around the corner, but we all have to make a purchase at some point.

We purchased our iV80 outright (as our own company car for tax reasons) and plan to trade it in for another EV, so we’ll see how things work out when we do. As with any car purchased new, we’ve gone into this with our eyes open as far as depreciation is concerned.

[Walter Eagle]

... nor does it have the ability to get OTA updates as the software it was sold with is the same software that it runs with today! At least we have the ability to receive any updates we can until the car stops supporting them, much like an iPhone 8 running on ios 11!

I'm guessing that in this case, with your wife's car, every owner with the same model is in the same situation i.e. no software updates at all. So all the vehicles have equality throughout their lives.
With Skoda we seem to have arrived already at a fleet of Enyaqs with differing software, some from new, some from dealer upgrades, some from the mythical OTA. They're no longer equal in that respect. As for the ability to receive OTAs until the car stops supporting them, how quickly did that happen? My experience is that my car has already given up with OTAs. I've seen no evidence of it happening (as far as a minor release variant of ME3.x), and both Skoda support and my dealer say tough, that's just how it is.

Equally, I would never have expected any ICE car I’ve owned to add native features during the duration of ownership, so I guess it is fair.

Well indeed, I would agree with that. And I'm not expecting any Skoda to retrofit new equipment.

But if I were in the market today for a second-hand Skoda Enyaq I'd check more than just the traditional items of year and mileage. I'd want to know what software I was getting too. That's what I was wondering in my OP. Will everyone start checking software releases on prospective purchases, or am I the odd-ball?

[AndyH]

But if I were in the market today for a second-hand Skoda Enyaq I'd check more than just the traditional items of year and mileage. I'd want to know what software I was getting too. That's what I was wondering in my OP. Will everyone start checking software releases on prospective purchases, or am I the odd-ball?

I think this is a fair comment, again exactly like buying a new computer or phone. As well as service history, albeit this is possibly slightly less important now, I’d want to know battery condition and warranty left on it and, most importantly has the previous owner extended the original vehicle warranty. Maybe buying a second-hand EV from a dealer should include an ODBD readout from the vehicle, if crazy enough to buy privately, then take an ODBD reader (not going to happen as far as I’m concerned).

I believe this is just another small step towards the inevitable decline in car ownership and the industry will gradually evolve, as must our thinking.

[orrery]

I wouldn't buy an iPhone of any model, when I can get all that I need from an Android handset for about half the price of one.

[Ken3966]

I wouldn't buy an iPhone of any model, when I can get all that I need from an Android handset for about half the price of one.

Surprised you are driving an Enyaq and not an MG then?

Having owned both android and iPhones I much prefer the iPhone operating system and features and won’t be going back.

[Walter Eagle]

I wouldn't buy an iPhone of any model, when I can get all that I need from an Android handset for about half the price of one.

Yeah, thanks, very good point indeed.
I wasn't literally asking about an iPhone. I'm sorry that wasn't clear.
I don't have an iPhone myself either. I used the iPhone as a well recognised item that could serve as an analogy for the car question I was posing.
I guess I failed in my choice of analogy.
What if I had chosen "a phone with Android Nougat" instead? Or "a PC with Windows 8"?

[AndyH]

What if I had chosen "a phone with Android Nougat" instead? Or "a PC with Windows 8"?

You’d be driving a Lada