[topspin]

> still easy to repair

By the time you get to 2019 and the GM T1XX platform the entire drivetrain is as complex as any modern vehicle: AFM/DFM, VVT, E85, Active Thermal Management, Start/Stop, 10L80/90, dynamic stability, etc. In other words, once it starts breaking down out of warranty, repair is uneconomic: non-dealer shops and owners don't have the tools, can't get affordable parts and aren't qualified to do the work, just like all other modern vehicles.

The last years that GM trucks were actually easy and cost effective to repair, but still relatively "modern" (decent PCM, effective air bags, standard anti-lock, etc.,) were 1999-2006 (GMT800) and 2007-2014 (GMT900), the former more so than the latter. Any professional mechanic can successfully repair almost anything on the vehicle and parts are readily available at reasonable cost.

[moandcompany]

Mid-2000s era car technology seems to have been the sweet spot across most brands for technology improvements while still having practical serviceability and maintainability.

[topspin]

I'd agree with that timeline with regard to US domestic truck platforms, which famously lagged cars in complexity by about a decade. A lot of 2000's cars definitely do not qualify.

The notion of a "sweet spot" is valid. All the classic safety and reliability problems were solved, yet the vehicles (again, truck platforms) are tractable in terms of service.

[DougN7]

I don’t think manufacturers are purposely making the cars harder to repair - they have to meet stricter and stricter fuel and air quality standards, so need more and more tech to squeeze out more /same performance while burning less fuel, or burning more thoroughly.

[topspin]

Sure. This is all self evident. Understanding the motivations of manufacturers, however, yields little value: the products they're making now are post-warranty disposable, despite the staggering cost and whatever intent manufacturers might have.

All of this has produced amazing ICE engineering. GM's base model gas truck engine, the L3B, is making 325hp from 166ci under 27psi of boost. Such ratios tell you everything you need to know about the long term fate of that drivetrain: there is zero margin for error, because everything is operating very near the limit of materials science and the capabilities of advanced manufacturing. When it fails, shortly after the warranty expires, fixing it will not be economic.