That's why the Rolleiflex TLR cameras went out of production for so long. They were indestructible so the people who wanted one either already had one or could rely on the estate market to fulfill their needs.
Then, after decades off the market, they went back into production as luxury goods but that's another sad, infuriating story I won't get into here.
My point is, as long as this thread is talking about classic tech, what are some other examples of things that are no longer made because they just don't wear out? The Porsche prototype long-life car doesn't count because it never made it into production.
benenglish,
Another car that "went out of production" due to being a "niche market" & seldom being driven long enough to wear out (The original 300D literally outlived the PO.) was the PRE-1986 Mercedes 300D.
One of the members of our MB club owns a 1980 NON-TURBO/Euro model with (The last time that I saw Raphael & asked about it) well over a MILLION MILES.
("Ole Blue" originally was bought new by his grandfather, who drove it all of his remaining lifetime, was inherited by an uncle, who drove it until he died & finally ended up in Raphael's care.)
I do NOT believe that a person would ever live long enough to wear-out a low mileage NON-turbo 300D, IF you care for it at least halfway well.
The 300D's weakness, IF they have a weakness, is that the cars are SLOW on "take off" but will effortlessly cruise at 85MPH, while achieving 27-32MPG, all day long in comfort. = My adopted brother (Richard from SC) owns one with the AT & describes his Forest Green/palomino 300D's acceleration as "Zero to 60 in 2 days".
(IF you buy a NON-Turbo model, you have to learn to "get a running start" on the entrance ramp to get onto the Interstate W/O getting RUN OVER. = That is Richard's advice.)
ADDENDA: I bought a WHITE/palomino Euro-model (with the 4speed manual transmission =====> i didn't figure tat i had enough years left to drive a 300D with the AT.) 300D from 1983 to commute in when I lived in VA & commuted to Baltimore 4-5X a week.
(When the Baltimore job ended in 1988, I gave it to my niece Kathleen to drive from Mayesville to Spartanburg, SC every day when she was in college, = Kathleen calls it , "My Little College Car" & will NOT sell it, though she now has a NEW Caddy that she drives most days.)
CHUCKLE, satx
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