As another example, side impact airbags have been mandatory in the US since 2013, but the Volvo 850 had them in 1995 and they were present on something like half of new cars a decade before they were mandatory and >97% of new cars three years before the mandate.
But the larger point is definitely true.
I always bought medium sized cars at 10 years when they're already only a grand or two. The smallest ones are made so cheaply that they're already too tired at this age and strangely enough they're more expensive due to the lower road tax. So more people want them.
And then I used to drive them till the maintenance becomes too expensive, for 5 or 6 years or so. And just scrap them then.
I guess if I still owned a car I could still do this for a good while without having to get spyware. But not too long.
More like every couple months on the road, from my experience in having driven one. Just this year here are couple of things that have occurred:
>glowplugs burnt out
>air-mass sensor failure
>faulty abs-sensor
>fuel nozzle malfunction
>brake failure
>engine back support failure
>short circuit after worn-out manufacturer divider causing massive sparking, heating and a drained battery
Some additional fixes identified recently not yet fixed:
>faulty brake booster
>moisture buildup(?)in door mechanisms leading to it sometimes not opening from inside
>rust buildup in some parts, needs replacing before reaching important bits
>transient misfire/spray/clog on acceleration leading to computer shutting off engine power
