content: Not trying to be a dick here but it's a study by AAA and their finding are that cars are breaking down and calling their services more because of lower-profile tires (and not having full sized spares), keyless ignitions that are draining the batteries, and people running out of gas because they're pushing their cars longer. Nothing about a decrease in user serviceable parts or complex mechanics. If there's any conspiracy here, it's AAA saying that there are more breakdowns in order to sell more memberships (scare-mongering). Anyways, it's more likely that a modern car made in the last 15 years are going to have more issues with common wear items under high mileage scenarios. New shocks ~75-120k, engine mounts ~150-200k, bushings ~150k (mostly rubber parts that wear with age). Typical things. It would be interesting to see how many cars from 1996 are on the road today vs how many cars were on the road from 1966 in 1986.