I remember the day the world changed.
We tend to remember exactly where we were when momentous events mark a distinct “before” and “after” in our lives.
In this particular case, many years ago I was watching television, casually unaware my world would change with the very next advertisement.
It was an ad from Hyundai, the laughable Korean car company, promoting a 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty.
“How could this be?” I thought, “Cars aren’t even supposed to last much past 100,000 miles.”
Of course, today we all know differently, as cars routinely pass that mark and even double it.
The 100,000-mile warranty has become standard fare for Hyundai and Kia and even inspired General Motors and Chrysler to add (and then revoke) 100,000-mile warranties.
Now there’s another warranty on the market that might keep pace with the life of current vehicles: the 20-year, 200,000-mile warranty.