The only part of the Empeg that's got any sort of limited lifespan is the hard disk. And even if it does fail, it's very easy to replace, and not particularly expensive. If you take care of the empeg (don't expose it to shocks or extreme temperatures), then the disk will last quite a long time, probably many years.
The VFD display is subject to a little bit of phosphor burn if you leave static text up for too long (My Mk1 has a faint burn spot where the Now And Next screen's time-index information is). But that's not really a lifespan issue, and you can avoid that by putting up visuals.
Personally, I plan on the Empeg being my main car stereo for many many years to come. The only reason it would go away is if something better came along. And I honestly expect that if something better
does come along, it's going to be made by the Empeg team, anyway.
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Tony Fabris