Capabilities of outdated scan tool software

When it comes to older software on these high end scan tools, will there come a point where the car is unable to communicate? I guess what I'm asking is if an older, but still capable scanner, like the OG Verus, is a smart buy with no more support? It's not uncommon for these to drop below $1000 on eBay. What is affected by out of date software? The whole car? Some functions/options missing? No comm? I'm sure the scope will continue to work fine, but please correct me if I'm wrong. I'm not concerned about older Windows/Android OSs, just the scanner software that's loaded on it.

Thanks,
David

The software has to be updated to work with later model cars and modules. If the software isn't updated it will continue to work on older vehicles.

I might add I use one piece of software that I have to set the computer date back to 2003 to use.

An OG Verus will still keep working on YMM's its software supports, for as long as you can keep the unit itself alive. So, if you had a Verus updated to 15.X, you'd be able to communicate with vehicles up to 2014 and into '15. If you don't work on stuff newer than 2014, then it's not a problem.

The updates add YMM's, of course. But, they also retroactively add functionality and refinements to older vehicles. Some changes are pretty minor, some are huge. Thus, even if you may not be working on the newest vehicles, it can still be beneficial to have the latest software. Or, the latest available for the tool, anyway.

Thanks all for the info. What about basic OBD2 functionality? If I try and load a scanner that has software loaded only for YMMs up to say 2015 on a 2020 vehicle, will it be a no comm? I have a hard time justifying any buying tool that becomes a paper weight after a few years. I don't do this stuff for a living.

It will still work under global OBD for the cars outside of the year range the software is for.
So even if you only have version 15.x, it will read and clear codes and show live data for any OBD 2 vehicle up to present, so you wouldn't be left completely in the dark. You just won't have the extensive manufacturer specific data, bidirectional controls, or access to modules other than the engine control module in global OBD mode.