What the fuck is an “entry-level car”?
In my mind, there are two kinds of vehicles: the tragic structural necessity foisted on us by one of the most evil fuckwit capitalist robber barons of the 20th century, and the oversized toy version for fuckwit capitalist robber barons of this century.
What the fuck is an “entry-level car”?
A small sedan or hatchback. Like a Honda Fit.
Manufacturers have been prepping for this by simply eliminating all base and entry models. You can’t find compact sedans with cheaper, simpler manual transmissions anymore for a reason. It shifts the overton window of pricing infinitely higher.
No one was buying manuals, and even those weak sales were declining. Modern automatic have more gears and shift more efficiently.
I tried to always buy manuals, then I got married to someone who struggles with manuals. Now we have automatics sad times
I think the choice of automatic-only may be less conspiratorial and more streamlining the product to broad tastes.
If only 10% of buyers choose the manual, it probably adds a fair amount of manufacturing and supply chain complexity to service them, which might drive up the cost for all models.
It’s like how most US carmakers don’t offer many diesel models.
Now, the ratchet of interior features… Plenty of people don’t want a huge monolith of an infotainment system with 14 speakers, but it’s standard and you can then be upsold the premium one with 25 speakers.
I think the choice of automatic-only may be less conspiratorial and more streamlining the product to broad tastes.
Its also fuel economy standards. In the 1990s manuals could give you better mileage but with the invention of 8 and 10 speed autos, they get better mileage than a 5 or 6 speed manual.
I agree that the elimination of manuals likely gives a benefit to the other 98% that chose automatic (though not necessarily passed on 1:1 of course), but I disagree on the diesel. Sure, the market preference is probably poor enough to bar it, but it’s crippled by US efficiency requirements into a non-starter for nearly every make. The US has stricter NOx allowances than the EU while also measuring emissions per gallon, whereas the EU rates vehicles by mile. So yes, NOx is pretty bad, especially when concentrated in city settings, but the pollution of passenger diesel in general is overblown when looking at net emissions over distance.
Well, yes, but also no. They used to get you in the lot by showing you the low prices for base models and then they’d up-price you with the decent trims that were horrendously overpriced - $5000 for a “premium sound package?” did they ship the orchestra with the car?
Now their base models are better specced: they cost more, but they have to compete as the new base, so the prices will have to settle down eventually. Who knows what they’ll come up with for upcharging? My current guess is subscription services for essentials. Buy our Freeway Speed Package for only $30 a month, that unlocks speeds over 45 mph!
so the prices will have to settle down eventually.
I’m not sure they will.
I remember when Nav systems were $3600 and terrible.
I remember the first one I witnessed. We were driving to a wedding in the woods and the thing kept yelling “Return to the mapped territory” in increasingly shrill tones haha
My parents had one with “points of interest” pre-programmed into it. Tried to go to a casino, ended up at an abandoned barn.
Instead of less fancy trims a more fancy bike or e-bike would be perfect.
I wish all people would ditch their cars for trains, subways, trams, buses and bikes.
Its amazing how much income is spent on owning a car not mentioning the cost of constantly having to buy fuel. On average the costs of fuel can be around the same if not a little more then the cost of the car brand new.
Can’t do that, the infrastructure is not there and it gets really fucking cold in the majority of the country for months at a time.
Infrastructure is a valid point. Cold is not.
When I mentioned that, I had context that I failed to communicate, for the first time in a long time it has snowed where I live and it actually stayed on the ground for weeks, the town will clear the road but barely and the sidewalks, without the infrastructure in place, it is much more dangerous to ride a bike, the roads are narrower, there is still plenty of ice around, you are sharing the road with cars whose owners are too selfish to clear them of snow, people will push snow back on the road from their driveway, it’s a lot that needs changing and then you take into account that things are so far apart that you can’t get to many places by bike, public transportation is slow or sparse.
The point is the same, it’s not possible to just get a bike to replace a car, maybe if you have 2 cars, you can go down to one, but go without is not possible. It’s easier to move to a place that allows for it to be honest.
Cold is not an issue if you wear this cool new things I’ve invented. It’s called a jacket! 🧥
But seriously I used to ride my bike to work in a ski town in Colorado throughout the winter. The county plows the bike paths and sidewalks along with the roads. Walking and riding all winter long is no problem on skinny road bike tires. If winter makes it impossible to ride around town that is not a winter problem it’s a priorities problem.
A ski town has a vested interest in clearing snow ASAP. Businesses will pay through the nose for that foot traffic.
If I’m lucky, my neighborhood in Ohio suburbia (in a major city) might get plowed a few days after it snows. Sidewalks whenever all the snow clearing businesses are willing to settle for whatever low price my apartment complex is willing to pay this year, or maintenance with a cheap snowblower clears a foot wide path. City owned sidewalk? It wont be clear till spring.
Any person suggesting everyone swap to bikes is severely out of touch, me and my obese bretheren would never allow that. Just let me throw my grandpa on a bike to take him to the doctor 15-30 miles away, or even 2 miles away resulting in 2 deaths. Yall realize passengers that dont drive and also cant go on public transportation exist (not that we have any accessible anywhere near us lmao)
The vast majority of us live in car centric cities or towns far from any walkable areas, I have to drive 6 minutes for the nearest fastfood place, id walk an hour, bike like 15 at least? Let me just carry my weekly groceries and hope I dont fall off or get robbed on the way (not an issue in my current town but ive had friends get jumped in my last city when by themselves) How many hours of my day am I supposed to now dedidcate to travel on top of everything else, my hour in the car would become 3-4 hours on a bike.
The people that push bikes hella hard are equivalent to trump supporters, so far left they spin around and run to the right
Sounds like your city has different, in my opinion unfortunate, priorities. You could change that. It’s pretty cool having a city council that matches priorities with you. I’ve also lived in a number of small towns (~6000 pop.) that plow sidewalks and rec paths along with the roads. Being able to walk around town makes it super easy to go out and do winter activities or just pop down to a restaurant and pick up some food, or get to work without sliding everywhere.
Quick edit: My anecdote isn’t about riding around a single town or city, it’s riding the 7-14 miles between multiple cities at my pleasure or more often to commute to work at a grocery store.
You are oversimplifying how these things evolve, it can take decades to get the majority of people on your side to drive change and right now I’m more concerned about not getting deported. Also I’m nearly certain that people never change their minds, it’s just that the people that disagree with you die or move away.
These things are pretty simple, two people talking. It takes a small amount of community interest not a big legal challenge or tons of petitioning. From my experience big cities are different but in small municipalities it is basically sharing a comment but you’ll have to look up your specifics.
Someone standing up and saying, “Hey, it’d be really cool if we were able to plow the sidewalks and paths so we can walk around the city when it snows.” can plant ideas. Nothing ever gets done in a day and it probably won’t be within the next 2 years but getting the ball moving now is the best way to see change in a decade.
And on the not getting deported thing, get outside and talk to people like… It’s cliche as fuck but get to know your neighbors. Walk your pet rock if it’s awkward to hang out without something to do. Say hi to people, compliment their work and expression, ask them about themselves. Then like go your separate ways, maybe you’ll see them again maybe not. But doing that over and over helps you meet people. That’s the start of your network and eventually your resistance. It’s how you build community and community is how we keep us safe, not letting our fear rule us and telling strangers on the Internet to die. It’s having trust in the goodness of others and that means showing goodness to others.
But like you do you mate, the Internet is here for you to share your anger, pretty sure that what it was designed for, I could be wrong.
My representative voted to fund ice, I’d sooner move than deal with the idiocy by me. If things keep going the way they are, I’ll likely be federally sponsored to leave if you catch my drift.
A car is a requirement if you’re into hiking/camping. Also, I checked and it would cost me $100 to Uber to work 13 miles away. I could take the bus home from work, but they don’t start early enough for me to take it both ways.
Pro-tip: Dealerships will not have the car at MSRP. Go to the dealership and tell them that’s the I’ve you want, leave your number and tell them to call you when they get it. It will magically show up in a day or two.
I wish all people would ditch their cars for trains, subways, trams, buses and bikes.
Assuming you want to by new. Buying a brand-new car is a fools game, when used cars exist. I’ll let you pay for the “value” of choosing exactly what you want, and also let you take the depreciation hit in two years.
I’ve always bought used and paid cash for all my cars. No big loans for a depreciating asset, please.
A house is a depreciating asset that’s nearly impossible to afford without a loan.
Not in my experience.
