Yes indeed. Especially, like me, if you live in a tropical country with high humidity which requires permanent A/C. SO this means, when you stop at lights the autostop kicks in but then as the temperature rises the engine restarts to operate the A/C. Then the autostop kicks in again. And so on forever. It's SOOOOOO annoying. Most cars allow a manual switch off but no cars I am aware of allow a permanent disabling of autostop. I' have conditioned myself to switching off autostop every time I start a car but it shouldn't be necessary.
So can you PLEASE make that another condition of change?
I just bought an 88 Citroen 2CV (60 MPG) which was registered in Arizona. California won't let me register it due to it not meeting CA smog rules. Well, I have had enough of the Sacramento green Mafia, which is happily lining their own pockets. I'll move to Kentucky and take my tax dollars and jobs with me.
Still driving cars from the 90s and 00s – zero screens, I love it. My mom got a new car in 2021 however and it's insanely decked out with LEDs, LCDs, touch pads in odd places, super annoying. Cars were made for driving, not swiping.
My 2005 Ford Mustang with a manual transmission is still running strong and I cannot see myself spending $50,000+ on a new vehicle, I don't need or want a backup camera, I have 3 mirrors. I cannot get locked out by some subscription to the infotainment screen and I can work on everything myself.
This &50K average i has nothing to do with passenger cars. It’s the average cost with SUVs and pickups. A 2026 Honda Civic is $25K, half of this average.
Corporate welfare has been one of the main causes of rising prices, since it's more profitable to lobby congress than to actually compete for profits in the marketplace.
Amazing how some of the paywalls built into new car prices can easily add up to $2500-$3,000-there is no option to negotiate these out. Subscriptions for Digital Keys,Emergency Towing,annoying Maintenance notifications,Navigation! Worse 5 year old Used Lexus is easily 80-90% of new-calling it preowned is a joke.
Who is going to pay 90% of the MSRP for a 5 year old Lexus with average mileage, which would be 75,000. As they say, a fool and his money are soon parted.
How would the Trump administration end California's regulatory veto without trashing federalism? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for it but I don't know how it would be done.
I would also say that if we wait a few years (I know, it's not very pleasant), I think there could be enough autonomous cars (like Waymo) that many people who are only interested in transportation and not driving, status, etc. will stop buying cars all together.
Hoping to meaningfully reduce government regulation of our lives is utopian. It won't happen without a revolution. We can only hope that our rulers take pity on us and slow down a little bit. Kind of what Trump did by slightly rolling back mileage standards.
This makes my 9 year old (in great condition) vehicle that much more valuable. With taxes, fees, a few extra add ons and loan costs, that number could surpass $55K easily not to mention the thousands in interest costs. 70 years ago, you could buy three decent houses for the same price.
Given how the general price indexes (PCE and CPI) are constructed, forcing the inflation rate below 2.00% PCE and/or 2.30% CPI would require economy-killing monetary deflation.
Nomenclature matters. The $50,000 average cost is that of VEHICLES, not CARS. Americans, for whatever reason, are enamored with monster-size trucks and SUVs, which clearly pull the "average" price skyward.
You cannot have it both ways on illegals. You crowed about how many have been deported and now you are claiming they are raising insurance rates, Which is it?
Comparing the price of vehicles in China and converting them to dollars is a fool's errand. One has to consider the differences in wages, benefits, and the cost of building and running a factory in China just to BEGIN to get an idea on how to compare their vehicle prices.
Does any truly believe that if manufacturers sold directly, prices would drop? I guess the manufacturers would then run service departments? I don't think dealers limit competition that much because there are a lot of different vehicle manufacturers and one can always travel just a little to find another dealer who will meet what price you are looking for. I also suspect you cited the study with the highest amount of charge attributed to dealers. Because I buy mostly OEM parts, my dealer's parts manager gives me a 20% discount. Think I could get that from a manufacturer's facility?
All of us don't want an Made in USA car. The Japanese and Korean workers are more reliable and conscientious than the average UAW worker.
Where are starter homes starting at $50,000? There are plenty of places you can buy a full-size house for less than that, including Jacksonville, Florida.
Smart money people don't buy new vehicles. They are a rapidly depreciating asset. Let someone else eat most of the depreciation and then I'll buy the used vehicle. Many millionaires don't buy new cars. That's how they saved money.
I had never heard of Franchise laws, so I just looked them up. Yep, it's true. Ridiculous.
In so many ways, Congress is the problem.
In just about all ways, congress is the problem.
"The dreaded Autostop function"
Yes indeed. Especially, like me, if you live in a tropical country with high humidity which requires permanent A/C. SO this means, when you stop at lights the autostop kicks in but then as the temperature rises the engine restarts to operate the A/C. Then the autostop kicks in again. And so on forever. It's SOOOOOO annoying. Most cars allow a manual switch off but no cars I am aware of allow a permanent disabling of autostop. I' have conditioned myself to switching off autostop every time I start a car but it shouldn't be necessary.
So can you PLEASE make that another condition of change?
I just bought an 88 Citroen 2CV (60 MPG) which was registered in Arizona. California won't let me register it due to it not meeting CA smog rules. Well, I have had enough of the Sacramento green Mafia, which is happily lining their own pockets. I'll move to Kentucky and take my tax dollars and jobs with me.
Still driving cars from the 90s and 00s – zero screens, I love it. My mom got a new car in 2021 however and it's insanely decked out with LEDs, LCDs, touch pads in odd places, super annoying. Cars were made for driving, not swiping.
My 2005 Ford Mustang with a manual transmission is still running strong and I cannot see myself spending $50,000+ on a new vehicle, I don't need or want a backup camera, I have 3 mirrors. I cannot get locked out by some subscription to the infotainment screen and I can work on everything myself.
Completely sympathize – stick shift all the way too.
This &50K average i has nothing to do with passenger cars. It’s the average cost with SUVs and pickups. A 2026 Honda Civic is $25K, half of this average.
Even an Accord typically runs $35K.
Corporate welfare has been one of the main causes of rising prices, since it's more profitable to lobby congress than to actually compete for profits in the marketplace.
Bicycles have gone way up as well...
Amazing how some of the paywalls built into new car prices can easily add up to $2500-$3,000-there is no option to negotiate these out. Subscriptions for Digital Keys,Emergency Towing,annoying Maintenance notifications,Navigation! Worse 5 year old Used Lexus is easily 80-90% of new-calling it preowned is a joke.
Who is going to pay 90% of the MSRP for a 5 year old Lexus with average mileage, which would be 75,000. As they say, a fool and his money are soon parted.
Correction 80-90% of original sticker-not new.
How would the Trump administration end California's regulatory veto without trashing federalism? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for it but I don't know how it would be done.
I would also say that if we wait a few years (I know, it's not very pleasant), I think there could be enough autonomous cars (like Waymo) that many people who are only interested in transportation and not driving, status, etc. will stop buying cars all together.
Hoping to meaningfully reduce government regulation of our lives is utopian. It won't happen without a revolution. We can only hope that our rulers take pity on us and slow down a little bit. Kind of what Trump did by slightly rolling back mileage standards.
This makes my 9 year old (in great condition) vehicle that much more valuable. With taxes, fees, a few extra add ons and loan costs, that number could surpass $55K easily not to mention the thousands in interest costs. 70 years ago, you could buy three decent houses for the same price.
In 1970, a car cost the equivalent of about 100 oz of gold. The average annual wage was about the equivalent of 166 oz of gold.
The average annual wage now is now about 12 oz of gold. The average cost of a car is now about 11 oz of gold.
Conclude what you will.
Given how the general price indexes (PCE and CPI) are constructed, forcing the inflation rate below 2.00% PCE and/or 2.30% CPI would require economy-killing monetary deflation.
Great breakdown on car regulations and mandates, but there is an even bigger elephant in the room, the Federal Reserve's balance sheet.
Overlay the Fed's balance sheet on top of new car prices, new homes, the S&P 500, or Bitcoin and you will see that they all go up together.
Prices are not going up, the purchasing power of our money is going down, our money is worth less, our money is being debased.
Nomenclature matters. The $50,000 average cost is that of VEHICLES, not CARS. Americans, for whatever reason, are enamored with monster-size trucks and SUVs, which clearly pull the "average" price skyward.
You cannot have it both ways on illegals. You crowed about how many have been deported and now you are claiming they are raising insurance rates, Which is it?
Comparing the price of vehicles in China and converting them to dollars is a fool's errand. One has to consider the differences in wages, benefits, and the cost of building and running a factory in China just to BEGIN to get an idea on how to compare their vehicle prices.
Does any truly believe that if manufacturers sold directly, prices would drop? I guess the manufacturers would then run service departments? I don't think dealers limit competition that much because there are a lot of different vehicle manufacturers and one can always travel just a little to find another dealer who will meet what price you are looking for. I also suspect you cited the study with the highest amount of charge attributed to dealers. Because I buy mostly OEM parts, my dealer's parts manager gives me a 20% discount. Think I could get that from a manufacturer's facility?
All of us don't want an Made in USA car. The Japanese and Korean workers are more reliable and conscientious than the average UAW worker.
Where are starter homes starting at $50,000? There are plenty of places you can buy a full-size house for less than that, including Jacksonville, Florida.
Smart money people don't buy new vehicles. They are a rapidly depreciating asset. Let someone else eat most of the depreciation and then I'll buy the used vehicle. Many millionaires don't buy new cars. That's how they saved money.
How do you propose ending California's regulatory veto?