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The Current State of the US Auto Market
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Comments
I think it's all the fault of whiney cube-rats who can't get along with anybody!
Agreed totally. But applying resale value of two different models that cost differently when new, and were not in the same vehicle class, as a measure of success is surely the lamest argument I've seen here in a while. No offense intended.
Depends on the original purchase price, and what I needed the car for. If the PT had cost me, say, $16,500 while the Miata originally cost $20,800, then both cars lost me $10,000, regardless. And, that only comes into play when trade in time comes around. If I'm not ready to trade, it's fairly irrelevant.
Also, as Uplander pointed out, two totally different vehicles. I look at a PT Cruiser as an everyday driver/commuter car workhorse. A Miata is more of a fair-weather, cruising around, fun-in-the-sun (if not the back seat) toy for those with discretionary income to spend. I'm sure people do use them as their only car, but I'd imagine that most buy them as a second far.
So, one is the type of car most people need to have in their lives. The other is more of a luxury, a want. But not a need.
Oh, thought you'd get a kick out of this. Yesterday I saw not one but TWO first-gen Neons! One of them was for sale, a '98 model, asking $1950. Other than being coated in pollen, it didn't look too bad. The other one, I'll concede, was parked at a service station...
Both commanded markups at intro, though, remember that PT that sold on eBay for $25k?
That may have inspired the comparison. Anyone who paid a markup took a bath on both.
With Miatas, though, after a while they stop depreciating, some NAs even gain value if they're original and in good shape.
Ironically I test drove a PT convertible but the structure was a wet noodle so I passed. It did have amazing rear seat legroom for its size.
Agreed, just like the whine I was speaking of.
I'm surprised nobody has apparently commented on Ford having great profits in the last quarter.
Ford News
It'll be interesting if Ford can creatively account those NA profits to override the European collapse.
The flip side of that issue is that there are people in their early to mid careers who have been so spoiled, had their educations handed to them, gotten all sorts of luxury perks from mom and dad, and then hit the real world and just can't fathom how unfair it all is. They think the world owes them something. They're in the top 90% of world population by wealth and amentities and it's still not right! And they would have done better 30 years earlier because they would have had to work their butts off to get where they are, and would have found that out early in life.
How did GM's profits and progress compare to Ford's? Isn't GM still losing market share to Ford?
If Ford is gaining, it is coming from somewhere - it is a zero sum game (kind of like wealth in race to the bottom globalization). Ford has a sharper looking lineup IMO, so for cars anyway, I could see Ford taking sales. Fusion could be the best looking ride in the price range.
A couple months ago, my Mom mentioned that she was irritated at one of her cousins (my godmother) that she's really close to. Turns out, her son, who must be something like 50 by now, had to hit his mother up for something like 50 bucks. He had a good electrician job, but got laid off. However, his wife has a good job, and he's getting unemployment, and doing side jobs under the table.
Mom said that she was tempted to tell her that I never, NEVER (Mom's emphasis) asked her for anything after I got out of high school. Unfortunately, I had to bust Mom's bubble, telling her that Grandmom did help me out when I bought my condo. Something like $3,000 I think. And, when I went through my fiasco over a marriage, my uncle "sold" me his '88 LeBaron for $2,000, but that marriage sucked me dry, so I wasn't able to pay him back until around the time I bought my 2000 Intrepid! In fact, he lent me the $2K down payment for that, as well! But at that point, I was starting to recover, so I made sure to pay him back for that down payment, plus the $2K for the LeBaron.
And, when it came to my college education, my Dad actually stepped up, and probably paid for about half of that. I had thought I told my Mom that in the past, but if I had, she had forgotten. And, Mom sort of conveniently forgot that Grandmom and Granddad helped her out a lot through life, as well.
But, anyway, for better or worse, I know I didn't get to where I am by myself! I don't think any of us did!
Most have much better ones than I have.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
My kids certainly have it better than I did, or my wife. They have (used) cars to drive and are not working much during school year. We're providing the basic tuition for a 4 year degree - after that they're on their own. Whereas I wored two jobs and took five years to get my bachelor's, always working 20-25 hours during the school year. And I bought my first car, used, with money I earned. Yet my kids see friends of theirs that are getting so much more than they are - it's pretty amazing. Like the girl in my daughter's HS that got a brand new CR-V for her birthday!
It seems the kids of today have it easier growing up, but then harder getting a job. Unless of course they actually picked a major field that is employable. There are plenty of opportunities out there, but our society is differentiating those with the right educations, skills, and aptitudes more than 30 years ago. Look at the UAW workers - little education, not a lot of high skills, but score a job that pays very well with super-great perks and retirement. Not happening like before.
If Ford is gaining, it is coming from somewhere - it is a zero sum game (kind of like wealth in race to the bottom globalization). Ford has a sharper looking lineup IMO, so for cars anyway, I could see Ford taking sales. Fusion could be the best looking ride in the price range.
That's how I see it as well, except that I don't like the fish mouth of the Fusion - the rest looks good IMHO. That's why the GM crowing about earnings doesn't move me much - how much of that is due to a generally improving economy, versus actually becoming MORE competitive compared to the competition? Market share is the marker for that statistic. I haven't looked at GMs market share numbers in the past few months, but AFAIR in the past couple of years it has not been trending in the right direction.
My kids are teens and just got their first smartphones in the last year. They have to chip in for the extra $$/month.
I am more concerned about the cushy public sector jobs with insane tenure and pension systems than UAW issues. The former don't seem to be going away with any speed - and I pay for the former a lot more than I do the latter. The heavily subsidized FIRE industries aren't winning any favorable opinions either.
And even with the right education, a dose of offshoring can ruin it all - STEM won't be invincible for everyone, and not everyone has the ability to be an engineer or a doctor. Friend of mine with a computer science degree had a rough time at the beginning of the oughts - but he's fine now.
I think the Fusion wears the gaping maw better than any other mainstream car. Should have kicked the tires of one today when I was out, but forgot. To be fair to GM, their lineup is better than it has been in a long time, decades. They've at least made some positive movement since the bailout, as the competition does when they've been bailed out. Only a couple ways to play that game.
So for offshoring, we all agree it could be handled in a more balanced fashion. Doesn't seem like anybody in government really wants to change that. But fundamentally:
1 - do we go into isolationist mode, and accept the consequences when others don't want to buy our wares, either?
2 - do we stay open like we are more of today, and try harder to be competitive?
3 - do we try to put some balance into the equation, and still realize that will have *some* adverse consequences?
It's not like the rest of the world isn't sick enough already of the US trying to dictate behaviors to the rest of the world.
Other places add "balance" to their respective equations by aiding or protecting domestic industry, no reason why we can't either. Isolation isn't an answer, unrestricted openness, which we approach more than any other, is not viable in the long run either.
Government is bought off, we all know that.
Anyway, one of my friends, who's now on his third iPhone I believe, still had his old flip phone. So we swapped the SIM cards and got it to work.
I might break down and get an iPhone though. On my plan, I'm eligible for an upgrade, and can get one of the older ones for something like 99 cents.
A friend of mine had one back in the late 1980s and he thought he was "all that." Another relic of the time was the squiggly antenna affixed to the rear window on cars that had cell phones. Pep Boys sold fake ones to wannabes to put on their hoopties.
Also the new for '13 electric power steering is probably the best I've sampled yet. It was a bit lighter than I'm used to, but overall it I liked the steering response (for a truck). It drove smaller than it is.
The 8 speed definitely provided plenty of ratios to keep the engine in it's power band and the truck was plenty quick. It shifted smoothly, but man did it shift all the time. Any pressure on the gas pedal meant a downshift and I did notice it was a bit jerky when slowing down to a stop while the transmission seemed to be downshifting. FE is rated at 15/21 which is definitely competitive considering the power output.
All in all a very nice truck. Probably the nicest on the market IMHO. I'm going to test drive the F150 again. It's been nearly a year since I drove one, so my memory is a bit fuzzy.
IIRC, I'd say the Ram felt more nimble, but the f150 seemed more isolated and a bit smoother. Also under 4k rpm, the Ecoboost had a lot more power. The Hemi didn't blow me away with power. It felt very strong above 4k rpm, but kind of soft at lower rpm.
I remember the Ecoboost f150 making my Expedition feel like a slug. It wasn't that way with the Ram. Actually, after I got back in the Expe, I punch it to get a good comparison, and by seat of the pants, the old 5.4 felt nearly powerful as the Ram until 3,000 rpm or so, after that the Hemi obviously has a lot more power. Plus, the 5.4 in my Expe seemed smoother and is definitely quieter (even with 120k miles).
If it wasn't for the fact we were busy over the weekend and have a lot going on this week, I might have bought it. But I'm probably still going to wait a bit longer.
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I imagine the Miata and PT weren't all that far off on original purchase price, but I admit I didn't look it up, I'm sure the Miata was more, but not all that much more.
The point is that the PT may have outsold the Corvette for the same reason it outsold the Miata, and that is the price they are bickering about.
Lower a Corvette Z06 and brand new Miata to PT prices and I'm sure the sales would have been quite different!
Not as many people are in the market because they don't have the budget for a new Miata or Corvette while they are in the price range of a PT.
Yes, it may have more utility than the sports car, but I believe the main reason is $$$$$. As my friend said, he'd prefer the V6 but his budget requires the 4 banger.
Cheapness sells in America, unfortunately. I prefer long term value to initial cheapness, but Americans like it cheap.
I don't consider myself clumsy, but I have dropped my I-phone more time than I care to admit. The glass is fine; maybe they use Gorilla glass like Sony does on their higher end TV's.
That's been sort of a "bridge" for us. No monthly bill, but most of the features of an iPhone.
We're debating the Republic Wireless plan, but I'll wait until they launch newer devices this summer.
Just have dealers check it at the next oil change. Is a recall really necessary?
I'm only half joking....
"Those that wait to recall vehicles until NHTSA tells them to, he added, become the bad guy, while companies that initiate their own recalls are seen in a more positive light. "People are smart enough to see a recall not just as a negative, but as something proactive on a company's part."
Carmakers become proactive, step up recalls (Detroit News)
So it can damage the image, but perhaps to people who aren't buying them anyway.
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I suppose that depends on the type of bullet and type of firearm being used. I've heard even the best bulletproof glass will be penetrated by an expert marksman hitting the same exact spot about 5 or 6 times from close range.
My Samsung example was broken/cracked screen twice with the same exact Verizon casing protecting it.
Removing the case and then breaking it is moronic, but if it still breaks with the cases protection......... I'd be telling Samsung they have an implied warranty that a decent case will protect it from a fall of 6' or less.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
So it can damage the image, but perhaps to people who aren't buying them anyway."
The spare tire recall clearly demonstrates that all recalls are not equal. And, given the forward-thinking dealership, it gives the dealer another chance to interact with the customer to build loyalty. While the car is there, give all the tires/fluids a quick check, run then car through the car wash and give it a quick vacuum. Most customers would drive away feeling they got something for free .vs. having to take their car in for an inconvenient recall/servicing.
It's the smart dealerships that capitalize on these types of problems, turning lemons into lemonade.
As a family, we all now have basic iPhone 4's, but my wife's has a larger memory capacity... Again, for work reasons.
Her first phone was exactly like that bag phone in the picture a few postings back, around 1993, IIRC.
New factory opening soon in my old stomping grounds - Woodbridge adding new plant in Chattanooga to manufacture products for the automotive industry (timesfreepress.com)
A relative reportedly scored a job with them, so if I play my cards right, maybe I can score some inside info. Or some foam to play with. :-)
I had to drive my '12 up to Carlisle over the weekend, because the Park Ave broke its supercharger belt. I filled up on the way back in PA, because gasoline was a bit cheaper up there. Now, I only put about 150 miles on that tank...I don't like to let it get too low, because at something like 28 gallons, an empty tank can break the bank pretty quickly! Anyway, that tank represented maybe 15 miles local driving, 135 highway (albeit "spirited" highway driving), and I got about 16.5 mpg. Oddly, I did better on the second tank where I logged about 148 miles. That tank was about 95 miles highway, coming home, and the remainder was comprised of my uncle driving it around some on Sunday, me driving it to work and back on Monday, and then driving out to drop the Park Ave off at the mechanic, who's about 10 miles from home, and out where gasoline's a bit cheaper. On that tank, I managed about 18.3 mpg. Provided, that is, the fuel pump didn't shut off early! Also, I did drive a lot more gently on the trip home from PA. And, when we took the Park Ave out to the mechanic, I drove pretty gently, because I didn't want my friend in the PA to push it too hard. I've read varying sources about driving with the supercharger disconnected...most say that it's okay, but some say that you should drive it more gently, and not very far, because it may lean out the fuel mixture.
I know when you fill up a relatively full tank, your mpg reading is likely to be less accurate than filling up a tank that's almost empty. And you can't take just one reading as the Gospel.
Overall though, in the 2621 miles that I've had the truck, I've averaged 14.3 mpg, which I guess isn't too bad, considering it's mostly local driving, is still probably breaking in, and hasn't had a warmer summer cycle to expose the truck to a full year's range of temperature cycles.
And, call me obsessive compulsive, but I like to fill up a tank. I don't like it when the fuel pump shuts off prematurely.
We usually get at least $0.30 off per gallon, so may as well fill 'em all up! :shades:
I'd expect a slight improvement. Probably in the 14-15 range.
Now that its gotten warmer out, my Expedition has been averaging about 15mpg which is up from the 11-12mpg I get when it's cold.
Overall though, in the 2621 miles that I've had the truck, I've averaged 14.3 mpg, which I guess isn't too bad, considering it's mostly local driving, is still probably breaking in, and hasn't had a warmer summer cycle to expose the truck to a full year's range of temperature cycles.
That looks pretty good to me.
As far as filling up, I too like to fill to full. When I'm at a 1/4 tank on the gauge, I can get about 19 gallons in. I kind of wish my Expedition had a 31 gallon tank like my Suburban did for some extra range.