this begs the question: if a 25 year old ford Taurus found it's way to France would it cost a lot more just because it was different and out of place? That's about the only thing this car has going for it which isn't saying much

What you say is true and I respect that answer. I also think there is a sort of cultural thing going on as well. For example I would be willing to bet that if Citroen, Peugot, or any number of other unknown to Americans brands started popping up then they would sell like mad in large US metros where its seen as cool…

Thats sort of hilarious- your comment about hillbillies and old classsic cars. Its basically the same deal here. On top of that there is also a sort of stigma attached to huge trucks and SUVs. Trucks are VERY big here and they sell in the millions. That said a HUGE swath of the country is either rural or suburban and…

1st gear: not surprised. As a native southerner who grew up in the 80's it's pretty dramatic what auto manufacturing has done for and to the region. Basically the name of the game has new to lure manufactures to such and such southern state by offering insane cheap land and tax deals along with cheaper labor. How long…

NP for the engine alone. Parts for 302's are dirt cheap and the engines are indestructible. I've had one in my Mercury for 13 years. Water pump is 18 bucks. And so on. Very reliable engine.

coulda fooled me. Looks like every other Audi made in the last 5 years.

That's what I felt too. When I bought it they had detailed the shit out of it. It was practically a "new" car. Its never made sense to buy new for me anyway.

Here's another thing. Cars in the EU are EXPENSIVE. I've only been one time around 12 years ago and the people we stayed with owned a Ford Fiesta. The car was basic bare-bones and still... it had cost them MORE than what a fully loaded Camry or Taurus did in the US at the time.

Well, what I did was I bought my Volt used. Fully-loaded with all the whistles and bells with less than 29k on the clock set me back around 19k. That's more than 50% less than it was new. They're even cheaper now. So that's one way to get one of these pretty cheaply.

7 months on and I still really like the car. Its just a nice car to drive. That and it does pretty much what it was designed to do. For awhile I had a awful commute: 36 miles each way. I wound up using less than 10 gallons the first 5 months of owning it. Pretty amazing.

I am originally from Tennessee and it seems that only recently people have started really buying Priuses. That's sort of a rude statement I suppose but compared to where I live now- the SF Bay area, where Priuses are more like Ford Tauruses, I would go home and see NONE. Its places like TN where the heavy marketing…

I am going to bet that:

Maybe... Maybe not. The thing is that BMW would need to totally redesign their car because as it is now its a weird little SUV-ish thing with no leg room in the back. It also JUST came out so if they intend to have a 200 mile range car at the same time as GM then they are going to have to reinvent the i3 from scratch…

I totally agree. They have basically positioned themselves to where whatever they make will come off as having been gold-plated. But... OTOH there is a big difference between Tesla the carmaker that makes uber-expensive luxury sedans sold mainly in major expensive metros to a niche group of mainly wealthy buyers…

Disclosure: I own a 2011 Volt I bought used 7 months ago. It's a fantastic car. GM totally fucked up its launch and handled advertising for it poorly. To this day most people have no clue how it works. Either they think it's an a electric car that only goes 40 miles or it's the GM equivelant of a Prius. Of those I've…

Where the fuck did that term "Amazeballs" come from? Its like the newest thing to say and its annoying.

Gas is cheaper. Big honkin' trucks and SUVs are selling like hot cakes. A Democrat is in the White House. There's a tech boom.

as seen in a previous response I understand what you were saying: you'd rather drive a truck with more luxury features yet won't last as long over a truck that is more durable and reliable. Fine. End of discussion.

seriously, if you have an argument then at least present it. A Camry has nothing to do with a Tacoma. Nevertheless I've encountered millions of people who say the same old shit about tacomas and most of the time their statements are simply hiding what they simply won't say to start with: they don't like none of…

Toyota buyers are the types of people who want their trucks to last a long time and that's why they buy them. I don't give a shit about the interior or how it handles or whether or not it has bluetooth. It's a truck. I use mine to haul stuff and take trips up the sierras. It's now pushing 30 years old. I make well…