For me, the turn off is that they’ve become so specialized that you basically can’t drive them, except at a few designated high-speed venues.

The article is conflating bandwidth with transmission time (which is essentially lag), and these are not the same thing at all.

See also my new Pedestrian Safety Bill:

Well dang!  Nice.

All those flying buttresses... shoulda been a hatchback.

I feel like the ultimate litmus test is “What other car can I get for the price of a lightly used Toyota Camry?” (I use a Camry as the platonic ideal for a solid but boring transportation appliance, and buying a 2-3 year old car is the pinnacle of “I want reliable transport with minimal depreciation” - the ultimate…

How I picture the conversation went with Musk:

Others have already called out the Kia Soul, so I’ll drop the other car for “regular people” that I’ve always liked:

There is one obvious answer here:

Agreed. You’d think if a dealer wanted to move cars they might try keeping more than one of each model in stock, letting people drive them, and selling them for something approximating MSRP.

I would be more upset about this if the ZF wasn’t such a damn good transmission. My wife has the ZF in her BMW, and I had the previous GM-sourced 6spd in mine (only a couple of model years older), and A/B testing those cars was depressing AF. The transmission is what finally drove me out of what was otherwise an…

Yup, the COVID shipping nonsense is over, so we’re back to “normal-ish” trans-pacific rates now.  Get some friends and load that 40-footer to the gills and it’ll amortize out pretty well.

Depending on how far out of bounds the emissions output is - yes this EXACTLY.

I’m glad to hear it. BMW is among the brands I’d consider - when we have enough data to see a clear trend line on the service life of the batteries, then I’ll climb down off the fence.  As someone who tends to keep my vehicles for a long time, I’m not into the “forever car payment” model.

https://jalopnik.com/watch-a-finn-blow-up-his-tesla-model-s-with-dynamite-1848261076

Tax Credits aside, I’d only consider a lease on an EV until we have a slightly better documented history of model longevity. If I’m going to spend five+ years buying a car, I’d like it to last at least ten.

NP, but make sure you leave room in the budget for the inevitable drooping headliner and delaminating A-pillar trim.  (Every e46 does it, and it’s not a fatal flaw, but does detract from a car that otherwise ages like fine wine.)

And better yet - air down. Works great for beaches and trails alike. Kinder to the surface, kinder to the vehicle, kinder to the passengers, especially if there are corrugations.

Rule #17: The skinny pedal is not your only “get over that obstacle” option.

I think we’ve missed one really important one: