I don’t think it was ever actually for safety reasons, no matter what they said.  It was usually just because the wheel arch intrusion prevented them from going down further, and safety was a better story than “we just didn’t try very hard”.

Not sure I’d let my kids drive my truck if it didn’t have this. 

This. I actually had to go check to see if my Expedition has them (it does) because I never use them. Learned as a teen to adjust the mirrors wide and it’s served me well for 30 years.

This is my pick too. First thing I added to my cars that didn’t come with them (with the added bonus of getting CarPlay). Life-changing if you hook up trailers often. I can’t imagine squeezing my full-size pickup into some of the spots I do without it. 

That’s just it - residuals are often inflated by captive finance companies to make more attractive payments on some models. Automakers have a strategic need to sell more EVs, so the residuals can be unrealistically high. Other times, the incentives and discounts stack just right and erase most of the depreciation,…

If the goal is to get more EVs on the road in place of ICE cars for environmental reasons, then they shouldn’t restrict the credits by income or vehicle price. To your point, those credits translate into the used car market. Before the COVID used car madness, I almost picked up a 2017 Bolt Premier for $10k ($43k MSRP),…

Agree on the first point. It works for me, but the Niro was our 5th car (I have 3 teen drivers, so I’m basically a fleet operator). What I’ll actually do is lease something else before the Kia lease is up, and then flip it to Carvana or Vroom for a small profit. All of this only works if you have great credit and some…

I might agree that lowering the price is the best way, but it would totally ruin my cheap lease game so I’m opposed to it.

Leasing is the best way to take advantage of the federal tax rebate now. The leasing company gets the credit and passes it along in the form of an up-front rebate, which everyone qualifies for.  If your state has incentives too, you might be driving that Leaf or Bolt for free.  My state has nothing, and I’m still…

Pricing for dealers can be really complex, and there often isn’t just one central place where they can see all the incentives available. I just got a Kia Niro EV for a stupid low price. I happen to know the GM, so I asked him if I could show him what I thought was possible with everything available. He was blown away…

My pickup’s interior is better than any of the BMWs I’ve owned.  Quieter too.

I love cars with a little theater. The ‘65 Riviera is my all-time favorite personal coupe, but the ‘66 is no slouch.

I test drove an FX16 GTS 30 years ago, shopping for my first car. I don’t remember why we didn’t buy it (ended up with a Probe) but it made enough of an impression that I’d buy one today. 

I agree. I got a ‘21 Ram 1500 last year, after swearing I’d never have a Chrysler product. It’s just an excellent truck in every way but MPG. It’s proof they can do it. It should be a Dodge still, and all of my friends call it one. Would definitely improve the brand’s image.

I had a manual X3, loved it, and would do it again. Still, it was the consolation prize compared to the Cayenne I wanted.

I am, but for $7900 I’d just drive it until I can’t DIY fix it anymore. I bet I’d get a few good years. 

If I were near NYC a 72k-mile Turbo for $7,900 would be really tempting.

I got really good at adjusting the windows with a bicycle lock ring tool. My cupholder broke too - kept meaning to get one of the metal ones but wasn’t willing to pay $100 or whatever for it.

I sympathize with the Mini owner. I had an ‘05 R52S. Never left me stranded, but it constantly leaked no matter how many seals I replaced, suspension parts and motor mounts were about as consumable as motor oil, and lots of interior parts (including those cool chrome toggle switches) just snapped off in normal use.…

No, but I do share with them when they keep calling me.  Only way they’ll leave me alone.