We got the Wife’s Buick at CarMax, and it was an experience better than any other I ever had. We got an off-lease LaCrosse, pristine, low miles, full report, and the old couple who had it even gave permission to talk to them.

That may be true, but it seems we get hit anyway. When I replaced all my light bulbs with CFLs, our power bill went down $30 a month. Now that we have mostly LEDs, it went down a bit more. My house is very energy efficient. BUT, with people doing that, Duke Power says they aren’t making enough money, so they need…

Would HHR count? I love them.

Good point. It seems inflation rules everything. My salary has remained constant for 3 years. In that time, my property taxes have increased, car maintenance has gone up, furniture, cable, power, even water has gone up.

Yes. My Wife hates having a curb 1 inch below the door jamb, so I always try to put it on the driver’s side. Then, sometimes, it’s like forging through the jungle fighting bushes to get out. But I do it anyway.

I guess this is one of those ‘two sides to every story’ things.

I’ll even give you a star, even though you misunderstood. When I say; ‘add more crap’, I meant onboard internet, nav systems, power ashtray, unicorn hide seat covers, etc. Small parts going sky high in price are also part of the problem.

Every thing you say is true. But as about the only First-World Country without Universal Health Care, that’s also a big chunk of budget, ‘covered’ or not. SUVs are the big thing because it’s so versatile. I used to have a truck, a wagon, and a coupe. Now I can only afford one good car, so it has to be newer and…

I’ll agree there. This whole; “Works well, except....”. Well, my area is FULL of ‘except’.

Good, but there’s more...

There used to be a difference when they were trucks, as in, they were for work. If a Chevy was rated for 1000 pounds, the corresponding GMC would be rated for 1200, or 1500 pounds. GMC used to be... take a Chevy, beef up the suspension, and give it a bit more horsepower.

Or simply lack of choice. Yes, we have less to spend now. Taxes go up, electricity goes up, clothes go up... everybody acts like they’re the only one raising prices, and the cumulative effect hits us. But MOST important here, cars increase in price EVERY year, adding more and more crap like on-board internet, while…

If you’re buying a new BMW, odds are incredibly high you have a smartphone... probably an Apple... covered in rubies.

You might want to cross watches off the list. I read about some deal they may make with one of the smart watch companies. You know, so you never miss a post.

Actually, nobody said specifically it was steel. The guy guessed. The object could have been a piece of balsa wood from a Sopwith Camel model. Relying solely on tensile strength is not swift.

I’ve got to admit that heated seats are nice. But that about my limit, too. And I live in a town that’s not so big I can’t find anything by just telling me what road it’s on.

Which is pretty pathetic. Even my Wife, who admits she is technically challenged, set up her Bluetooth in her Buick.

I couldn’t have been the only one thinking of this. If they can add $2,500 to the price of a car just by adding a touch screen and call it ‘infotainment’, how much is a car going to cost with all this crap in it then?

I had a ‘73 VW bus, so I was used to sitting in front of the front wheels. This is the only Toyota van I wanted. I like the looks, but not the abomination that replaced it.

Not far from the truth. At one place, I always knew when they wanted to fire someone, because they asked for his firewall/proxy logs, hoping for something to nail them with.