Bingo.

It is just what the market is willing to pay. Generally diesels are cheaper in Europe because people consider the gas counterpart to be more up-scale. TDI Passats are expensive here because they can be (i.e. people buy them).

2005 != 2014

It's also an upgrade from his last car, which was an Acura TSX. Though, perhaps he kept the TSX and now drives both, in which case that would be an overt display of opulence and wealth and not modest at all. Imagine, a man with two $30,000 cars. He must live in a money dreamland.

Thank you, there for a minute I thought I knew nothing about engines...

All very valid, the 918 and i3 are definitely not available for purchase in the US in 2013.

It is summertime down there. Not that it really makes any difference. But maybe it was a nice balmy, sunny day.

Electrons are less flammable than gasoline, I guess... I mean that's apples and oranges. However, we do use electrons to ignite gasoline in our engines...

Sorry, I think Spinelli is awkward at best and I truly can't stand watching him.

Chris Harris, the only thing on /Drive that I watch. Really the only youtube car videos that I watch. I read all the other information on cars that I need to get.

Impossible to steer when stopped (think parking) and otherwise really not that different on the road. Not sure about on track, but since F1 drivers demanded power steering I'm thinking it's not all that different on track either.

You hit the nail about the newer crash standards. And in that vein, newer emissions regulations as well. Something that people may not think about, but even hybrid engines have to comply with emissions standards.
Anyways... Crash standards, I could make a car that got 100mpg (think 10-15HP lawnmower engine on some sort…

Yeah, but how much of that heat energy is being used just to keep the engine running...

You'd think that at some huge displacement a piston engine just wouldn't make sense anymore. Obviously it does or else they wouldn't be doing it.

Search for those things over and over and over again and I'm sure they'll get the hint...

Could be any number of things, namely the exchange rate, taxes, tariffs, bribes. Actually, it's probably bribes that make up the difference...

I'm sorry, but what does it mean??

Yeah.. but that means you work for an airline. If you've got an office job I'm sure it's not that bad. But I would never want to be a flight attendant or work a ticket counter dealing with all the masses of stupid people out there. However, economy from RDU to KOA to LIH, back to RDU was ~$1200 so maybe there's a…

OGG is on Maui. I just booked a flight to Hawaii and it was one of the airports I looked into... Decided not to go to Maui in the end though...

The obvious answer is damned obvious. It's gotta be the BMW 1-series M. Finally, a car that takes us back to the days of simple drivers' cars. Lots of power, lots of handling, not much of anything else.