Why do all cars put rear window defrosters on timers? I used to have a 1987 Toyota Corolla (one of the last passenger sedans sold in the US with a carbuerator), and its rear window defroster was a switch, on or off. You could leave it on for hours at a time, which is fantastic when it’s raining, since it prevents…

I have a degree in economics; I’m aware of the benefits of of social safety net programs in the UK that the US doesn’t have, which makes an apples-to-apples income comparison inexact, but the purchasing price parity differential between the UK and the US is essentially nonexistent, so that doesn’t really impact the…

Sometimes I forget that the UK is actually really poor. UK’s median household income is about $44k, which is less than the median household income in the poorest US state (Mississippi, about $48k).

I don’t get it. Open wheel spec racing? Like... why?

I got it for under MSRP but it’s still a $60k car once you throw in sales tax. That’s just what cars cost now.

I mean, Hyundai sells cars over $50k now, add in the 9% sales tax here and it was over $60k to start. Put $5k down, get a short term loan, that’s just math.

Toyota didn’t jump on this trend; they started it. These were originally known as “Altezza lights” because they debuted on the 1998 Toyota Altezza (Lexus IS300). 

I special-ordered my 2015 GT in June 2014, got it delivered in December 2014. I’ve put almost 100k miles on it since. I will never - NEVER - be getting rid of it, although I did retire it from daily driver duties last month.

Within 5 years we’ll see Volkswagen sell a compact crossover; Audi sell a nicer version of it; Porsche sell a faster version of it; Lamborghini sell an even faster version of it; and Bentley sell an even nicer version of it.

How smart these decisions are really depend on your income level. I pay over $1,000 / month for my Palisade, but but that was because there was a great interest rate offer from Hyundai financing and $1,000 / month isn’t really enough to impact my budget one way or another.

I had to go to 3 Hyundai dealers to find one I felt comfortable buying a $60k+ Palisade from (after sales tax). They need to revamp their sales network to catch up to their new market.

Wow, I think you may have hit the nail on the head there. 

I mean, if you take a 60 month loan to finance $60k, it's going to be north of $1,000 / month no matter how low the interest rate is.

Who keeps up with the Joneses in a Subaru?

Could be a KIA mechanic.

I am describing this exact system, Digital Key 2 with both NFC and UWB, which I have on my 2024 Palisade connected to my Galaxy S23 Ultra with both NFC and UWB. The system warns you it will not work without a 4G connection when you’re first setting it up. The few times I’ve tried to use it, it takes about 15 seconds…

Having just purchased a new Palisade, I’m glad I did, because it’s clear that the next generation model is going to have to increase prices by $10-$15k across the board to separate itself from the Sante Fe market.

Where’s the semi-analine leather, massaging seats, real stops trim etc.? I was told pickups were supposed to be fancy now.

How often are the roads changing around you that you need to update maps? Before I first got a car with navigation in 2014 (which has the original maps because I don’t want to pay Ford $300 for a new SD card), I used a paper atlas from the mid-70's to get around.

Navigation. It’s so much better integrated into cars as a native app than through Android Auto or Apple Carplay, I could never go back to having a car without it.