This costs of this ‘premium’ service covered the same way.

Component swap would cost the manufacturer money. They want as close to 100% profit as possible, so the components will all be there already, it will all be flipping software switches remotely.

if they want to make owner 2 pay an extra thousand bucks for the features, be my guest.

“The Fed” is the Federal Reserve System.

I’ll just go without rather than encouraging this business model.

I agree with the people suggesting a 2017 Chevy SS.  You already have a car you love.  If you trade it for something else, there’s a good chance you’ll end up with something you don’t like as much.

Being in Canadia does change things.

OK.  That doesn’t contradict my point though.  If consumers are rejecting the Spark, the solution might be to improve the Spark so that people want to buy it, but the answer is not to just build more of them.

Ohio saw 66,181 crashes where one of the driver’s were distracted

“And I’ve actually been on other calls, numerous calls, while driving.”

If it was better for everybody you’d say it was better for the customers right?

Even if what you’re saying is true, building more of the smaller cheaper less profitable cars that people aren’t particularly interested in buying will not help.

Are Japanese and Korean companies losing money on their small cars?

they also don’t seem to venture very far downmarket

Household size has been declining slowly. Nowhere near 35% since 1990.

Security will generally be sacrificed for convenience. 

I’m ignoring depreciation because it was described as an “old” car, so probably mostly depreciated already. Even if maintenance costs 10 cents a mile, which is about double the average, that would be an extra $9. I don’t think I’ve seen a piece of furniture bigger than a small chair for less than the 20-ish bucks…

Just throwing out some numbers, if he averaged 60 mph so that he drove 45 miles (slower average speed results in shorter distance and less gas used), and got 18 mpg, and paid $2.50 a gallon for gas, that would cost $6.25 one way, so $12.50 round trip. That sounds pretty cheap for some furniture and dishes and stuff. …

Plymouth, a brand started in 1928, targeting the low-cost market and died after the production of one last Neon.

it will be stored and driven just enough to keep everything lubricated and in good shape.