Phhht. Car people — and Porsche folk especially — notice those things, instantly. I know, via an ‘86 Targa. 

The G50 gearbox alone is good for, what, $10-15 million?

It’s pretty good on a burrito but, yeah, not a great flavor of body spray. 

You are my people. And no one is listening to us.

That’s the problem; Mid-size trucks are behemoths too (and the OG Dakota kinda started that segment!). If you’re stuck with a behemoth (as we who want a pickup all are), might as well shrug and get the one that’s an 1/8th bigger.

Are you saying I, a single man, smell like a middle school locker room?

Oh yes, if one can’t put one’s spawn and their myriad accessories in a vehicle, it is “worthless.” Please. 

Yeah, you still see one nearly every week around LA. There’s not many small pickups and gardeners keep ‘em running.

The price-conscious family folks will certainly differ. An opportunity to feed 3-4 whiney kids with ~$7 is hard to pass up, no matter how picky one is about onion content (and I am, extra please).

“I have no doubt that cheap cars are low margin, but that doesn’t mean a slow selling cheap car that makes little money in sales is completely worthless.”

You have pet DUCKS? Whew, mad respect. Extra so if you’re in Oregon!

First, I worked with product planning at two manufacturers, frequently informing their work, and twice with sports car models. Trust me, affordable cars are inherently low-margin, so in segments that don’t sell well, manufacturers will take a pass.

Launching an automotive brand in America is astoundingly expensive and demands a certain level of profitability to cover the cost and maintain their presence. “A whole raft” would be unlikely, to say the least.

Exactly. Those numbers kinda suck and aren’t an incentive for developing an attainable sports car of inherently limited practicality.

The ‘89 Mustang wasn’t a sports car, and that $10k one was a 2.3L LX notchback. That platform originated with the Ford Fairmont, a garbage sedan, but one that increased its volume to profitable levels (31 years ago). 

Oh, I know, and I remember those commercials and first cars too. I only say 25 years because they started to turn a corner then.

Same — I used to sail, a decidedly middle-class pastime, from a somewhat working class marina, with $150 slip fees. That place (and the industry itself) is reserved for the upper class now, with $900+ fees.

Remember, a LOT fewer teens work today, in large part because adults need those low-end service jobs we used to work. Perhaps that has some role in reducing managers’ understanding of minor worker labor laws? Dunno.

OK, dipshit. 

I’d argue against that “first attainable sport sedan” point to the death! A) Not attainable at all (the first was ~$45k back in 2000 IIRC) There were many, many other performance/handling sedans before, and the first hot hatch (Golf/Rabbit GTI) was competitive with a lot of sports cars — The ‘83 Rabbit GTI basically ou…