“Value” is another word that probably shouldn’t be thrown around here.

The worst are power seats without  memory. So the slow motors makes it take forever to get the seat back where it belongs after someone else drives the car, but it could be easier if someone hadn’t objected to an extra $2 electronic module.

Power lift gates.

Markups don’t hurt a brand, they help it. Stories about buyers paying over list are like free advertising for how popular a model is. Dealers have only been cracked down on, because that money hasn’t been getting kicked upstairs.

But why would you assume that Ford would take steps to stop markups if they were selling directly? They’re in business to make money.

I just find it odd that this is the one and only case where people around here assume that a large multi-national corporation is going to be inherently more altruistic than a local business. Customers are going to get screwed no matter who it’s by.

Strictly speaking, the subject of this article didn’t order a car either. He just thought he did.

Tesla changes their MSRPs every few months. I guess raising the base price isn’t technically a “mark-up”, but the effect is the same; the car costs what the seller thinks the market value is. The only real difference is that Tesla gets to keep that increase for themselves, while Ford has to sit back and watch someone…

There would be absolutely nothing preventing a factory-owned dealership from advertising an MSRP (*subject to change without notice), and applying a market adjustment. Plenty of other direct retailers adjust prices pretty much in real time. It will also not solve the problem of buyers being totally confused about the…

I bought a new car in May, right when trade-in prices were starting to climb but there was still enough inventory on the lot to have a choice of what I was getting. I’m so glad I didn’t dawdle.

Car haulers have a really low breakover. With the current driver shortage, there are probably a lot more new guys just following their GPS without thinking. It’s a bad combination.

I thought they already put a bunch of these on the moon.

Neutral: Squealing is just how you know cantilever brakes are working. I’ve had good luck with KoolStop salmon pads though.

As usual, the answer is Miata.

Key phrase is “this particular situation”. I’m sure the direction was more general; along the lines of, “If anyone ever hands you one of my business cards...”.

Shouldn’t he have been busy celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend?

That or people traveling in and out of Pittsburgh often enough for work to justify keeping an extra car there. After covid shut everything down the costs of recovering some of these cars might have been more than they’re worth.

I’m sure at least some of these are owned by overseas visitors. If you’re in the country for a few months it can be cheaper to buy a car than rent one, even if you just ditch it at the airport on your way home. Some are probably from people who were traveling back and forth, but when covid shut everything down stopped…

Any car with a good alignment can be driven hands free 95% of the time. That doesn’t make it a good idea.

Damn. That must have just rolled off the lot.