Apparently buyers could be convinced otherwise. The fact that Mitsubishi lots often abut used car lots indicates that the sales model relies on convincing buyers that they can get a new car with a warranty at the same price as a used car (that is actually more enjoyable).

Would love to see a larger Toyota SUV with a plug, at least as a plug-in hybrid.  Imagine a Highlander or Grand Highlander with the Prime powertrain.  You could do most of your around-town family hauling without using a drop of gas but would have no issue going on a more distant weekend trip.

And it’s included with the registration fee

Inspections do help but they should be every 2 years or be reasonably priced. Pennsylvania requires annual safety and emissions (OBD) tests and they are approaching $100 combined at just about any repair shop you go to.

If you’ve traveled internationally, you’re definitely too late. CBP requires a photo when boarding an international flight (the reason is to match up with photos of those who entered the country to know they’re leaving), and many countries are now using facial recognition at passport control (in some cases, you don’t…

I’d like to say $60,000 but if our perfect next vehicle (a 3-row PHEV from Toyota) comes out, I’m willing to add $10,000 because of the powertrain (with hopes the tax credit via leasing is still there).

There’s a massive mismatch between the vehicles that customers want and those that are available.  Toyota and Jeep are the biggest examples on both ends.  Clearly, buyers want fuel economy and reliability right now.

Yes.  My wife’s commute is all of 2 miles each way and we have a garage at home (where the electrical panel is conveniently located).  We could buy an EV for her but it would also be nice to be able to go longer distances without having to worry about range.

Just waiting for more PHEVs in the US.  Toyota could easily expand its Prime lineup beyond the Prius and RAV4.

My town has a lot of speed humps on local public roads with 25 MPH speed limits but it seems you have to slow to about 10 MPH to not jostle passengers or cargo. Wish any sort of speed bump/hump required an advisory speed sign to indicate the maximum speed to comfortably traverse

Sadly, they bought the CarMax-owned Toyota dealer I loved.  That dealer wouldn’t have put on any of this crap.

This holds water, until you see stations charging a cash price equal to the single price of surrounding stations, or stations whose prices are much higher than other stations to begin with (or charge a lot more than the credit card fees). Most stations I see with dual pricing run into one of those, and tells me they…

I see at least 1-2 Mirages a day when I’m driving.  I think people are drawn in by easy credit and a new-car warranty, even if they can get a much more enjoyable used car for the same amount of money.

I think all of this comes down to woeful IT infrastructure. The website and app only work half the time and sometimes place you in an endless loop trying to do simple functions. Their system can’t track when cars are extended. And now it can’t track whether a vehicle should or should not require gasoline.

Many dealers don’t even use the 0w-16 for the previous generation engine. I have multiple invoices that reference 0w-20 oil (likely bulk oil)

Only thing I use mid grade for is my gas powered equipment because it was recommended to me. Unfortunately, the nearest ethanol free gas station is nearly an hour away, and the canned stuff at Lowe’s is insane on a per gallon basis.

If the PHEV’s trunk area wasn’t a third smaller than our RAV4, I’d consider pulling the trigger

I’d add one more - a surround view camera.  It’s especially helpful with these larger vehicles that have blind spots.  Backing into a parking space is a breeze with one, plus you are less likely to hit objects (like poles).

Drove a small Volkswagen van in Italy and loved it. Stick shift, diesel engine, plenty of room for four plus luggage, easy to maneuver.

Still seems weird because the bottom of those “wrap around” brushes tend to be pushed away from the front of the car. The only theory I had was they bounced off the back of another vehicle, which would push the bottoms upward and give them a chance to rise over the hood of this car.