PSA: The Average Price of a New Car in the U.S.

[Gitfiddlemann]

Originally Posted by imwjl

I don't want any misunderstandings or to be wrong. It is easy to look up the Tesla, Ford and Rivian specs that are the brands the company's owned, owns or leases. So far in electrification and getting the whole enterprise in renewables and trying an off grid charger it's all worked well.

You don't buy EVs for regular 2000 mile or even 500 mile trips loaded down but they work well for area trips and 200-275 miles.

OK. I must have misunderstood your previous comment on the Silverado. I thought you had an actual EV replacement for one which you were using. I didn't know you were speaking in general terms about EVs. So yes, I can certainly look up specs from the manufacturer.
And I agree with you that regular folks like us don't take such long trips. My comment was about the commercial trucking industry that our economy depends on. Those big diesel trucks definitely do that kind of mileage, and operate under time constraints when making deliveries. So, it's a big drawback if, instead of driving 2000 miles on a tank that takes 30 minutes to fill, you can only go 500 with an EV battery that takes 10 hours to charge and weighs 8000Lbs.
I'm not being critical of EVs. I'm just saying that the technology still needs to come up with a solution for those kinds of discrepancies, lest they unduly burden our economy if they are mandated too quickly.

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by Gitfiddlemann

OK. I must have misunderstood your previous comment on the Silverado. I thought you had an actual EV replacement for one which you were using. I didn't know you were speaking in general terms about EVs. So yes, I can certainly look up specs from the manufacturer.
And I agree with you that regular folks like us don't take such long trips. My comment was about the commercial trucking industry that our economy depends on. Those big diesel trucks definitely do that kind of mileage, and operate under time constraints when making deliveries. So, it's a big drawback if, instead of driving 2000 miles on a tank that takes 30 minutes to fill, you can only go 500 with an EV battery that takes 10 hours to charge and weighs 8000Lbs.
I'm not being critical of EVs. I'm just saying that the technology still needs to come up with a solution for those kinds of discrepancies, lest they unduly burden our economy if they are mandated too quickly.

The every day fleet vehicles we have are mostly Ford, GM and Stellantis. Then Diesel sprinters have been or are being replaced by Fords. More are on hold for reasons outside of what propels them. The Ford vans and pickups are very different with range to suit different uses. One fancy or high end GM pickup leased for the owner/ops VP was replaced with a Rivian 10 months ago.

The main vans and fleet problem we have is not in any way technical. Labor is a huge cost so right now lots of firms struggle to compete with delivery startups not making money and not compensating their contracted gig workers well. Our scenario is complicated by very religious owners who interpret their beliefs as they have to care for who they employ.

Thinking we're going to have big fleets of OTR BEVs is quite misguided or at least for anytime soon. Being in grocery we do have vendors at cutting edge of this. Some are the EV semis first customers. You can more likely expect BEV semis in distribution and "last mile". Some food and beverage giants are looking at hydrogen where Paccar seems to be in the lead.

I'm quite a news junkie and I have to distribute a lot of it in the company. Reality or likely outcome for changes in transportation aren't what the biggest naysayers and cheerleaders say. It is true right now that what's shipping now - Ford pickups & vans plus Rivians do a lot of real work.

[Driftless]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

I totally agree and these people buying “Jumbo” guitars ought to learn to get by with a parlor. It’s much safer in a jam session, especially in these smaller rooms.
I’m wondering about this “over-compensation” thing myself.

Don't get me started on amplifiers!

[imwjl]

We put off a purchase, still dislike their dashboard and the CEO behavior, but saw this coming. The July day we tested a Model Y and others with the whole family we saw the price was competitive without any incentives.

My wife considers no CarPlay and unable to simply adjust air vents deal breakers but you can log into your Apple Music now.

https://jalopnik.com/tesla-model-3-a...-ca-1850914078

For the overall topic, the pressure on price is definitely on now. It looks like up to $20,000 off on Jeeps still has them sitting on lots. Some hard to get new models are practical more than a vanity or ego sort of purchase.

[DrunkUncles]

I drive a very large truck (I have a side hustle selling Christmas Trees), I thought the price of my F250 was highway robbery in 2017. Now, there is NO WAY I could afford to replace it.

Chris

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by DrunkUncles

I drive a very large truck (I have a side hustle selling Christmas Trees), I thought the price of my F250 was highway robbery in 2017. Now, there is NO WAY I could afford to replace it.

Chris

I look at it this way now that we again decided no on a new purchase personally, and we have the fleet at work. All recent vehicles last longer. A F250 I bought in 1980 was a worn (falling apart, rusting, not reliable) out POS from lots of real work in about 7 years. One we got at the ski area around 2006 lasted twice that. Same age as yours but more vans than pickups in our company fleet are doing very well.

At work we were early on the EV bandwagon and those along with news I have from some local fleets are looking far more affordable to own.

More support for madness or silliness not perpetuating might be in those web sites that track what vehicles have high dealer inventory and the incentives. Up to $20,000 of incentives still has some Stellantis models sitting on dealer lots.

I predict we'll have a practical and luxury vehicle sort of market going on. Base model vehicles in this era have features and performance that exceed what used to be top end.

[Horseflesh]

I am driving a 2000 sporty Subaru, and still love driving it every single time... I love the simple mechanical environment controls, and that the only computer is in the Bosch engine controller. I love that it's inexpensive to maintain, and that I feel close to the road. (I don't love the noise and poor mileage, but oh well.)

With cars getting so expensive, and bigger, and full of unreliable doo-dads inside... I just don't like cars like I used to. That kind of hurts, honestly.

I'll keep my Scooby running as long as I can. As long as I don't wreck it, anything that goes wrong with it can be fixed.

[MacDude62]

I ended up buying my Honda Civic in New Hampshire because I found out they don’t charge sales tax on cars, which made it a lot cheaper.

During my search, I realized that the place where you buy your car can make a big difference in cost. States like New Hampshire and Oregon don't have extra taxes on car purchases, saving you a good amount of money. In contrast, states like Louisiana and Arkansas have higher taxes, which can increase the price significantly.

This insight came from a useful resource I found at https://www.a1autotransport.com/what...t-to-buy-cars/, which explained how car prices can vary depending on the state.

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by MacDude62

I ended up buying my Honda Civic in New Hampshire because I found out they don’t charge sales tax on cars, which made it a lot cheaper.

Very interesting and now I'm curious to know your home state because all the out of state purchases I've made required tax be paid where you license the vehicle and the states I know require that.

More to topic, I see Stellantis has dropped the sticker prices on some vehicles after some long-running incentives on Ram pickups and Jeeps still did not spark enough sales. I know our local dealer still has new 2023 Jeeps for example.

Today's auto and finance news had interesting info. Tesla's more price cutting is still a decline but Ford's dropping the price of the Mustang EV has sales up 77%. Interesting in my case is what the lower list price and not any tax credits have done.

I expect more price pressure. I follow automotive top and bottom 10 lists. There are quite a few vehicles with too much inventory now and not just some EVs.

Since this thread started we've said no to our being top of dealer queue for next gen Tacoma, next gen Land Cruiser, and I'm attracted to the idea of retiring sooner and taking off in our van no one but me still loves.

[fazool]

Yep - I think its very analogous to the diminishing returns of guitar prices.

You can get a fully suitable safe reliable car for a decent price.

Upscale things seem to cost disproportionately more (for what you get).

Also, percentage-wise there is more profit to be made from the higher end add-ons and upscales so they want you to want all the bells and whistles.

[Acousticado]

I haven’t bought a new vehicle in quite some time, and won’t ever again.

For a daily driver, I look for a top of the line 3 year old Japanese manufactured SUV with real low mileage. I’ll travel a reasonable distance to get it. Most recent is a 2014 Nissan Murano Platinum I bought in 2017 with under 15k miles at a great price, now still only 70k miles.

When we were wintering in Florida, in 2014 I bought a 2003 Toyota Solara SLE convertible with 28k miles in immaculate condition to keep there. At that time, the $Cdn was close to par with the $USD. I got it for a great price. Essentially, it’s a Camry, so virtually indestructible. I brought it back to Canada in 2022. As now a summer fun car (stored in winter), it’ll last a very long time. Both vehicles are very much worth any necessary repairs.

For a future SUV purchase when the time comes (gas, full-electric or hybrid), if I can’t find a great deal fairly local in Canada, if the $Cdn is at/near par (where this plays to advantage), I’ll be looking for one located in Florida or Arizona (plan a vacation around it) and drive it back to Canada.

Imo, if one doesn’t need the latest and greatest, buying a few year old, low mileage quality top of the line vehicle can be a very cost effective strategy...even though even used car prices have been crazy high. If you’re patient and love the hunt as I do, really good cost savings deals are out there.

[Slothead56]

Originally Posted by Acousticado

Imo, if one doesn’t need the latest and greatest, buying a few year old, low mileage quality top of the line vehicle can be a very cost effective strategy...even though even used car prices have been crazy high. If you’re patient and love the hunt as I do, really good cost savings deals are out there.

Like you I haven’t purchased a new car in almost 25 years. The current stable? A 2011 Volvo C70 with 126k miles, the 2014 Mini Convertible has 69k and the 2013 MB GLK350 has 176k. All are still running like champs (I love the Mercedes and wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to buy another one).

Yup, have to sink a few bucks now and then but the savings at purchase and over time make it an easy trade off.

Just keep changing that oil!!

[Rockysdad]

Originally Posted by Acousticado

I haven’t bought a new vehicle in quite some time, and won’t ever again. [U[/U]

For a future SUV purchase when the time comes (gas, full-electric or hybrid), if I can’t find a great deal fairly local in Canada, if the $Cdn is at/near par (where this plays to advantage), I’ll be looking for one located in Florida or Arizona (plan a vacation around it) and drive it back to Canada.

AHHHH, you might want to check the laws on this idea. You can't just buy in one country and register it in the other, ( I went through the process when I moved to the US from Canada)
You have to get instrumentation changed and it has to be inspected at the border etc.

[Acousticado]

Originally Posted by Rockysdad

AHHHH, you might want to check the laws on this idea. You can't just buy in one country and register it in the other, ( I went through the process when I moved to the US from Canada)
You have to get instrumentation changed and it has to be inspected at the border etc.

I can’t speak to importing a vehicle from Canada to the US, but I do know the laws and process to import a vehicle from the US to Canada. As I said, I’ve last done it summer 2022. My younger son has done it in the past as well.

Of course, there is a process and it’s easy. The paperwork must be electronically sent to the border crossing you’re going to cross at 72 hrs. in advance (these days through a broker for $150). When you arrive, the US agents inspect the vehicle as per their protocols, stamp the paperwork, then once passed through the customs agent lane, you stop at the border office on the Cdn side where you pay Cdn federal tax based on the current blue book value. There may be duty depending on the age of the vehicle (no duty on the 2003 Toyota I last imported). Then you have 90 days to register the vehicle in your province which requires a daylight running lights module installed as per Cdn law, then have a safety check done. The registration/license is then issued with normal fees applied. It may sound like a lot, but it’s not and I know it’s worth it for the potential savings...only IF our Cdn dollar is near or at par, which it hasn’t been for quite a while. When I bought this particular car in Florida in 2014, the $Cdn was near par.

Here’s the car now at 21 years old with 43k miles...

[rllink]

Originally Posted by Rolph

I couldn't agree with you more. Apparently American men, (many) are fixated on overcompensating for something missing. Just Ridiculous!

In the guitar world we call that the Martin mentality.