Interesting take on auto industry woes/falling new sales

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JExpedition07

JExpedition07

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Expeditions have definitely outpaced inflation but it is what it is. Transactions have went up anywhere from 30% to upwards of 50% in the last 10 years compared to being steady the 10 years before that, it didn’t only outpace inflation it ran right by! But they charge what the market pays and people are buying them so it works in the end.
 

joethefordguy

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I quit buying new cars in 1985, although my wife did buy herself an 07 Mustang.
With a couple of short exceptions, I've not had car payments since 2004. In both cases, the loans were paid off in less than a year. I just have not been able to bring myself to pay so much for a car. There's just nothing there worth that much to me; there are too many alternatives available in the used car/truck market.
 

TobyU

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I quit buying new cars in 1985, although my wife did buy herself an 07 Mustang.
With a couple of short exceptions, I've not had car payments since 2004. In both cases, the loans were paid off in less than a year. I just have not been able to bring myself to pay so much for a car. There's just nothing there worth that much to me; there are too many alternatives available in the used car/truck market.
Exactly! I can't fathom buy a new vehicle. Even if I wanted something that was new or collectible like when the game ends and hellcats first came out, I still wouldn't buy a new one. I would let someone else buy it hate that appreciation and then when it was six to nine months old and they decided to sell it or wanted something different I would buy it with the increased savings.

For normal vehicles and not especially fun toy or dream car purchase I can't imagine buying a new car. There are so many cars 5 to 7 years old out there with great miles that look like they're only a year old. You get these for under half of what a new one would cost.
 

carymccarr

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There are so many cars 5 to 7 years old out there with great miles that look like they're only a year old.

Except for their outdated styling and technology.

(Cue up a wall of words about the good old days, roll up windows and such. )
 

TobyU

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I’m all good with outdated, throughly enjoy my old truck.
I don't consider it outdated at all.
I'm not talking pre 78 or so when ac wasn't even standard on most cars.
I don't even WANT most of the "updates".
Many vehicles from around 95 and up had everything I need or want.
I will note that I'm used to Lincoln town cars so they had lots of stuff early on that a pickup truck did not.
I don't want roll up windows or manual or even cable operated mirrors.
Hated 8 track tapes too..worst music invention EVER.

I don't even need power seats as I set it once and leave it.

Power locks a must though!
Had 3 chevy full size conversion vans in a row from 1997-2002.
The last didn't have pwr locks and it was a nightmare going around to every door to lock it up!

I will consider ps/pb to be standard. Lol

So give me power windows (even though they do have more repairs),
Power side mirrors(HATE auto dimming rear view),AC (not climate control crap),rear window defogger(yes, that used to be an option),tilt wheel, basic radio, cruise control, delay wipers, keyfob for door locks, at least 2 power ports...and I'm good.
I do think cars now should have power ports and USB ports in rear area too but not ONLY USB.

I have no use for other things.

I don't want a new hi-tech vehicle just a new or newer condition vehicle.

I would love to buy a brand new 2002-2005.

Most people wanting not outdated designs are just vain and want people to know they have a new car every 2-3 years.
People have been doing this forever!

Many new designs are hideous and many are have been all looking alike.

The newer 4 Runner is the best it has ever looked though.
Cadillac "style" is a travesty!
Lincolns are a Taurus...continental is attempt at luxury look.
CRVs evolved nicely from the 1st little crap ones.
Navigators are fugly now and gear selector buttons and knobs are annoying. They are simpler and save on parts so everything will eventually go there.

Why do I need anything more than a 2000 Town Car has?

Why do I need throttle by wire?
I don't!

Please explain why you like all the new stuff and how it makes driving or your life so much easier.
Because I don't care about safety, power, or fuel mileage.
 

SomeENG

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My 69 gladiator was the best truck I ever owned and the most beautiful I had ever seen.

besides the oil coming out from EVERY possible point, I had to redirect the exhaust from the side towards the ground because I was spraying oil on people's cars, hahahaha

These new vehicles look like someone pooped them out, or like a half melted stick of butter.
 

Adieu

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Meh. Doubtful.

Not to mention inflation is in check....historically speaking.

f656c58e159688c3f8fddb40a40df337.jpg


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Dude

Have you been incommunicado since the beginning of the year or something?

The world's shutting down and everybody is promising to print free money. Toilet paper is a hot commodity, late 80s Soviet-style. Etc.

Do tell how we're not gonna have no inflation
 

carymccarr

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Dude

Have you been incommunicado since the beginning of the year or something?

The world's shutting down and everybody is promising to print free money. Toilet paper is a hot commodity, late 80s Soviet-style. Etc.

Do tell how we're not gonna have no inflation

Of course there will be. And then it will slow back down.

I just don’t think it’s going to be the collapse of our civilization and give bitcoin gold hoarding preppers their ‘told ya!’ Moment.
 

carymccarr

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(Cue up a wall of words about the good old days, roll up windows and such. )

I don't consider it outdated at all.
I'm not talking pre 78 or so when ac wasn't even standard on most cars.
I don't even WANT most of the "updates".
Many vehicles from around 95 and up had everything I need or want.
I will note that I'm used to Lincoln town cars so they had lots of stuff early on that a pickup truck did not.
I don't want roll up windows or manual or even cable operated mirrors.
Hated 8 track tapes too..worst music invention EVER.

I don't even need power seats as I set it once and leave it.

Power locks a must though!
Had 3 chevy full size conversion vans in a row from 1997-2002.
The last didn't have pwr locks and it was a nightmare going around to every door to lock it up!

I will consider ps/pb to be standard. Lol

So give me power windows (even though they do have more repairs),
Power side mirrors(HATE auto dimming rear view),AC (not climate control crap),rear window defogger(yes, that used to be an option),tilt wheel, basic radio, cruise control, delay wipers, keyfob for door locks, at least 2 power ports...and I'm good.
I do think cars now should have power ports and USB ports in rear area too but not ONLY USB.

I have no use for other things.

I don't want a new hi-tech vehicle just a new or newer condition vehicle.

I would love to buy a brand new 2002-2005.

Most people wanting not outdated designs are just vain and want people to know they have a new car every 2-3 years.
People have been doing this forever!

Many new designs are hideous and many are have been all looking alike.

The newer 4 Runner is the best it has ever looked though.
Cadillac "style" is a travesty!
Lincolns are a Taurus...continental is attempt at luxury look.
CRVs evolved nicely from the 1st little crap ones.
Navigators are fugly now and gear selector buttons and knobs are annoying. They are simpler and save on parts so everything will eventually go there.

Why do I need anything more than a 2000 Town Car has?

Why do I need throttle by wire?
I don't!

Please explain why you like all the new stuff and how it makes driving or your life so much easier.
Because I don't care about safety, power, or fuel mileage.


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TobyU

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But nothing about roll up windows being preferred or good old days. I specifically mentioned I don't like the lack of basic options on cars earlier than the late 70s.

I do appreciate a good classic muscle car or even some of the old 50s but they are nowhere near as convenient or user-friendly and long-term dependable as cars became by the early 90s.

There was a great deal of evolution from 65 to 95 but not so much in the next 30 Years in my opinion.

Most of the evolution and extra features are all gimmicks that I don't need and most of them I don't even want.

So once again, I ask anyone who is a fan of new cars and having the latest and greatest to explain to me which features are so necessary and how much easier they make your life.
Or is it simply that you like the latest and greatest $1,300 iPhone and you want the newest hi-tech because it makes you feel better.

I mean, there are guys out there that went out and bought a brand new truck as soon as they saw the power folding mirrors. That was the best thing since sliced bread to them because they either park on the street or park in tight spots and thought it was awesome that they'd never have to manually fold their mirrors or risk getting one damaged again.
That came out either 03 or before.
 

carymccarr

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But nothing about roll up windows being preferred or good old days. I specifically mentioned I don't like the lack of basic options on cars earlier than the late 70s.

Right. I should have said power seats instead lol.

Where’d I say the ‘good old days’ was a specific era?
 

carymccarr

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which features are so necessary and how much easier they make your life.
Or is it simply that you like the latest and greatest $1,300 iPhone and you want the newest hi-tech because it makes you feel better.

dc8f9d6cd2ac9ea08eaef526bde2948e.jpg


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TobyU

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Right. I should have said power seats instead lol.

Where’d I say the ‘good old days’ was a specific era?
Pretty certain we all get your point you're just over exaggerated my lack of desire for current eight or ten year high-tech.
 

TobyU

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You're always the one that wants to argue or picket people but you still haven't answered my question.

You mentioned you should have said power seats instead of roll up windows so I will address power seats.

Many people could care less whether the seat is power or manual. Kick the seat is power the basic common run-of-the-mill power seat is just fine nobody really cares if it's 8 way or 12 way or whatever they're up to now.

Some people with back issues like lumbar support but that is also available on manual seats.
Then I guess you could get into heated and air conditioned seats which seem to only be available on power seats but once again, most people really don't care. If you get cloth interior you never have to worry about heater or cooled seats because that's the main gripe with leather. They go out and make cars all fancy putting leather interior then by doing this they create a problem which then they have to solve.
I do prefer leather myself but I will say that cloth always holds up better unless you've got a bunch of kids that are spilling juice and pop on them and they're light colored.

I hold up I mean 12 to 20 years down the road to. If you only keep a car 3 to 5 years I doubt that any seat is going to show enough where to be noticeable or to bother anyone.
You can compare any 15 + year old leather seat and its cloth counterpart and the cloth will be in better condition every time if they have seen equal miles and use.
But for most of my car's I will still pick leather. I just want black leather or as dark as possible. Can't stand these light choices and the way so many people buy them so when you're trying to look for a used car it will have lousy tan, cream, or light gray. At least make it dark gray or charcoal.

So back to power seats. The only reason or convenience or benefit I can see to power seats is only if it comes along with memory seats!

This only matters if someone else often drives your vehicle which should never happen. Everyone should have their own car and not drive other people's.

It is much harder to get a power seat without memory back to the exact spot it was then it is to get a manual seat back to the same spot.

So as I said, if someone else drives your vehicle often and you have memory seats power seats are much more convenient than manual unless you're someone who doesn't really care what to see it feels like but most people, that drives them nuts.

So I gave one example of how power seats can be preferred and more convenient in a certain situation.

I have yet to have anyone tell me and other high-tech newer feature that they need or enjoy.

The keyless ignitions... People thought they were neat at first but now people tend to not like them. There have been a great deal of people have problems with dropping someone off and them having the key in their pocket or switching drivers and getting the car back and being unable to restart it because they didn't have the key. Car should have never went to this. It's just asking for additional no starts and inviting theft of the high-tech nature because it's kind of fun to hack into things and when. Popping a lock or picking the wafers in ignition is not nearly as much fun I was doing it with a laptop or a tablet.

I can see how some people might like the parking AIDS but I don't really know if you'd call that current new high-tech as a been around for 20-plus years. If you commonly back into a garage or something it would be nice to be able to get very close without touching the wall but there are much cheaper and easier ways to do this that people figured out a long time in their garage. However, for those who aren't very good drivers it might be convenient so they don't touch someone's bumper in a parking lot.
If you're that poor of a driver then you should just stay at home or maybe call Uber or Lyft but I hate those services and will never ever ever, ever ever ever ever ever support them or any services like them.

Let me get my milk crate out here and we'll call the Soap Box and I will go off about those, nope! Psych! Just kidding.

So what else is so necessary that you just can't live without it and it's worth the extra 10 to $15,000 or more that these cars cost to get these cool snazzy features?

It's certainly can't be adaptive cruise control because that is the worst thing I've ever seen in my life!
Plain old cruise is fine but I drove a 2019 and a 2020 Corolla that had it and they both sucked.
I just turned it off and used my foot.
Also can't stand the lane monitoring sensors either!
People get dependent on that crap and we had many hours of nasty weather in the 2020 Corolla and it was only working about 30 to 40% of the time. People get used to that and don't have to worry because the car will drive back into the lane but then when the little eyeballs get covered up with slush and dirt you'll go right off the road.

Infotainment and safety bull crap. This is why I don't want newer cars. Most of the new Styles as someone else pointed out look like a melted turd anyways and they all look the same.

I give credit when somebody does a good job like the 4Runner design from like 10 or 11 on up. It looks much better than the old ones did. But that's just my opinion, some people probably hate it and want a brand new one just like their 2005.
I haven't seen a new car in a while that looked good. It's like maybe one out of 40 + or more.

The new Corvette is a fine-looking vehicle. It does look like a Ferrari but that's a good thing. Make it look like a Lambo and it'll be even better because they always get my attention more than any other car I've ever seen.

The new Mustang in the Camaro might as well be squeezed out of the same pop chute tube.

The Challenger is great looking because it is so retro like the 1970.

The charger was not! They just wanted to cash in on the name with a four-door car. It's an okay automobile and the upgrade with the LEDs across the whole rear in the the tail lights was an improvement but it's still got too many doors to be a charger.
If they hadn't already used the name Magnum, that would have been a good one for it.

It seems like every sedan and every smaller size SUV or CUV as they call them look like twins or at least sisters even though they're different companies.
I know that car manufacturers have always done this but maybe not to this extreme. If you think back in the fifties and sixties it was the same old song and dance. You can look at a 62 Chevy, a 62 Ford and a 62 Chrysler and they're very similar. When one car company went from square to round or from round to square...they all did.


Back to new car features. How come they all don't have Auto Windows? Some do. Some 2002/2003 still. The why do most definitely have the driver's window and maybe if you're lucky the passenger front window to. I want all four Windows to be Auto. They already have the setup tour if you roll it up on somebody's arm and it feels resistance it will go down which causes problems in the future but I really don't like having to push a bunch of buttons and hold them for 5 or 6 seconds hoping and making sure they go all the way up. Why haven't they invented a one press button that rolls all your windows up and shut your sunroof. It would be the close up button. Mercedes used to have this way back in 1990. You can point your infrared remote towards your car and hold the button it would roll up all your windows and shut your moonroof.

That was a cool feature but then of course they had to go and use vacuum for door locks. What idiots!

So all this high-tech money and they can't take care of the simple things like Auto windows or all out of Windows at the touch of one button. Tell me again how these manufacturers are so smart and how they know what people want. I simply don't believe it. I have never been questioned or polled about what features I'd like to see on a car yet I take lots of surveys.


Probably one of the reason I despise new cars so much. If they would listen to people and do more than just throw us a little tiny bone or even dog treat, maybe I might be more inclined to possibly buy a newer vehicle or even a new in one of these days, nah... I'm way too cheap
 

carymccarr

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Many people could care less whether the seat is power or manual.

How much less?

And yeah no. ZERO chance I’d buy a car that didn’t have power seats lol

I have yet to have anyone tell me and other high-tech newer feature that they need or enjoy.

I enjoy heated seats and steering wheels when it is 0 out. I enjoy never needing to bring my key with me when I leave the house....Or when I go for a bike, kayak/canoe or hike. I enjoy the comfort of butter soft leather seats with heated massage. I enjoy never having to pay for service or leave my house to bring my vehicle to the dealer. I enjoy the sound of 30 speakers and the feel of 450hp that also gets 21mpg on the hwy.

I’ve owned vehicles that DONT have these things. I’ve owned MODERN vehicles that DO have these things.

Because I have owned both, I can definitively say I enjoy having them over NOT having them.
 
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TobyU

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How much less?

And yeah no. ZERO chance I’d buy a car that didn’t have power seats lol



I enjoy heated seats and steering wheels when it is 0 out. I enjoy never needing to bring my key with me when I leave the house....Or when I go for a bike, kayak/canoe or hike. I enjoy the comfort of butter soft leather seats with heated massage. I enjoy never having to pay for service or leave my house to bring my vehicle to the dealer. I enjoy the sound of 30 speakers and the feel of 450hp that also gets 21mpg on the hwy.

I’ve owned vehicles that DONT have these things. I’ve owned MODERN vehicles that DO have these things.

Because I have owned both, I can definitively say I enjoy having them over NOT having them.

That's obviously your choice to choose a vehicle with what you like.
Seems it's all about enjoyment for you.

Many people don't care.
I don't see non power seats being a deal breaker though.
That's odd.

I wouldn't describe any leather seats as buttery...an advertiser might.
As I stated, I prefer my cars with leather too but have never seen leather as soft as velour or nice cloth.
I wouldn't have that cheap no nap stuff they put in cheap basic cars like the Focus had. It is harder than leather.

450hp and 21mpg...an 86-87 Turbo Regal has more than that and will get 23mpg.

450 in an Expedition isn't impressive to me. Right tool for the job and for racing...an SUV isn't the right tool. Not even a fast one because anything can be fast with enough money. Lipstick on a pig, even if it's fast!
Maybe you meant for towing.... now that's much more of the right tool for the job.

Ask the people that have been unable to restart their cars after the other person having "key" in pocket- how they enjoy the system.

I don't see the need.
I love Ford's door keyless entry.
I always have my keys and my wallet in my pants. Just like I always have cash...not just plastic.
I'm old school but not old yet.

But most of those things have been available, even common, for 10-15 years or longer.

You didn't even mention the new stuff other than keys.
I guess massaging seats are fairly new.
Do you drive a lot or live in your car or just sit out there in it a lot while instigating arguments or reactions with people online?

For the life of me I can't see why anyone would want esp pay for a massage seat in a car.
I might like to have a mall massage chair in front of the TV in my living room....but I wouldn't mount it in my car.
I may have found a new side biz though. Lol
 

carymccarr

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That's obviously your choice to choose a vehicle with what you like.
Seems it's all about enjoyment for you.

Correct. I dont buy vehicles that I don't enjoy.

I wouldn't describe any leather seats as buttery

Just because you haven't experienced it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.


450hp and 21mpg...an 86-87 Turbo Regal has more than that and will get 23mpg.

Nope.

The regal had almost 1/2 the horsepower, less torque and is slower than a Navigator.


Ask the people that have been unable to restart their cars after the other person having "key" in pocket- how they enjoy the system.

I can't even imagine what you're talking about but its never happened to me once. Maybe you can elaborate.


I don't see the need.

Its not a need. Its an enjoyable creature comfort.


For the life of me I can't see why anyone would want esp pay for a massage seat in a car.

That's because you've never had them.

You spend A LOT of time arguing with people trying to convince them that they shouldn't like things that you cannot afford or don’t enjoy.

Odd way to live ones life.
 
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