[zroger73]

Looks like my next vehicle will be a Tesla.

I'd love to own a Tesla, but their awful fit, finish, and reliablity keeps me from spending my own money on one. An absolute blast to drive...until they fall apart.

 

[zroger73]

Moderator's note: Political discussions are not welcome on this forum.

 

[zroger73]

Choice is the key word. If you choose to drive an EV, good for you. I NEVER want to drive and rely on an EV, again, my choice. Hopefully these car manufacturers understand that and STOP committing to all EV. Honda will lose out on the 11th gen when it comes to those who customize their vehicles.

I'd like to drive a car powered by dilithium. Should I be MAD because I don't have that choice?

Last month, the Accord accounted for 16% of all new Hondas sold in the US. Ten years ago before buyers began a mass exodus from sedans to SUVs, the Accord accounted for 30% of Honda's total sales and was its highest-volume model - a title that now belongs to the CR-V. If the claims that the 2.0T accounted for as much as 20% of Accord sales are accurate then that model accounted for only 3% of Honda's total sales.

Rest assured that Honda will do just fine without a 2.0T Accord or any Accord for that matter - it's simply no longer nearly as relevant in today's world. Time marches on even if some of us don't.

 

[zroger73]

Don't worry - gasoline-powered vehicles will continue to be available for decades, although our choices will become more limited over time (but not overnight).

GM and Ford, for example, hope/expect/anticipate that about half of their vehicle sales will be EVs ten years from now.

Even if all automakers committed to 100% EV sales 15 years from now, there will still be plenty of used gasoline-powered vehicles around for another decade or two.

Many of us will no longer be able to drive by then and will be transported around by people who didn't get their driver license until EVs became mainstream.

There will be plenty of advance notice before gasoline-powered automobiles become unavailable (if that ever actually happens in our lifetimes) so if you think you will never want an EV, then buy one of the last gasoline-powered models available and have yourself buried in it.

Some other things that are almost certain are that EVs will become more affordable, range will increase, and batteries will become easier to recycle and more cost effective to replace.

I see a lot of unnecessary panic and hate.

 

[zroger73]

Toyota/Mazda are a joint venture now and even the CX-50 is made in a shared factory with the Corolla Cross.

Thankfully, most Mazdas are still made in Japan. I'd be a bit hesitant to buy an assembled-in-Alabama CX-50.

 

[zroger73]

Toyota owns 5% of Mazda and also provides their financing and extended warranties (for profit, of course). Toyota and Mazda each own 50% of the Alabama plant that builds the CX-50 and Corolla Cross which are made on two different lines and do not share anything beyond a manufacturing location. The last Yaris was a rebadged Mazda2. That's pretty much the extent of the effects of the Mazda-Toyota alliance so far.

 

[zroger73]

"They" also said Ford would be fine just selling Mustang and trucks. So far, not so good, at least if you own the stock.

Ford's stock was on a downward trend when they announced in 2018 that they would stop selling sedans.

Since the last Ford sedan rolled off the assembly line on July 31, 2020, the stock price has more than doubled.

It looks like Ford's decision to stop selling sedans was a good one for stockholders.

 

[zroger73]

So in the last 5 years the stock went up on average 3%/year. Not exactly "the wolf of Wall Street."

That's better than going down, isn't it?

 

[zroger73]

When gas hits $10.00/gallon and electricity hits $0.30/kWh.

 

[zroger73]

Oh, my. We pay $0.10/kWh here in NE Texas.

 

[zroger73]

I suspect that when people realize that electric versions of those models will beat their gasoline counterparts in stoplight races, there will be a lot of gasoline versions on used car lots.

 

[zroger73]

Too bad that to maximize the performance of the gasoline car, the tank should be nearly empty to minimize weight while the electric car can hit the drag strip with a full charge and make run after run without having to stop for gasoline on the way home.

 

[zroger73]

The gas car will run and run and run for hundreds of thousands of miles with regular maintenance.

Probably not if it's a Dodge which is the subject of our discussion.

The electric car will need a battery replacement that costs more than what the car is worth several times over.

All EV batteries are warranted for at least 8 years or 100,000 miles (10 years or 150,000 miles in California) to as much as 175,000 miles.

The average new car buyer keeps a vehicle a little over 8 years. Most of these batteries will last much longer than the warranty period, batteries rarely fail completely and unexpectedly - instead, their capacity slowly and gradually decreases over time giving you ample warning and opportunity to decide when or if the range will decrease too far. But, even a severely degraded EV battery will suit the vast majority of drivers who only drive the vehicle 30-40 miles over their daily commutes then recharge at night. In other words, an EV battery the originally provided a 300-mile range will still be perfectly usable for a daily commute even if the range decreases to only 50 miles after 20 years of ownership.

I've seen Teslas that need a battery replacement at the tune of $15k!

I know of some gasoline-powered Ridgelines that needed $8K transmissions.

I'm not against electric cars, but they aren't ready for primetime yet.

That statement is not universally true - even current electric vehicles make a lot of sense for many if not most drivers.

Do they work for everyone? Of course not - you should use the best tool for the job. A Bolt isn't the best tool to tow a boat and a 3500HD Duramax isn't the best tool to deliver pizzas.

For your reading pleasure, I suggest these two articles:

The Best EV Battery Warranties in 2025

Don't get stuck footing the bill to replace an EV battery outside of warranty. These are the best manufacturer warranties for EVs in 2025.

joinyaa.com

You're Being Lied to About Electric Cars

Sorry, that meme you just retweeted isn't correct.

www.motortrend.com

 

[zroger73]

Raiti's Rides is one of the newer automotive journalists. Reviewers must maintain net-positive reviews else the automakers will stop sending them press cars and invitations which they need in order to generate content. This is even more important for newer reviewers. More established reviewers can get away with telling more of the whole truth, but even they they can't let the bad overshadow the good.

 

[zroger73]

I spent a few years as an automotive reviewer and learned a lot about how that machine works. Knowing what I know now, I pay very little attention to reviews from anyone who profits from them - this includes most of the popular magazines and YouTubers. I do have some favorite reviewers that I enjoy reading, watching, or listening to, but I remain vigilient about the exclusionary detailing that comes with the territory. Anyone who receives access to press cars must paint the automakers in a net-positive light else they'll lose access to the products they need in order to survive. Car and Driver, Motor Trend, Savage Geese, Redline Reviews, Alex on Autos, Doug Demuro - they all get free press cars, airfare, hotel, food, drink, etc. They don't receive cash from the automakers, but they get paid in other ways. For more trusted reviews, look to those who buy or rent the vehicles they review out of their own pockets. Unfortunately, that's not as exciting or profitable.

 

[zroger73]

Does that exist (other than just ordinary people reviewing vehicles that they have purchased)?

Consumer Reports purchases every vehicle they test from dealers then sells them after they're done.

 

[zroger73]

From my limited experience reading CR car reviews, it seems to me like CR actually evaluates cars the same way they rate toasters. Brands like Toyota and Subaru seem to do much better with Consumer Reports than they do with the automotive press. They seem to care very little about driving dynamics, etc, in their rankings.

Absolutely. Consumer Reports tends to evaluate objectively rather than subjectively.

 

[zroger73]

I'd guess that the typical C&D reader isn't particularly interested in either the Camry or Accord.

 

[zroger73]

Well, there's no harm in asking - that's their right to do so. Buyers can choose to pay for the additional options...or not.

 

[zroger73]

I suspect that because inventory has been so short, rental agencies are buying whatever they can from wherever they can to add to their fleets. Lots of historically unusual or unheard of things have been going on for the last couple of years - like buyers paying thousands to tens of thousands over sticker price for commodity vehicles and waiting months for them to arrive.