One of the greatest parts of car culture is the fact that everyone has what they love and what they hate. Some of you love big trucks and some of you love tiny EVs and you know what? All of you are awesome. But, as we’re finding out, we can unite enthusiasts together by talking about overpriced Stellantis products and underappreciated GM products.
Today, Thomas wrote about how you can technically buy a Dodge Hornet for under $25,000. AlterId warns that there’s nauseating fine print to worry about:
Y’all all should know by now to always check the fine print. The price for the California 2023 GT Plus includes (per cars.com and the dealer’s site) $2,000 in trade-in assistance and a $6,500 Federal EV tax credit, which would be great if this were the hybrid R/T and not the gas-only GT Plus, and it would only apply to a leased R/T anyway because it’s built in Italy. The notes for the Indiana car’s cars.com entry include the disclaimer “All New Vehicle pricing includes Rebate,Owner Loyalty Bonus Cash,Credit Union Bonus Cash and Great Lakes Bonus Cash zip code must be verified. (sic)” It also includes dealer add-ons nominally price at $946 and probably actually worth $9.46, and the lower price on the dealer’s site excludes “does not include Tax, Title, License, Destination Fee and $229 Documentation Fee (sic)” but includes a $2,000 guaranteed trade in as well. It is a 2024, though, like the Virginia car, but the cars.com notes include the disclaimer “All new vehicle prices exclude freight ($1495- $2000) Tax, tags, and processing fee of $999,” although it looks like the MSRP provided includes $1,495 freight.
The dealers delayed and maybe killed that truth-in-pricing regulation that was supposed to take effect a few months ago, so dealers are still gonna deal.
Yuck. The rest of you were relentless, from Beasy Mist:
Boy with Consumer Reports comments like this how can you lose?
Highs: Quick acceleration
Lows:
Stiff ride
Loud cabin
Unintuitive controls
Awkward driving position
Cheap interior
Hampered visibility
The NSX Was Only in Development for 4 Years:
I would consider a new Tonale at these prices, if only because it would look at least 12% cooler to have a broken-down Alfa in my driveway than a broken-down Dodge.
NC Miata NA
We are 3 months away from the “Buy a Grand Wagoneer and get a free Hornet” deals.
I have a feeling this website is going to write a redemption of the Hornet a couple of decades from now. For now, let’s enjoy how you can crash a supercar party with a Pontiac Aztek and seemingly everyone gets the joke. ChefCJ notes:
I think the most amazing thing about all this is that is shows that despite how snobby you might assume all of these supercar owns would be, car people are car people.
Chris Stevenson:
I see you found the best way to make an Aztek look good: park it next to a Cybertruck.
WaCkO:
David Tracy in a suit looks like a shady used car salesman.
And David’s perfect response:
Thank you!
Finally, Jason did a Cold Start about a fire truck, is this the start of a fire truck history series?
2manybikes:
Someone tell Mercedes to get interested in fire trucks because then we will all have a chance to learn EVERYTHING about fire trucks. <3
Angrycat Meowmeow:
A complete history dating back to how the cavemen put out fires. You should get a degree after reading one of her articles.
Heh, I guess I do go really deep. Have a great weekend, everyone!
Fire trucks are among the best-engineered and built products anywhere in the transportation industry. Overbuilt in the extreme, they have an almost timeless existence, which is why it’s so hard to date them. A fire engine series would tickle a lot of us nerds around here. We could learn the difference between pumpers, ladders, and modern “Swiss army knife” trucks that do it all. Janeway and Palpatine both say “do it!”
Mercedes, there is a unneeded porn joke in how deep you go, and I won’t (did I already??) go there. 🙂
Had I realized there was a chance of this I would have split that into more paragraphs.
Nah, it preserves the feel of the car deal fine print better this way!
I went to a EMS/fire show in Harrisburg (same venue as the Farm Show) with a volunteer firefighter friend and it was fairly educational. I remember him pointing out one of the highest-end trucks there, the Rosenbauer T-Rex, had power windows, which he had to explain to me are apparently rare with most fire trucks.
Like with most vehicles though, I don’t think I’d be particularly interested in what came before, say, the 90s.
I think you’d be surprised. My volunteer department has a collection of antiques, including a 1907 horse drawn pumper. It has an internal combustion engine that runs the pump, and the whole thing is steampunk AF! I’m hoping it’s our next project to get running!
Wait… A horse and an ICE? It’s a hybrid!