[geeks] electric cars

[Charles Shannon Hendrix]

Mon, 23 Oct 2006 @ 21:24 -0500, Phil Brutsche said:

> Dan Duncan wrote:
> > Diesels are hard to find in the US
> 
> They're about to get a whole lot easier to find...
> 
> > and even manual trannies are getting as rare as hen's teeth.
> 
> Blame that on the US auto customers.  The vast (and I do mean VAST)
> majority prefer automatics.
> 
> Honestly, people like you are in the minority.

Some of this is self-fulfilling prophecy.

Automakers pushed automatics big time starting when they first came out,
and continuing until sometime in the 1980s. Take a good look at older
auto advertisements, and note that the automatic transmission was a huge
part of the sell push.

I can remember as a kid that they also pushed hard for automatics on
the lots too.

So... did people really prefer them, or did the heavy push for them
create a generation that just isn't exposed to a straight drive?

Likewise front-wheel drive and unibodies. It is highly doubtful that
very many people prefer either--many are not even aware of them--but
that is almost all they choose these days.

The reason is simple: it is cheaper to produce on the assembly line.

> Stick shift Jeeps are pretty common ;) You could custom-order a vehicle
> to your liking, but otherwise the vehicles on dealer lots tend to appeal
> to the greatest number of people.

True, and there is a hidden bonus for custom ordering: dealers always
get a large kickback for selling a car quick, sometimes several thousand
dollars.  The longer a car is on the lot, the less the kickback is.

When you custom order a car, make sure you know what the kickback is for
a quick sale and make them reduce the price.


-- 
shannon "AT" widomaker.com -- [Well, I have entered the "metallic years." 
Silver in my hair, gold in my teeth, lead in my ass... -- Sheldon Hall in
the rescue list]