Posted on 11/13/2024 7:57:49 AM PST by RomanSoldier19
That has more to do with body work being so expensive because of insurance, and the fact most cars are Unibody frames to meet mileage standards.
Not a lot of trucks/cars have body on frames anymore.
Wranglers and Gladiators are the two off the top of my head.
even F150s are aluminum unibody crap.
Government mandates and regulations.
It isn’t China’s fault, it is our own government’s fault.
Headline is incorrect, American automakers excel at making cheap cars, they just can’t make inexpensive ones.
You try building mass production car that has to comply with a mountain of regulations that change before you can even get the car out the door
But they don’t care about the members. They never did.
I know, same with the UMWA.
Your next foreign car might actually be a transplant.
A model A kit or restored I think runs around 30k. A friend just sold his beautiful restored street legal for about that. Parts no problem. He added turn signals.
No gobt mandates. Very basic folks. No radio etc. No heater but aftermarket. Started fine all winter. Stick shift. Not great mileage but maybe 14.
I am planning a 40s purchase in the future.
“why don’t the automakers make the beautiful car bodies like they did in the 50s.”
Today’s bodies are more aerodynamic and use a lot of plastics, especially in the grill area. The entire vehicles are lighter than ‘50 comparables.
With plastics and LED lights, front ends have gone style crazy.
TBH most if not all cars are a global sourced for one thing or another.
e.g. Except for the X6, BMW suvs are built in South Carolina.
The big difference is manufacturers that have to put up with collective bargaining units and ones that don’t.
it’s all the un-needed add on’s like power windows etc...
Japan makes no-frills trucks, we can too
Oh great - makes perfect sense. This is good Freeper synergy with different posters contributing from their different areas of knowledge.
I like the “frills”. What l don’t like is crap like having the motor shut off at every intersection which adds over a thousand dollars to the price of a car and can be disabled IF you have a switch you have to hit every time you start the car. Just one example
Exactly...
my point is/was,
like i said, it can be done, $26K is affordable, but you can’t buy them here cause “safety” well, even upgrading “safety” is still affordable
Toyota HiLux Price & Specs
CarsGuide
https://www.carsguide.com.au › Toyota › HiLux
toyota hilux price from www.carsguide.com.au
The Toyota HiLux is available from $26475 to $75310 for the 2024 range of models in Dual Cab, Extra Cab and Single Cab body types.
Financing is the culprit here.
“He told me, and I don’t know if this is correct but I think he probably knew, that Obama passed something that is called ‘Cafe Standards’ and that is why.”
Started way before Obama:
“1978: The U.S. Department of Transportation set a CAFE standard of 18 miles per gallon (mpg) for model year 1978.”
Then the idiot government kept increasing the required mileage.
The big three have focused too much on building large SUV’s and pickups that cost as much as a house did five years ago. The problem is most people cannot afford the payments on an overpriced status symbol, so the dealership lots are overflowing with vehicles that nobody wants to buy. They are also losing massive amounts of money on EV’s that are even slower sellers. Detroit rode the post Covid boom too long, and now they can’t adapt.
This is true.
And because the laws of physics apply equally to everyone,
cars start looking more and more alike.
If you want to have some fun sometime, trace the outline of
the profile view of all the current makes and models. Then
overlay the tracings on each other. You’ll be amazed at how
closely the profiles of the cars resemble each other.
No.
Cause united autoworkers are Way overpaid and their pensions are criminal.
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