Free Republic

The latest dependability study results from J.D. Power make for grim reading if you’re in the market for a new car. The longer-term reliability of two thirds of all brands has decreased, and industry-wide, drivers are experiencing 190 problems per 100 vehicles. That’s 4 more problems per 100 vehicles than the study found 12 months ago. Worse still, the rate at which problems present themselves has increased. A year ago, 12 percent of people experienced an issue in the first 90 days to three years of ownership. Now, the rate is up to 17 percent. It should be noted here...

Progressives spent last year torturing home cooks by threatening gas stoves and dishwashers in pursuit of energy efficiency. Now the climate brigade is going after drivers. A new bill in Washington state would give regulators the ability to ban tires that create a drag on fuel efficiency. The proposal would give the state Department of Commerce authority to prevent the sale of replacement tires that the state says have too much “rolling resistance,” which decreases the fuel efficiency of the vehicles. Rolling resistance depends largely on the weight and depth of a tire tread, the grippy thick part that keeps...

The booming sound you may be hearing right now -- especially if you live in San Francisco or Washington, D.C -- could be resulting from liberal heads exploding as they read about what Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda said during a conference this month. Electric vehicles will only ever make up 30 percent of the market or less, he argued, and politicians should get out of the way and let the markets decide which cars are preferable to consumers.Joe Biden, John Kerry, and Al Gore have not commented.Toyoda's opinion doesn't mean that he's completely given up on cleaner energy, though; he...

The dire shortage of shelter space during the Big Apple migrant crunch has forced some asylum seekers out onto the street and into cars parked in plain view outside the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan — which one official dubbed “a new Ellis Island,” a new report said. At least four migrants who said they were booted from city shelters were spotted sleeping in cars in recent weeks just feet from the hotel that serves as the city’s main intake site for thousands of asylum seekers from the US border, Gothamist reported Wednesday. “There’s no place in the hotel,” Venezuelan...

It’s been a tough few years for car buyers. Pandemic-related chip shortages sent car prices soaring. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 only made things worse.However, the dust may be settling on car prices -- especially used car prices.According to CarGurus, the average used car price has been on a downward trend since last summer. As of 2 January 2024, it’s $28,247.While that may sound high, it’s nearly $20,000 lower than the average new car price, which is over $48,000, according to Consumer Reports.The truth is that buying a used car is almost always cheaper than buying a new one...

On last Monday’s broadcast of the Fox Business Network’s “Varney & Co.,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that he doubts “that Americans in 2050 are still going to be driving that old technology, that combustion technology that we inherited from the 20th century.” Buttigieg said, “[T]he share of EVs has been dramatically increasing every single year, and that’s continuing. Now, our goal is, by the end of this decade, to be about half-and-half. We think that that can and will happen. But what isn’t guaranteed is, first of all, is that EV revolution going to continue to be made in...

It’s a fact of life that vehicles depreciate - some say by almost 50% as soon they’re driven out of the lot. Some depreciate less, but which cars depreciate the fastest?In the graphic below, Visual Capitalist's Marcus Lu and Pallavi Rao show the top 10 vehicles with the highest depreciation rates over five years, based on data from iSeeCars.They analyzed over 1.1 million used cars from model year 2018, sold between November 2022 to October 2023. Models no longer in production as of the 2022 model year were excluded.Luxury Cars Struggle to Hold Their ValueAt the top of the list,...

For three years now, the used-car market has been booming, after the pandemic disrupted new car supply chains, sending secondhand vehicle prices skyrocketing.But which cars have the best resale value?In the graphic below, Visual Capitalist's Marcu Lu and Pallavi Rao show the top 10 vehicles with the lowest depreciation rates over five years, based on data from iSeeCars.They analyzed over 1.1 million used cars from model year 2018, sold between November 2022 to October 2023. Models no longer in production as of the 2022 model year were excluded.Porsche is Still (Almost) Perfect After Five YearsHeading the list, Porsche has two...

Another electric vehicle (EV) startup is touting “holy grail” charging technology. The news from UK-based Nyobolt might just rise to the billing, as it promises 155 miles on a six-minute charge, with production slated to start in 2024. Most EVs take much longer, sometimes even hours, to fully charge. “With our unique technology we have … developed smaller battery packs that can deliver more power and charge in less time,” Nyobolt CEO Sai Shivareddy told BBC Top Gear. The Nyobolt website doesn’t go into great detail about the tech inside the battery. The makers promise high power, a long life...

New Yorkers can only dream about the thrill of the open road as a new survey reveals they spend more of their lives stuck in traffic than drivers anywhere in the US. **SNIP** New York has increased its unwanted lead since last year and the findings were released just hours after New York's Traffic Mobility Review Board released its congestion pricing plan that could see drivers slapped with extra fees of up to $36. Drivers of cars, SUVs and pickup trucks would be charged $15 a day to enter Manhattan below 60th Street. Small trucks would be charged $24, commercial...

Electric vehicles are significantly less reliable than conventional cars powered by gas or hybrid vehicles, according to a new survey from Consumer Reports. The annual car reliability survey by Consumer Reports found that EVs are 79 percent more likely to have problems than conventional cars. Consumers reported that electric drive motors, charging and EV batteries had the most common issues associated with EVs, according to the survey. Jake Fisher, senior director of auto testing at Consumer Reports, noted that there may be “growing pains” among EVs because they are based on new technology or are being manufactured by new upstart...

Lexus and Toyota took the top spots for brand reliability, followed by Mini, Acura, Honda, and Subaru. And while EVs are growing in popularity, CR’s members experience 79 percent MORE problems with their EVs compared to gas-powered cars. EV trouble spots include issues with charging, electric motors, and battery problems. “Our members are reporting the same issues with most EVs as they are with vehicles that have been designed brand new from the ground up, whether they’re gas or electric. And EVs are about the newest technology out there,” Barry said. “And it’s taking a while, even for established carmakers...

he veteran mechanic Scotty Kilmer has warned motorists thinking of buying an electric car to be careful not to damage the battery or face expensive repair bills. The popular YouTuber has worked on cars for over 55 years, and regularly posts videos helping viewers buy the right car for them and avoid issues. In one of his latest videos, Scotty warns that a lot of car insurance companies are scrapping electric vehicles with damaged batteries. He advised: "Here's yet another reason not to buy an electric car, because many insurance companies are now totalling electric cars with even minor damage...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdumwliscIc Youtube, about battery range, for new battery cars. (Range keeps increasing, cost keeps dropping, they keep getting lighter, and now you start to see COMPETITION in the market to fix batteries, rather than replacing the whole battery rig.) Cheaper, and cheaper.

Executives from the auto industry probably surprised many by announcing revisions to their EV plans.BloombergNEF: global EV sales are this year set to hit a record high, topping 14 million.MarketWatch: the U.S. has a broken EV charger problem.During the latest profit season, executives from the auto industry probably surprised many by announcing revisions to their EV plans.GM gave up its production targets. Tesla's Elon Musk warned about waning EV demand. Honda and GM canceled their joint venture that would have developed more affordable EVs. Cars are piling up in dealers' lots. Thousands of chargers are not working, and there are...

Washington DC will hand out free AirTags to residents to track stolen cars in light of the rising levels of crime. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced in a press conference that residents living in areas with the highest reports of carjackings will receive a free tracking device. Free AirTags will be distributed at three different events held from November 7-9 and residents will have to show proof of residency and an address that matches the eligible areas. Bowser said at the press conference: 'These tags and tiles will help MPD recover stolen vehicles and hold people accountable. 'The word will also...

BISMARCK, N.D. -- Raymon Holmberg didn't know his new sedan came equipped with the long arm of the law. The dealer hadn't bothered to mention the "black box," a computer chip that stores information on speed and seat belt use. "When I bought my car," he said, "I didn't realize I was also buying a highway patrolman to sit in the back seat." Holmberg, a state senator, believes his privacy was violated and is taking aim at black boxes. Lawmakers in 10 other states are also hoping to regulate black boxes, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Ford has said it will postpone $12billion of investment into EVs because its current generation of electric cars is facing a 'challenging market'. The new plan will see construction pause on some of the company's EV factories, including a battery plant in Kentucky, its executives noted during its third quarter earnings call on Thursday. Ford's EV unit, called Ford Model e, lost $1.3 billion on an operating basis in the quarter - roughly double its loss in the same period last year. Shares of the company were down almost 10 percent in the hours after markets opened on Friday. Its...

igher car prices and rising interest rates are hindering car owners’ ability to afford their vehicle payments, as 6.1% of subprime auto borrowers are at least 60 days past due on their loans, the highest percentage in data dating back to 1994, according to Bloomberg, which cited Fitch Ratings.

Three members of a California family pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy for their role in a ring that shipped $600 million worth of stolen catalytic converters from California to New Jersey, federal prosecutors said. Brothers Tou Sue Vang, 32, and Andrew Vang, 28, along with their mother, Monica Moua, 58, were part of “a national network of thieves, dealers, and processors” who provided the stolen auto anti-smog devices to a metal refinery for more than $600 million, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney's office. Twenty-one people from California and New Jersey have been charged in the case, prosecutors...