Nissan released full pricing information for the Nissan 370Z yesterday. Figuring many people would be interested in this information, I input it into TrueDelta’s pricing database ASAP. So this site is the only place you can already configure the new, 332-horsepower 370Z. Media reports suggest that the new car handles better and has a nicer interior than the less compact,… More →
Month: December 2008
Consumer Reports buys The Consumerist: implications of media consolidation
A few weeks ago it was rumored that Consumer’s Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, would purchase The Consumerist, a blog covering consumer issues and giving voice to consumer complaints. Now these rumors have proven accurate, and this purchase has been completed. Operating TrueDelta.com, I’ve learned quite a bit about the media. One of the most difficult lessons: journalists often won’t write… More →
Why doesn’t the rear window go all the way down?
For years I’ve come across complaints that the rear side window of this or that car doesn’t go all the way down. Often people assume the reason for this is safety, to prevent children from falling out of a moving car. Well, that’s not the reason, at least not the primary reason. Especially in this age of mandatory car seats,… More →
Paid memberships now available
For years we’ve stated that while those who didn’t participate in the research would have to pay for full access to the site, participants would receive this access for free. But only the free, participating option was available. Well, we’ve finally added the ability for people who don’t want to participate in the surveys to buy a non-participating membership. So… More →
Can GM succeed where it has failed before?
Writing in the New York Times today, Micheline Maynard reminded me that everything GM is promising to do now–reinvent itself, forge a new relationship with the UAW, improve customer care, develop more fuel-efficient cars–it tried to do with Saturn. Saturn met with some early success. Many people who would never buy another GM car bought a Saturn. It was essentially… More →
Getting beyond Detroit vs. Japan
Every time Consumer Reports or J.D. Power releases the results of a reliability survey, much of the press rushes to reduce the message to a single question: are Detroit’s cars as reliable as Japanese cars? The same answers have followed in all recent years: the gap is closing, and some domestic cars now score as well as the imports, but on… More →
“What you need is a YouTube video”
Well, some people have been suggesting that I make a video. No, not that kind of video. But something to upload to YouTube. Then Diane, who has been helping to publicize the site, not only made this suggestion but offered to put the whole thing together. Complete with an attractive daughter who’s much better on camera than I am. And… More →
Cheverolet Traverse ad suggests I should buy something else
I’ve been using gmail, which serves up ads based on what’s in your inbox. Recently they’ve been serving up an ad for the Chevrolet Traverse. The claim: “Traverse Outperforms Almost All its Competitors.” Almost all? Well, why shouldn’t I buy the one it didn’t outperform? A message you won’t be receiving from TrueDelta: “providing better vehicle reliability, fuel economy, and… More →