Each month I send out an email asking people to check their list of cars for accuracy, and also with information about the latest improvements to the site. Invariably I receive a few dozen requests to be removed from the panel in response. Not many considering there are about 25,000 members. But still more than I care to see. The… More →
Month: June 2008
Leasing: a way for manufacturers to lie to themselves
One reason luxury car sales have surged in recent years is that leases have become more and more attractive. And one way manufacturers manage to offer low lease payments is by lying to themselves about how much their cars will be worth when the lease is over. After all, when those leases come due some other exec will be responsible… More →
Where’s my car?
Back in 2001 the Toyota Altezza arrived in the U.S. as the Lexus with a price in the low 30s. The interior didn’t seem worthy of a Lexus, and the price was beyond the reach of many who would otherwise buy a small rear-drive sedan. Ever since then I’ve been waiting for a manufacture to fill an obvious hole in… More →
Filter results on TrueDelta’s Fuel Economy Survey
Sometimes when I have an idea, I wish I’d implemented it much earlier. This is one of those times. I’ve been planning all along to eventually analyze results of TrueDelta’s Fuel Economy Survey to generate figures for straight city driving, straight highway, the impact of A/C use, and so forth. Problem is, with so many variables, this is going to… More →
A reminder about BMW’s low score on the IQS
In the week after J.D. Power released the results of its 2008 Initial Quality Survey (IQS), I’ve come across quite a few forum posts that went like this: “Great news: our car did very well. But why is BMW’s quality so bad?” Yes, BMW again scored below the average on this year’s IQS. But this isn’t because the cars suffer… More →
Tweaks to the repair survey
Starting this month, I’ve added a new outcome to the repair survey: successful repair without replacing parts. I’ve done this because a small but not insignificant portion of repairs involve cleaning, lubricating, adjusting, or otherwise improving the function of a part rather than replacing this part. Months ago I wondered whether these should be considered repairs. I’m still not sure.… More →