March 18, 2004

Hybrid Cars

Hybridcars.com. Proving once again there is a website for everyone, there's actually a news portal now for those interested in hybrid cars. No RSS feeds though unfortunately. Some interesting facts:

Coming in 2004:
Dodge Ram Pick-up
Ford Escape SUV
GM Silverado Pick-up
GM Sierra Pick-up
Lexus Hybrid SUV

In the Works:
Chevrolet Malibu Sedan
Chevrolet Tahoe SUV
GMC Yukon SUV
Honda Accord Sedan
Honda Pilot SUV
Mercedes S-Class Hybrid
Mercedes Grand Sport Tourer Diesel-Hybrid Station Wagon
Saturn VUE SUV
Toyota Camry Sedan
Toyota Highlander SUV

Posted by rich at 09:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 15, 2004

Gas Hybrids are Coming...

Well here they come, hat tip to my buddy Jeff for pointing this out to me:

What does it all mean for me? Well, that Lexus Hybrid or the Prius sure looks good to me :-)

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December 14, 2003

Acura MDX Club

I wish I had discovered this user forum before I bought our MDX. Oh well, another example of how there are enthusiasts everywhere. This one is just for Acura MDX owners. There is a similar one for Honda Pilot owners. Here are some good things to know:

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December 04, 2003

It's Winter Time: What About Chains?

tirechain.com. So the chains I get from Fred Meyer never seem like they’ll work that well. With Connie’s new car and us going in the snow, time to consult the Internet.

Of course, there is an expert at tirechain.com to help you out. Never imagined so many different products could get reviewed.

The long and short is that for cars there is a real chain and then there are cables which don’t work as well. Check out their installation helper. I have to get one of these!

Vulcan Tire. On the other hand, the folks at Vulcan say that cables are just fine. They do recommend the so called Z-cable, these go diagonally across the tire so there is always traction (makes sense to me). And, they recommend that even with 2-wheel drive cars, you get chains on all the tires so handling stays the same. That also makes sense to me. Their mid-grade Z-chains are $65 to $90 for bigger tires and they include tensioners. This is about what full chains cost as well.

For SUVs, the State of Washington normally doesn’t require AWD vehicles to use chains except in exceptional conditions.

BTW, so I remember, the Acura MDX has 235/65-R17 tires while the volvo is 205/50-R16. These designations are all a big wierd as a trivia point. 235 refers to how wide the tire is in millmeters, the 65 is the profile (so the smaller, the thiner the tire), the R means a radial tire and then 17 means the rim size in inches. There is also a beginning P that means passenger and LT that means light truck that people don’t seem to use in catalogs anymore. R is usually omitted since that’s the only type around anymore.

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November 05, 2003

Acura MDX Pricing

Acura MDX Build and Price (Summary). OK, the list price of an MDX 2004 is:

MSRP
Touring + Navigation + DVD$42700
Destination$545
Total$43245

There are some extras of course:

Floor Mats$117
CD Changer$432
CD Attachment$67
Acccessories$616

And of course sales tax. Most folks in Seattle are charging above this, although on the Internet, you can get the Internet rep to sell it for list price

It’s interesting to see the profit margins. These are from Car Prices for the 2003 model, but basically, the price went up $700, but the shape of the discount structure is similar:

MSRPInvoiceFreightHold-backBase Cost
Touring w/navigation$40,500.00$36,482.00$500.00$1,215.00$35,767.00
Touring w/navigation system and DVD$42,000.00$37,832.00$500.00$1,260.00$37,072.00

So they are earning a 12% margin or $3,317 per car. Wow, nice that it is hard to get. Some of course sell it for above list price.

Autobytel also has a complete list of dealer incentives for various cars. The Acura’s are of course not among them :-)

Edmunds has a great true cost to own that shows first year depreciation at $7K dropping to $4K the next year. Shows why buying a 1-2 year old car is so great. By year 2, it is nearly $11K lower in cost. Hmmm. Maybe I should look for a 2003 MDX?

Future of MDX. According to Consumer Guide, they’ll update it in 2006 with a more powerful engine. Also, they note that its sister is the Honda Pilot and the Pilot is roomier (but uglier) with 8 seats not 7.

So, what’s a person to do? Look at used 2003 Acura MDX if you can find them. Around $37,000 or convince Connie the Pilot isn’t that bad :-) The Pilot with a Navigation system is EX-L 4-door wagon w/navigation system in 2003 listed for $32,520.00 with a dealer cost of $29,254.00, destination charge of $460.00 and a hold back of $975.60 so actual dealer cost is $28,738.40. Edmonds has a true cost to own of 37K over five years.

Right now, the top of the line Pilot (according to Edmunds) is selling for about $200 under MSRP (not a big discount) at $33,168 vs. $33,360 for the same Sage Brush Pearl she likes. According to “Car Price” this car also has a margin of about 12% like the Acura MDX or a nice $3,782 in profit.

Negatives are that it doesn’t have side or curtain air bags and it is much boxier, so roomier, but not as pretty. As Consumer Guide says, it won’t get updated to 2008. The Pilot costs far less than the MDX and has different styling. But the two share a chassis, V6 engine, 5-speed automatic transmission, and all-wheel-drive system. Pilot’s body is slightly shorter than MDX’s, but the taller, wider Honda seats eight vs. MDX’s seven and has 8.8 cu ft more cargo volume. It also has softer suspension tuning and 16-inch wheels vs. 17s.

Posted by rich at 10:57 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

November 01, 2003

Hunting for an MDX

Auto Consultants Northwest. Been hunting for an MDX. It is cool to be able to call lots of dealers around the country. Basically, if there is one in stock, you can get say a $1K discount maximum, otherwise, if you are lucky, you pay the list price.

I also need to trade in a car as well. Saw these guys name on a license plate holder of all things, so I’m going to give them a try too.

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August 05, 2003

Kid Cars Galore

Well, its almost the school season and we need a car that can carry 4-5 kids in addition to grownups. We looked at a ton of cars, but Connie really liked:

What about me? Well, I get Connie’s car as a hand-me-down but in the mean time, my next car is going to be technologically cool and very practical (vs. fast like my current 540i), so these are:

Posted by rich at 09:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 14, 2003

Connie's New Car

Well, our 1996 Volvo was really in the shop quite a bit last year, so Connie would love a new one. She loves the Volvo brand and the new 2003 Volvo XC90 seems just the ticket given the number of bodies we need to take around. The main issue is that the third seat is really for tiny, tiny people. Also folks tell us it is just about unavailable. For me as techno-geek, I of course want the DVD navigation system, the Dolby Surround II sound. Yet, the idea of buying a 5,000 pound car is just appalling to me. So, here are some other suggestions of mine

Posted by rich at 11:25 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

December 29, 2002

Winter tires

Customer Survey Results. I'm going up into the snow quite a bit this season. Other than borrowing Jennie's Subaru, I really should get a good set of winter tires. This looks like the best review board. It says, Pirelli Winter 210 Snowsport, Bridgestone LM-22 or the Dunlop Winter Sport M2 are the highest rated by users.

Posted by rich at 02:27 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

December 09, 2002

Snow tire choices

Tires. I need snow tires and tirerack.com has just been great. These seem like a nice choice and reasonable price plus good performance on the dry and rain as well.

Posted by rich at 09:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack