I have struck a rich vein of news this morning, and I’m going to spend it all Beverly Hillbillies style. The end of the year is when companies traditionally like to dump unflattering information, hoping no one is paying attention, and The Morning Dump is here to collect it Katamari Damacy-style.
Is this too many metaphors about me writing about things going wrong? Maybe! But like the Jeep 4XE drivetrain, modern automakers have a lot of problems to disclose. That’s an apt reference, given that Jeep’s CEO is out here handing out bucks like Herb Kohl
Jeep would probably kill for something as popular and affordable as the Ford Escape, but Ford is cancelling it, much to the chagrin of dealers. You know who else is chagrined? Mercedes employees (the ones who haven’t been laid off yet).
The used market is tight, which is helping companies like Carvana. The OG national used car chain CarMax? It’s hurting like Giannis Antetokounmpo.
‘Please Accept Our Sincerest Apologies’ And $100
In the video above, Wrangler4XEFans talks about the difficulty of owning a Wrangler 4XE and of getting his Wrangler fixed. The video is titled “320,000 Compensated Guinea Pigs,” and that’s a great way to talk about the technology.
If you’re not aware, 4XE is the name that Jeep gave it its line of plug-in hybrid models (PHEV). The Wrangler 4XE and Jeep Grand Cherokee 4XE are two of the most popular PHEVs ever sold and, at the same time, are absolutely cursed objects.
These are vehicles that are recalled so often that owners are making recall merit badges. And these are serious recalls that involve the potential for Jeeps to just randomly go up in flames in a way not dissimilar from the last three weeks of any Mets season.
It’s so bad that Jeep bricked a bunch of Wranglers while pushing a different fix.
This is a bad look, and The Detroit News is reporting that the CEO is apologizing for all the difficulties:
Bob Broderdorf said most of the brand’s Wrangler and Grand Cherokee 4xe hybrids aren’t affected by the battery problems but acknowledged the recalls — which most recently have asked 320,065 owners to stop charging and park away from structures — could be “unsettling.” He asked owners to “Please accept our sincerest apologies.”
“As a valued member of the Jeep family, you deserve a reassuring ownership experience, and we are truly sorry if this situation caused any disappointment or concern,” the email said. The brand is offering $100 Mastercard gift cards to “cover unexpected fuel costs since you are being asked to not travel in EV mode,” the CEO confirmed, while also providing loaner vehicles and extended warranties for the Samsung SDI-made high-voltage batteries.
The whole existence of Jeep’s PHEV effort can be seen as a way to get tax credits while, at the same time, attempting to get around emissions-related regulations without building EVs. Now that credits are disappearing and regulations are changing, I’m not sure why these vehicles should even exist.
I’m a fan of PHEVs in theory, although in practice, the products we have are a bit mixed. Perhaps EREVs will overcome some of the challenges. Or, maybe, I feel like PHEVs are problematic because the biggest maker of PHEVs is Stellantis.
Jeep needs to be a good comeback story if Stellantis is going to overcome its issues. This isn’t a great story.
Dealers Are Going To Miss The Escape
My mother-in-law had a first-generation Ford Escape, and I still think it’s one of the best vehicles modern Ford has built. Compact. Attractive. Affordable. In hybrid trim, they can go forever while offering performance that rivals the V6. I’d argue that the Escape is a good example of a product that’s been watered down with each new generation.
With the Maverick and Bronco Sport now occupying that space, the Escape has been axed, and the last one was probably built yesterday. According to this Automotive News report, not all Ford dealers love losing this product:
“The biggest thing we’ve been stressing at dealer council is affordability, and in my opinion, this takes it in the wrong direction,” said Nick Anderson, general manager of Chuck Anderson Ford in Excelsior Springs, Mo. “Getting rid of the Escape is a huge mistake.”
Anderson said the Escape makes up almost one-fifth of his store’s annual sales volume, behind only the F-150. It’s traditionally been a popular option in his market, near Ford’s Kansas City Assembly Plant, where the Escape was built before moving to Louisville Assembly early last decade.
It’s also been a favorite of budget-focused buyers at Downtown Ford of Sacramento, according to Nathan Meckley, the California store’s general manager. He worries what will happen next.
“My fear is that these people who are already in Escape or Edge don’t have a vehicle to come back to,” Meckley told Automotive News. “You could put them in a Maverick, but maybe they don’t want a truck. You could put them in Mach-E, but maybe they don’t want electric. Where do they go?”
I don’t have the same warm feelings for the new Escape that I did for my MIL’s, whereas I’m infatuated with the new Maverick. Still, it might have been nice for the company to continue production for another year or two while the $30k affordable EVs rolled out. The issue? The plant that builds the Escape is the plant that’s going to build those next-gen electric vehicles.
Mercedes Employees Reportedly Unsatisfied With Mercedes
To clarify, Mercedes (the company) has employees who are unsatisfied with Mercedes (the company and its products). No reasonable person is unsatisfied with Mercedes (our writer), who is wonderful.
This comes via Manager Magazin, and it’s pretty rough:
More motivation for the team, “that’s the most urgent thing now,” commented a member of the supervisory board on the results of the Gallup poll conducted among the entire workforce in the fall. According to information obtained by manager magazin, the responses to the twelve key questions were below average compared to other companies.
Overall satisfaction with the company? Below average. Materials and equipment? Below average. Mission/Purpose? Poor. On a scale from red (bad) to green (top), the boss saw red twice, a lot of yellow, and only once, at least, light green.
Mercedes itself views the result positively, stating that “compared to the last survey in 2023,” the company sees “continued very high overall satisfaction,” especially “in a phase of profound change.” They maintain that their performance was no worse than in 2023.
I gotta say, the subscription we have to Manager Magazin (one of many subscriptions we have) is money extremely well spent, given that the publication spills tea like the Sons of Liberty.
CarMax Saw A Drop In Sales, Missing Estimates
You’d think that CarMax would be the one company that would be doing well in this market, given that new cars are getting expensive, but it seems to be getting squeezed by dealers who have the benefit of trade-ins and online retailers like Carvana, which have better online infrastructure.
The company missed estimates in Q3. Per Bloomberg:
Comparable used-vehicle sales shrank 9% in the third quarter, the company said in a statement Thursday, a bigger contraction than the 8.4% decrease analysts polled by Bloomberg anticipated, but between the range of the 8% to 12% decline the company had warned in November.
The company said it expects to lower retail used unit margins in the fourth quarter, and will increase its marketing spend from a year ago, focusing on investing in acquisitions.
Based on recent results, “it is clear CarMax needs change,” interim Chief Executive Officer David McCreight said in the statement. The Richmond, Virginia-based used car retailer terminated its former CEO William D. Nash at the start of December as sales have slumped.
CarMax needs to be better at getting its story out there.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
If you were curious if Cypress Hill still had it, here’s them performing “Insane In The Brain” live a couple of years ago. This one is for Adrian.
The Big Question
Lemme take a break from dogging on Stellantis for a minute. What’s the best car from the following Chrysler eras:
– Iacocca
– DaimlerChrysler
– Cerberus/Nardelli
– FCA
– Stellantis
Top Photo: Jeep; DepositPhotos.com; iOS
What’s the best car from the following Chrysler eras:
– Iacocca. Dodge Ram 1500
– DaimlerChrysler. Power Wagon
– Cerberus/Nardelli Did they do anything good?
– FCA Ram redesign (interiors)
– Stellantis. TRX
I like the way you think!
Thank you.
Iacocca – Caravan / Voyager / Town and Country created a new segment while adopting the “Ladder of Success”
Daimler – Charger and 300 laid the foundation for what would become great cars and embodied 2000s bling culture
Cerberus – Idk not much was new for the short period of time they had control of Chrysler, maybe the Wrangler?
FCA – Grand Cherokee redesign reset expectations for what a mass market off road SUV could be. Also the Pacifica / Voyager raised the bar for minivans
Stellantis – I like the wagoneer, but can’t think of a new vehicle they haven’t nerfed in some way
Iacocca Era 1978 – 1992 K Cars!
DaimlerChrysler 1998 – 2007 2nd Gen Ram trucks were epic.
Cerberus / Nardelli 2007 – 2009 Challenger
FCA (Fiat Chrysler)2009 – 2021 The Hellcats! 700 HP to the people!
Stellantis2021 – Present The Ram 1500 Hurricane. Awesome engine from what I’ve seen.
Oh man:
– Iacocca – The acquisition of the AMC designed ZJ Grand Cherokee
– DaimlerChrysler – LX cars
– Cerberus/Nardelli – The Regular Car Reviews Dodge Avenger video
– FCA – Alfa Giulia Quad (does this count?)
– Stellantis – …
– Iacocca- 91+ Cherokee, the Chrysler EFI upgrade made it perfect
– DaimlerChrysler- JK Unlimited. 4 door Wrangler why did you take so long?
– Cerberus/Nardelli- N/A
– FCA- WK Grand Cherokee
– Stellantis- anything from the FCA era they haven’t touched
Does Ford believe the Escape is cannibalizing sales of the Bronco Sport?
Or is the Escape, by virtue of being beige, competing against the Rogue and, therefore, growing Ford’s market share?
I’d argue the Escape does the latter.
But, in either case, Ford’s overall market share will take a bit of a hit here. So what’s Ford’s longer-term strategy in culling more vehicles in the lower “affordable” price range? Sell more trucks?
market share can go down as long as EBITA goes up.
Makes me sad that their strategy is that we, the people, feed the corporate machine not due to our choice but due to their lack of choices.
There’s always Hyundai.
Their long term strategy is the same as it was when they killed the Ranger in 2012.
I got the email for that $100 apology gift card from Chrysler a few months ago. The only problem? I had already ditched the car over the problems. I guess I should have just taken it but I figured it could come with some sort of limitation of liability/waiver of rights to sue. Given what it cost to get out of the thing, I’d rather keep that option open for when the lawsuits finally break open.
Iacocca Era 1978 – 1992 The K car saved them even though I think the Mitsubishi partnership made for fantastic cars
DaimlerChrysler 1998 – 2007 Jeep JKU hands down the success from that era
Cerberus / Nardelli 2007 – 2009 N/A
FCA (Fiat Chrysler)2009 – 2021 No cars but the 3.6L Pentastar.
Stellantis2021 – Present N/A
is my math right?
I mean, the JKU didn’t come out until the 2007 model year, so, no, I don’t think the math checks out.
Jeep JKU on sale in August of 2006 and the Cerberus sale was on August 3, 2007. so…
I guess if “best car from the era” means “best car designed in the era”, then, yes, that works. But if that were the case, wouldn’t the credit for the Pentastar engine go earlier as the design work started before 2009?
Let it go dude. You can keep picking to find something wrong with what I wrote but, the Cerberus sale was after the JKU went on sale.
Meanwhile… in the year 2364…
Chrysler CEO: With apologies, we have to announce the 37th recall of our Oberth Class starships. Previously, we had recalled them for exploding after a minor phaser hit to the warp engine nacelles. We also understand that certain Oberth class ships may phase into asteroids due to a potential glitch in beta cloaking technology. We also understand that many of you are complaining that we deleted the neck section that would normally connect the primary and secondary hulls. While we will not be recalling them to install necks, we are willing to install an additional transporter pad for anyone unable to use the Jeffries tubes in the nacelle pylons. The Oberth has been in production for over 80 years and we are pleased to continue production of our most popular platform, and a great alternative to the competitor’s Miranda class ships.
Quote of the day.
That… may become canon.
I saw Cypress Hill live in August and can confirm they definitely still have it. It was a fantastic show.
If the Escape has had 4 gens, my wife had a gen 2 and we collectively bought a gen 3 after getting married. Agree with Matt that Gen 1 was the perfect mix of utility, styling, price. Performed well on road and on soft roads relatively well. Good amount of cargo space, but still tuned as a commuter car. Good power with the V6. Gen 2 generally carried on that formula and ours served well for 10 years until the interior fabrics began to fall apart.
Gen 3 was great on road. Good handling and with the 2L turbo quite fast. Gas mileage sucked though. And 2013 was the dawn of Ford’s epic recall problems. So many recalls on that first year Gen 3. Finally had to get rid of it because of poorly engineered A/C parts that should have been recalled but weren’t. If not for the recalls, great on road vehicle. Not meant for much beyond dirt roads.
I’m hearing what the dealers are saying about a lack of options for current Escape owners. I’m guessing they didn’t mention the Bronco sport because of price? It is substantially smaller than the Escape even though they’re on the same platform. Ford really doesn’t have a road-focused small/mid crossover now. The Bronco Sport does fill the gap to a point if you are ok with the off-road compromises and increased price compared to Escape, but after that it’s … Explorer? Bronco? Those are BIG leaps in size and cost.
I (an idiot) would think they’d want to grow offerings in this segment. More Escapes (more trims with more powertrains, particularly hybrid options) and more Bronco Sports (hybrid all the things).
With no smaller SUVs offered anymore, they are cutting their entry-level crossover and you could argue their entry level vehicle (with the Maverick prices being pretty much in-line with the Escape now).
Current ’17 Escape & ’07 Focus owner and very long-time Ford guy. The Bronco Sport is their only ‘small’ vehicle now. Briefly looked at one, but it’s a bit more $$, lower mileage, tad smaller cargo area, no hybrid option and don’t really care for the faux Bronco look. My neighbor has a Maverick. It’s a nice vehicle, but it definitely has a larger footprint but not as practical for us. I do like the 2door full size Brono, but it’s huge and totally unpractical for our driving needs.
We’ve had a Ford Puma ecoboost hybrid rental a couple of times in UK and liked it…very similar in size to Wife’s Crosstrek, spunky but no AWD.
I’m looking to replace wife’s ’13 MKX and they don’t have a decent midsize offering anymore. She doesn’t need a Bronco and I’m not getting an Explorer that looks like every cop car around.
I can confirm: Mercedes (your writer) is wonderful.
Fantastic, detail-oriented reporter. Check
Superb writer: Check
Totally gets the enthusiast mentality: Check.
Imports weird foreign cars: Check
Deserves a massive raise: TBD
LH Cars – Iacocca
Charger/300 – DaimlerChrysler
Are you kidding me? – Cerberus/Nardelli
You’re still kidding, right? – FCA
Now you’re just being silly. – Stellantis
Went to my local CarMax last week and I had never seen the lot so empty. It was about 60% occupied. Just a year ago they had cars parked in the lanes and in the customer parking lot. I’m not sure if they’re reducing inventory because they can’t find cars or if they’re ahead of the curve on an economic downturn. Also, I was amazed at the low quality of the cars. I had never seen vehicles with rust, torn seats, and overall rough condition to this extent at CarMax ever.
I’ve bought twice, but seriously shopped 10+ times.
The ones we passed on were almost all rusty underneath after 3-4 years in NY, MI, and other salty locales. OTOH, they’ve also carried some of the best condition cars I’ve ever seen. It’s a real crapshoot, but location matters a lot…being in the Southeast, we get a lot of low-mileage FL cars, but I’ve seen them all over the board.
I’m also amazed how many interiors pass inspection after 3+ years of people smoking Black & Milds inside. Probably with the windows rolled up.
Seems every CarMax car at our location has had the interior cleaned with rancid water…they all have a weird funky smell…gag.
Our location has a full lot.
Had a similar experience over the summer while trying on cars for my wife. Cars with obvious body damage, tons of mileage for the year, rental misuse, and reeked of blunts littered the lot
The one across the street from my office is still packed to the gills.
The latest Escape seems like an also-ran. Ford probably should have kept it around anyway, but yeah. Uninspired and outclassed.
That’s clearly what people want. Look at the sales numbers.
As further evidenced by Nissan moving so many Rogues, boring and uninspired sells provided you call it an SUV
Uh, the Bronco Sport? The Sport doesn’t have a hybrid option (yet), but it’s on the same platform as the Escape, and it’s a perfectly cromulent little CUV. I’ve only had them as rental cars, but I didn’t have any complaints.
Uh, the looks?
Looks? The Bronco Sport looks great! The Escape has looked like “Generic CUV Blob #5” for generations now. The typical Escape owner doesn’t care about aesthetics, and isn’t going to judge it against the full-size Bronco.
Many buyers aren’t looking for a poser off-road car like the Bronco Sport.
Also, somebody coming from an Escape Hybrid (or PHEV) isn’t going to be happy with the plain ICE Bronco Sport.
Again, an Escape owner looking to trade in their car doesn’t care about off-roading.
As I said originally, I realize there is no hybrid option for the Bronco Sport, but given that it’s built on the same platform as the Escape, I expect Ford will add one sooner rather than later.
Exactly!
This was what I came here to say too. They have been occupying the same space since the inception of the BS, and as I recall, the BS outsells the Escape, so this shouldn’t really surprise anyone.
According to the first internet source I found the Escape has never been outsold in a year by the Bronco Sport (but the Escape’s numbers have been trending down, especially since the introduction of the Bronco Sport).
https://fordauthority.com/fmc/ford-motor-company-sales-numbers/ford-sales-numbers/ford-escape-sales-numbers/
https://fordauthority.com/fmc/ford-motor-company-sales-numbers/ford-sales-numbers/ford-bronco-sport-sales-numbers/
Fleet sales?
Yeah, probably lots of those. Taking a look at Hertz and Enterprise’s car sales sites it seems you’re more likely to see an Escape than a Bronco Sport as a rental. But if Ford is able to swap those fleet sales over to Bronco Sports than Bronco Sport sales may shoot way up in 2026.
I’m starting to see some Bronco Sports at National, so I could see that happening.
I’ve seen Bronco Sports as rentals/former rentals before, usually base ones, but Escapes have definitely had a place in government/corporate (like utility) fleets too, and I rarely if ever have seen the BS in those roles. The BS has always started higher but the price difference has slimmed between them. If they can produce more Sports at a similar fleet price (would they dare do a fleet-spec FWD?) I’m sure they can flip them. And that’s more room for Maverick production and fleet sales too.
My bad. Should have researched it a bit before stating that, but I still feel like they steal sales from one another and operate in the same class. Not that there aren’t many MANY examples of OEMs stealing sales from themselves, but it still makes sense to me for them to consolidate a bit.
Unsaid in that quote, but I suspect they’re concerned about appealing to women. I don’t have any data in front of me, but my gut and personal experience tells me that the Escape was popular among female buyers.
Then it seems like Ford said “hey, let’s make a tougher looking vehicle using the same underpinnings that will appeal more to men!” So the Bronco Sport was born, and sold pretty well (but still never outsold the Escape).
Then they went into cost-cutting mode and were concerned about having two vehicles in the same segment and the older, presumably less-profitable Escape got the axe.
But that does still leave over a hundred thousand buyers a year who would have bought an Escape, and Ford now hopes they will buy a Bronco Sport but many of them might very well go with a Forester or CR-V or whatever instead.
Agreed. I think most folks wanting an Escape will go elsewhere over the BS. Not that it’s a bad product, but the appeal is very different.
My unofficial observation is typical Bronco Sport buyer tend to be women. Escape tends to be the older crowd. Probably influenced by Escape available with FWD only, thus cheaper.
I have seen a lot of Bronco Sports being driven by college age women which were probably bought with daddy’s money
I do live in a college town, so that tracks.
Same. Very popular model to see parked at the student apartments with the bros as well. Probably just an easy thing to buy as a graduation gift for peace of mind. Looks so safe!
Is it too late for me to get adopted to a family that gets new cars for graduation?
At 70 I have been having difficulty looking for such a sugar daddy.
I like to call the Bronco Sport the “Bronco CSE: City Slicker Edition”.
The Bronco Sport should have been called the Escape. Splitting that line/category in two, then canceling the one that didn’t sell as much is proof that the market likes one better than the other.
It should have been called the Bronco II
I’m guessing the next generation Bronco Sport will add hybrid tech and grow in size to match the Escape, so that it merges the roles of both current generation models.
I’d really like to see a direct rival to the Corolla Cross Hybrid from Ford, but the closest thing they make is the Maverick Hybrid.
I had several newer Escapes assigned as company cars in the 2016-2021 time frame, and 220,000+ miles in them made me never want to own one myself. Terrible, unsupportive seats with short bottoms, horrible ride that was both marshmallow-like and rough at the same time, massive body roll in corners and also crashed and banged over minor road imperfections that would be unnoticeable in a normal car, and horrible build quality. Interior pieces misaligned and overlapping when they were supposed to be flush, paint that just bubbled and peeled off (in one of the cars, trapping rainwater between the paint and the metal all along the A pillar), and the real world fuel economy was pretty poor, barely 2 or 3 mpg more than what I’ve seen from Panthers in daily use. The EcoBoost was pretty gutless, too, you really had to push it to maintain any decent momentum on highways, with a noticeable delayed reaction
You should try one of the 3cyl ones, LOL.
+1 on the awful seats in these. The bottom cushions are so hard they’re like sitting on a cloth covered cutting board
Yeah, I never had back problems in my life until I started doing 90k a year in those things, a sheet of plywood might have had better cushioning
Listen, I’m not saying you chose the wrong version of “Insane In The Brain” for Adrian, but you should have used this one https://youtu.be/7-Vd8UfYgiU?si=r3xNunxAEN4rAdzF
“Who ordered the London Symphony Orchestra? Possibly while high? Cypress Hill I’m looking in your direction.”
Somehow one of the best, yet also worst, episodes in the catalog 🙂
That’s the duality of Simpsons.
worst? Maybe if you’re only limiting yourself to the first 10 seasons.
They made more than 10 seasons? /s
(to be fair, it was still better than most newer ones, it just suffered from leaning too hard on the celebrities)
Given that it helped to introduce me to what would turn out to be my favorite band (Sonic Youth), it’s my favorite episode…
Modern bands with an orchestra is the best. Here is my favorite.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w59e20ijOpE
I’m voting for their Tiny Desk concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUApO77uUUk
Matt, Your opening has more similes than a verse spit out by Fife Dawg from A Tribe Called Quest.
I remember a tour of the Teraflex factory a few years back for a piece I wrote. Dennis Wood, from their video series, was telling me that it was important for Teraflex to be quick to market and adaptable, but their goal is to have the product dialed as the priority, instead of being first to market. Troubles from the past had taught them that this was the best long term approach. Feels very appropriate that this Jeep upfitter has figured it out but Jeep themselves haven’t. First is neat, but good is best.
The fact that “What I’m listening to” wasn’t the Katamari soundrack is a whiff. I am going to be humming “nu naaa nanananananana un na na na na naaa” for the next day and a half.
Two relevant points of sadness here:
The Jeep PHEVs had the chance to be the most epically disruptive changes to the car landscape since maybe the Prius. Unfortunately, it seems they foisted the beta testing on the public (was this a f*ck it/ship it decision to stay ahead of…waves hand…all the other PHEV competition out there?). I had really high hopes for those two.
I’m both an investor and a customer of Carmax. They’re not perfect, but the very fabric of society seems to be broken when Carvana is killing it and Carmax isn’t. I’m happy to admit when I’m wrong, but in this case I think the buying public is wrong — or at least has turned the act of buying their second-largest asset into something they’d rather do sight-unseen from their phones. Color me surprised. I figured people still wanted to wander around car lots, unbothered by salespeople, sitting their butts in a nice cross-section of unlocked vehicles before committing to a test drive, let along a purchase.
I get why Carvana exists, and I’ve heard good anecdotes, but it’s still strange.
Perhaps people are still wandering around Carmax and taking test drives, then buying the same car from Carvana for 10% less.
If only it were 10% less, I’d agree — all my cross-shopping experience was in the exact opposite direction.
I think the online window shopping experience and buyer benefits aren’t really different between the two, but Carvana being newer gives them the shiny object advantage. Perhaps Carvana’s return policy gives the average buyer enough peace of mind to take the chance unseen. When I sold a car to Carvana* last year, there was a customer that was exchanging one Jeep Cherokee for another. I had questions.
While this does turn into a lot of “Carvana vs. CarMax,” regular dealers have also been beefing things up over the years to stay competitive in the space. Lots of buy-sells to and among larger groups, so a larger advertised network of inventory; throwing all these plug-ins on their sites for vehicle history and 360-deg walkarounds and other info; keeping up CPO inventories. They’re also going to be more aggressive in follow-up than I think CarMax tends to be.
*People that might have otherwise sold to CarMax, are selling to Carvana instead, which no doubt means less supply and also puts you in Carvana’s marketing funnel. A CarMax appraisal was a negotiating tool for your trade against a traditional new car dealer, but I’ve rarely heard of a dealer touching a Carvana appraisal.
I totally agree on the selling side — Carvana tends to do really well there. They still lowball you on older stuff, that’s just the nature of the business.
Carmax has a 10-day return and a 90-day “basically bumper to bumper” warranty. I believe Carvana just has a 5-7 day return policy.
I’ve used both of those things in our two transactions with Carmax 🙂
I think Carvana wins a lot of hearts and minds because they make the experience as close as possible to being the Amazon of Used Cars. You’re not waiting on transfers or only shopping local inventory. But my earlier cynicism was more about people’s social avoidance habits, or just their lack of awareness that Carmax has pivoted to a lot of the same stuff as Carvana, like paperless signatures and very low-involvement sales tactics.
I think the lack of awareness is key and what I was getting at with the “shiny object advantage.” Most any dealer does many of the same things now but Carvana was louder and more showy about it so they’re something of a poster child for it all. I had to look up CarMax’s return policy when replying before and had forgotten they had scaled it back, even if it is still better. A coworker just bought a new Telluride and never even went to the dealer – I assumed most dealers had mostly given up on online & delivery after pushing it early in the pandemic.
I would have thought Carvana had enough bad press early on that they would have struggled more (they actually were banned from selling in my state of residence for a short period a few years ago due to title & registration issues), but apparently not.
I’ve seen base model Sentras and Corollas and the like with Carvana plate frames and have scratched my head. All that choice and that’s what you went with? But then it may be Carvana’s Drivetime roots that play a factor too.
I bought from Carmax earlier this year. Had only sold to them previously. Looked at Carvana a lot as well, but I liked that I could spend $150 to ship the car I wanted in to a local store to see it in person and test drive it before committing to buy it.
Yep, and you get the $150 back if you do buy. Depending on your location, you can also usually find a few regional Carmax stores with free transfers, which is absolutely zero commitment. I’ve wasted their time with a couple of those before, too 🙂
I could be mistaken, but my understanding is a very large portion of Carvana is built on subprime loans, overleveraged consumers, and shady accounting. Also sales being online only makes it far easier to exploit the lazy or uninformed, never have to get off the couch to buy a car makes it easy for anyone who doesn’t know better to get screwed. While I have no stake or forecast of Carmax’s future, I strongly suspect when Carvana inevitably implodes, Carmax will be around to pick up the customers and inventory.
– Iacocca – Viper Gen 1
– DaimlerChrysler – Viper Gen 2/3
– Cerberus/Nardelli – Viper Gen 4
– FCA – Viper Gen 5
– Stellantis – ……….
Color me surprised! 🙂 That’s my phrase of the day.
What’s funny about this is I don’t even think it’s wrong, or at least not badly so.
The ’94 Ram and ’93 Grand Cherokee, Chrysler’s most important non-minivan vehicles of the last 50 years at least, were after Iacocca left and before Daimler came in. There’s an argument for the 300C for DC I suppose.
Not at all, especially if you’re focused on the halo cars. From a non-Viper POV, I just regret that they didn’t lean very heavily on it after the first 1-2 generations. Most people I know thought they were canceled a long time ago.
For more plebeian cars, I’d say K-car or Caravan for Iacocca, even if they’re a little too obvious. Maybe even the Intrepid/Vision for his later years, even if they’re mostly long forgotten now.
Checks out
Hard to argue, I was immediately wondering if every gen of the viper would line up here. Also not surprised you (V10omous) got this one posted quickly. While I truly despise the sound of the viper v10 (and v10s in general) I also truly respect the viper’s capabilities and styling so I give the engine note a pass.
All that said, and I still think I like the Dodge Demon more, as someone who drag raced way too much I just can’t disagree with a car that comes with drag radials and skinnies for wheel lifting action from the factory. I think that was with the FCA gen? Otherwise just viper all the other gens
The Demon 170 for the Stellantis entry makes a lot of sense.
Honestly I was thinking of the first Demon since it was more radical for the timeframe that it dropped in, but yea, the Demon 170 is also just too much fun as well
Like Fry, I am shocked. SHOCKED!
Well, not that shocked.
I always think it’s funny that the Escape kept getting more and more car-like then brought the Bronco Sport out, which is essentially the 1st gen Escape again. Hopefully they stuff the hybrid under the BS (pun intended).
Perhaps that’s why they killed it.
Ford doesn’t seem to want any of those “car”-like things in the lineup except the Mustang. It can’t fleece the customer enough if it’s not an SUV/truck.
That may be changing in the near future.
The newer car like Escape filled the spot left by the Focus.
I suspect we will see a hybrid Bronco Sport soon.