For current MYs, the base models have a gauge in the instrument cluster.



The upper-level trims have two different versions of digital displays in the right-most "pod" that will include an engine temp gauge.

 

Good. That is a significant step forward.

I can still remember in 1981, when Ford unveiled the then-new Escort, and Chrysler the then-new K-cars. You talk about cheap. Both products had a single, red "ENGINE" light on the dash....no, not the yellow/orange "CHECK ENGINE" light that would later debut with advanced engine-computers and emissions systems. This POS was a single red bulb that was connected to BOTH the oil-pressure sensor and the engine-coolant temperature sensor. When it flashed, you had either overheated or lost oil-pressure....it didn't say which??? Instructions in the Owners' Manual were to shut off the engine and not run it any more until the problem was found and repaired. ....which usually meant a tow to the nearest repair shop, back when warranties were usually only 1 year, and there was no Roadside-Assistance from the factory.

It was nonsense like this (along with poor-quality from the factory to boot) that led to wholesale defections to Japanese cars in the 1980s...yes, at the time, I was one of them.

 

True dat! Even the old air-cooled VW's had two lights: one for oil pressure; one for alternator! BTW...Those in-the-know installed a temp gauge for the number 3 cylinder head as these cars were notorious for warping the number 3 cylinder exhaust valve.

 

That's one of the reasons why VW and Porsche abandoned air-cooled power plants for liquid-cooled. With air-cooling, it was difficult to get even combustion temperatures in all of the cylinders, which is an absolute must if you are going to lower emissions as much as possible.

 

Just an update, her lease is through Chase so she can trade it in. She's probably going to go with the Venza.

I tell you what though, this market is no joke. Cars getting sold before they ever even get into the dealership...dealers that will sell at MSRP insist on marking up money factors. Forget about trying to get specifically what you want...just getting one to buy is a challenge,

If you dont have to buy a car now, don't. Worst car market for a buyer I have EVER seen. It feels a lot like my real estate market.

 

Great choice. I don't think she will be disappointed, although the UX might be a little easier to manuver and park at close quarters.

If you believe what the press is saying about this, they say it's because of computer-chip shortages, low production in the auto-plants, and excessive demand caused by the post-pandemic recovery (never mind the fact that another pandemic may be starting with the Delta-virus).

Personally, I'm not totally convinced...the computer-chip shortage part may be legit, but, as for vehicle-availability/pricing, there are some eerie similarities to what we went through with gas from 1973-1975. Back then, much of the Western world was the target of a deliberately-engineered OPEC boycott of crude-oil, in an attempt to punish us economically for backing Israel in the Yom Kippur War. At that time, much of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) was heavily Arab/Muslim, and hostile to the Israelis. Needless to say, the boycott worked....our economy suffered terribly, the gasoline market was changed radically, prices basically doubled, and availability plummeted......into long gas lines. There was at least some evidence that oil companies were deliberately manipulating (or adding to) the shortage to ensure lasting, higher prices. The vehicle market was also radically changed...into smaller/less-powerful vehicles. We also had similar conditions in 1979, but for different reasons....they were not tied to Israel.

Though it is not (yet) totally clear, I can see at least some similarities in the auto market, today, to what was going on with the gasoline market back then. Vehicle-availability may be deliberately being cut back (or exaggerated) as a pawn to get prices up and keep them up. Government also benefits from this (when vehicles are actually sold) because of the sales taxes they collect. Higher prices, unless the actual tax-rate is adjusted, obviously means higher taxes (same with fuel).

 

Boy, I hear you.

When I bought my 2021 RAV4 Limited hybrid last fall, I remember thinking that, with buying the vehicle 3 days after the 2021s became available, I was likely paying a couple of thousand more than what I would have paid had I waited to buy it in the spring or summer of 2021, but I bought the RAV4 anyway because, had I kept my aging Lexus GX going into the winter, it would have needed at least a couple of thousand in maintenance and repairs, and it didn't seem to make sense to put that much money into a 15+ year old vehicle whose re-sale or trade value wasn't great.

As it turned out, had I waited until this spring or summer to buy the RAV4, I would have ended up paying $3000-4000 more for it than what I paid last fall, and that is if I could have even found a loaded RAV4 Limited hybrid now. Right now, they are almost impossible to find, and, if you can find one, you are likely to be paying over MSRP (and with no factory rebate at all). Right now, the Carvana site has some used 2019 and 2020 RAV4 hybrids with prices that are higher than what I paid for my brand new loaded 2021 RAV4 Limited hybrid last fall.

On the other end, I decided to sell my 2017 Lexus UL package ES about a month ago. Carvana offered me $5000 more for the car than what they had offered me just a couple of month earlier.

This is a great time to be selling a car, but only if you don't need to replace it with another car. And I just read an article that predicted that the current market conditions are likely to continue into the near future.

 

This reflects my recent experience in buying the Tundra. I had to put down a deposit well before it came to the dealership otherwise I couldn't get one. When I put down the deposit, I had to sign off that I understand that there are currently no negotiations on pricing. It's straight up MSRP or move on. Luckily that part worked out because it was on my trade in that the real negotiations took place and made it worth it (they REALLY wanted my trade in).

 

It’s a lot of different factors, supply issues with plant shutdowns catching up, chip shortage, and high demand. But it is rough…

 

This is a pretty deep multi-level conspiracy to be throwing out there without any evidence, don't you think?

 

Its absurd lol. There is no conspiracy.

 

If she can wait, the new 2022 NX looks impressive :

 

Yeah. Haha. Chip shortage is real and other industries are feeling it too. Auto doesn't even get first dibs on semiconductors as there are bigger industries vying for chips like technology companies. Companies like Apple and Samsung get first cut due to their volumes and then trickles down to other industries like auto. It is what it is.

 

​​​​​​​Did I say that it was all a conspiracy LOL? I said the chip-shortage part of it was real......not imagined.


Need to read the entire post, folks, before you start to toss stones.

 

Yup. I just got a whole-house generator installed. After waiting 7 months because the generator companies are still behind from last year's production stoppages, they installed the generator without the chip to enable wi-fi and the app access. The chip will be shipped "sometime" and the installer will come back and install the chip.