I sure do miss cheap oil.

[ATex7239]

Well both examples are legitimate gripes-- it'd be nice to buy a car with a stick shift, roll 'em windows, port fuel injection just like it'd be nice to find a "starter ranch" house so people can start building equity and get out of paying rent faster. There's a presumption of choice but you won't find a spec house (or a 'spec car' which most pretty much are) with barebones equipment. The demand is there but the makers are choosing to make what they make.

People on here talk about wanting basic and bare bones… but that is just not true outside of here in my experience. The market may be there but that doesn’t mean the market is big enough to be worth going after for manufacturers.

 

[bullwinkle]

This! Bought two brand new Cavaliers for around 10k in the early 00s…

Those days are long gone now. Can’t even get used cars for that price any more…..

My ex-employer in the late '80s used to buy S-10 work trucks, Iron Duke 2.5 4-speed manuals... For under TEN GRAND,

 

[bullwinkle]

People on here talk about wanting basic and bare bones… but that is just not true outside of here in my experience. The market may be there but that doesn’t mean the market is big enough to be PROFITABLE ENOUGH for manufacturers.

FIFY...

 

[IndyIan]

People on here talk about wanting basic and bare bones… but that is just not true outside of here in my experience. The market may be there but that doesn’t mean the market is big enough to be worth going after for manufacturers.

In other markets, they do offer more basic versions of the cars we get here. I presume because those markets are more competitive and significant market segment wants a simpler car.
We've bought two base model new cars, but the Outback has got everything we really want/need anyways, we voted with our wallets but its true that not many new buyers think the same.

 

[ka9mnx]

We all would chip in a quarter for gas and hop in Rusty’s 67 Camaro and go down to Huntington Beach. Our bathing suits were shorts cut from blue jeans, normal for that day.

$1.25 would fill my '62 Austin Healey Sprite and run for weeks. Don't tell but I was skimming my lunch money to fill the tank!

 

[ka9mnx]

My ex-employer in the late '80s used to buy S-10 work trucks, Iron Duke 2.5 4-speed manuals... For under TEN GRAND,

I bought a brand new 2000 bare bones Ford Ranger for $10,000. Couldn't pass on that one!

 

[ATex7239]

In other markets, they do offer more basic versions of the cars we get here. I presume because those markets are more competitive and significant market segment wants a simpler car.
We've bought two base model new cars, but the Outback has got everything we really want/need anyways, we voted with our wallets but it’s true that not many new buyers think the same.

This is my experience. Most people (US) want nice new vehicles. Lot of folks on here advocate against buying new or luxury vehicles but then want to complain about new and luxury vehicles. If you buy them new you have grounds to complain. If you only buy used then not so much.

 

[bbhero]

We demand low-costs as consumers, but then we get upset when we receive poor service and low quality… We complain when there are no qualified people and products “don’t last long enough”, but we don’t want to absorb the costs for higher wages and better materials.. Then we say that big corporations are “greedy” when they turn large profits, but simultaneously expect our own investment portfolios to grow as shareholders of these same companies…

Capitalism for me and none for thee.

Great, great post in my opinion…

I am willing to pay more for “ better” high end products… Like Lea and Perrins Worscestershire sauce. $4.99 a bottle vs $1.19 store brand.

Though at times one can find cheaper products that are better than more expensive name brands… The Greek yogurt store brand from Harris Teeter and Food Lion are way better than Chobani… Or the HT Traders pasta sauce that is $4.99 vs the $8.99 and up pasta sauces is another example of that.

But I know at times you just gotta pay more for better quality. Like fresh chicken from Harris Teeter the blue package chicken antibiotic free, no growth hormone chicken is a good bit more money vs the cheapest chicken. But that more expensive blue package chicken cooks way better and takes flavor and seasoning way, way better too. Like Niman Ranch pork is way, way better vs Smithfield pork.

 

[Patman]

Great, great post in my opinion…

I am willing to pay more for “ better” high end products… Like Lea and Perrins Worscestershire sauce. $4.99 a bottle vs $1.19 store brand.

Though at times one can find cheaper products that are better than more expensive name brands… The Greek yogurt store brand from Harris Teeter and Food Lion are way better than Chobani… Or the HT Traders pasta sauce that is $4.99 vs the $8.99 and up pasta sauces is another example of that.

That's how I feel about Supertech/Kirkland oil, it is better than some of the more expensive name brand oils (namely it's better than some of the more basic entry level synthetics from Mobil, Pennzoil, Castrol, etc.)

 

[Snagglefoot]

Here is the inflation adjusted cost of crude oil. Crude input costs are just a small part of the price of motor oil but energy costs at refineries are affected by the general price of energy. We enjoyed relatively cheap oil from 1985 to 2005, but the price of oil took off around 2005 and so did the price of lubricants.

 

[FCD]

Oil in the US is still cheap relative to here , even the cheapest no name oils are over 5€ / L .
Although yes, sales tax is 21% here.

 

[Corollaman]

I'm sure a few here might remember the Schucks/Kragen auto parts stores .49 quart Chevron, even with inflation that was pretty cheap.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Me not so much as I buy as much as I can on sale and a rebate if possible.

 

[userfriendly]

This! Bought two brand new Cavaliers for around 10k in the early 00s…

Those days are long gone now. Can’t even get used cars for that price any more…..

Now a 2024 Lectern is $19,000.