My neighbor sold an older Chrysler minivan in perfect condition for $2000. Someone who bought his minivan could buy a Motorola Droid phone ($2000 over three years, including service), a car dock ($30), and enjoy a far superior GPS experience from Google Maps (which includes free traffic information; with the Toyota system you have to pay for a subscription). Then he could add two Apple iPads for the kids to use in the back ($1000). He wouldn’t need the bluetooth speakerphone because the Droid already is a speakerphone. So… for the price of just the basic electronics options in the Toyota, a consumer could have a minivan, free phone service, and $1000 left over. Is it any wonder that car sales in the U.S. are stagnant?

Philip Greenspun’s Weblog » Apple iPad and bigger touch screens

New car math is ridiculous. Not only the customer is punished for purchasing the car new, but he also pockets a 20% depreciation hit simply by driving it out of the dealership. I used to hate our Jeep Liberty (2003) to death, until I learned that Ivette didn’t change the oil for two years and the Jeep rode FINE until the check engine light came up since the engine was running almost dry. Now I think I am going to keep that sonofabitch until it disintegrates, because I doubt any newer product will have that kind of survivability.