There’s a very sound reason to not buy a new car, given the (s)election of El Presidente Biden. It is that the incoming jefe seems determined to make whatever you buy in 2021 or thereafter a worthless car by 2030.
If it’s not an electric car.
Other cars face rapid devaluation – via regulations aimed at assuring nothing other than electric cars will be available for sale after 2030, which is nine years from now and not much longer from now than a typical new car loan.
Would you sign up for a mortgage today if you suspected that nine years hence the home will be impossible to resell? Or that you’re likely to get hosed on the resale of it, because of a law that made it unappealing to buyers nine years hence?
Such as a law mandating apartment living? With codicils applying all sorts of expensive restrictions to single family homes?
By the time you’ve paid off your 2021 whatever-it-is (if it isn’t an electric car) it’s doubtful anyone will want to pay you anything for it – its value having been doubly depreciated by the mandated obsolescence of its species and the add-on whammy of prospective buyers knowing that if they buy your automotive Aurochs, they may not be able to use it for much – el Jefe’s Green New Deal likely to encompass exclusions on the use of other-than-electric cars in places people might wish to be able to drive, such as to their job.
Assuming, of course, everyone isn’t locked-down at home with Corona Anklets to assure compliance with the “guidelines.”
There is also the near-certainty of “incentives” being applied to chill the desire to purchase of a non-electric car, such as taxes applied to the fuel they use – in the manner of the taxes applied to Freon (R12) air conditioning refrigerant. You can still buy it – if you can afford to spend $100 per can, $95 of that being taxes specifically intended to “nudge” people to buy other-than-Freon refrigerants.
Which they have.
Freon – which as recently as the mid-1990s – was the refrigerant used in almost all vehicle AC systems – is now used in no vehicle AC systems, except for those made before the mid-1990s. Which have AC systems that are now much more expensive to service, which reduces their value because of their cost.
You can see the method.
It is already being applied to the manufacture of non-electric cars via federal regulations that only electric cars can comply with, such as the pending “mandate” el Jefe has promised he’ll impose requiring that all new cars average at least 50 MPG by – here comes that curious number again – 2030.
The only cars that can meet this “mandate” are partial-electric cars (hybrids) but those are deemed unacceptable because they aren’t considered “zero emissions” cars. Only pure-blooded electric cars qualify for that honorific, no matter how high their aggregate emissions (what is emitted during their manufacture; what is emitted at the utility which generates the power they need, etc.)
Again, it won’t be illegal to make – or buy – a car that isn’t electric. It will just be made exorbitantly expensive. This will reduce the buying thereof, which in turn reduces the manufacturing thereof.
Manufactured scarcity – for the sake of forced abundance.
But not even that since abundant doesn’t mean affordable.
EVs are meant to be unaffordable, in order to make them rentable. This isn’t conspiracy theory but economic fact, unless by dint of some alchemy the purchasing power of the average American is increased such as to offset the cost of the EV.
The person who can afford an $18,000 non-electric car will need to come up with another $12,0000-$15,000 to be able to afford its electric car equivalent (which it isn’t, really, other than in terms of its size; the EV having half the range and forcing its owner to plan his day around recharging sessions).
Is it likely the average American will be earning more next year – or the year after – than he earned before the manufactured hysteria over “the virus” destroyed his business or curtailed his work by half?
Where, then, will he get the money to buy the electric car el Jefe intends to force him to drive? Perhaps el Jefe will simply – per Gilligan, in one of those episodes of classic TV sitcoms that was both funny and instructive – give them this, that and the other thing.
It is, after all, what 80 million of them supposedly voted for.
. . .
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The pressing question is will there be an outright ban on all or new ICE vehicles or will it be yet another regulatory fiction. Joe Biden is of the political slight of hand bent which delights in the lies people believe.
Furthermore there is still ICE development going on. Manufacturers would like to get more than 9 years of tooling and development amortization on the hard parts of platforms that don’t change much over long spans of time.
Among the technically ignorant and recent liberal arts graduates skulking among in this ill-educated world, the electric car is all the rage, despite having extremely limited range and thus limited utility. The real purpose of electric cars is to inconvenience, we, the peasants, to the point of finally replacing them with electrics, thus ensuring that we, the great unwashed, can’t just run around at will, using up finite motor fuels (though the world’s supply of petroleum keeps growing yearly), just going just anywhere we want any time we want, and rudely ignoring our “betters,” you know, those morally superior and environmentally “aware” people, clutching their degrees in sociology, political science, and lower-class peasant supervision.
Neither Trump nor Biden have the legitimate authority to dictate anything regarding automobiles. Maybe for federal employees, while they’re on the clock, but that’s it. Unless confined to their job description
(e.g., president’s oath of office) the authoritarian juggernaut will continue. No Constitution = dictatorship/fascism.
Tenth Amendment: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
If, in fact, the Constitution is just a “goddamned piece of paper” – then let’s have an official ceremony to nullify and bury it.
I dont know Eric – these announcements may just increase demand for good petrol cars. As we know, there are some purposes electric wont fullfill for a long time to come. As time goes on and companies stop developing new ones and gov taxing them more and more – the existing petrol cars will hold their value well compared to what they do now. Also, more demand will be created for those enthusiast type of cars – as people know they wont be able to get them later on. Already been seeing this in the used market to some extent – where good manual versions of popular sports cars hold value much better than the automatic versions.
Hi Nasir,
I agree with you. I do not see petroleum going away anytime soon. We are not even close to getting a plane off the ground without fuel. Long distance trucking (which is essential in this country) needs something that goes further than 200-600 miles between charges.
The auto industry has been promoting battery powered engines since the early 1900s. GM began working on electric battery cars as early as the 1970s. Their 1990 auto show talked about how wonderful the EV1 was….what was their goal? To rent it. Sounds familiar, huh?
Americans do not want battery powered cars. The Tesla is fine if you are a city dweller or just want to be part of the “in” crowd, but overall, it is completely useless. How do I tote a refrigerator home or two kids and two dogs around in a Tesla or any other electric tiny car. Remember Daimler’s Smart Car? How long did that last again?
They can stop selling diesel and gasoline engines tomorrow and America will hold onto to what they have. They are not going to waste money on something that is not convenient for them and their life.
Plus, does anyone think that Exxon, Chevron, and BP is just going to sit back and let this happen? How about Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Russia, hell even the US. Oil makes our economy run. The Green New Deal is a pipe dream for the commies. It too expensive, too cumbersome, and too unmanageable to get through.
Morning, RG –
I think – as difficult as it is to get our heads around – they are playing for keeps this time. They intend to turn the engine of the world off, so that they can control the world like feudal overlords. That EVs and electrification can’t work is just the point. They are aren’t meant to. Just as we know the Holy Rag doesn’t “stop the spread.” Yet the Holy Rag is ubiquitous. It is coming. We just don’t want to believe such a thing is possible.
It is.
Good morning, Eric.
The problem that the feudal overlords are going to encounter is these little people called antagonists. True, they aren’t going to be the mask wearers, these persons have are already proclaimed themselves ready for serfdom, but those “other” people…..the fighters, the rebels, even a few that believe they are more than entitled to the riches (very much like the overlords themselves). In Demolition Man we called them the Mole People. 😊
I was reading a few articles this morning (can’t sleep) about the Moorish Sovereign Citizens that are going into states like Washington and Maryland with falsified papers claiming they own all of the land between Alaska and Argentina. Basically, they are going into wealthy (very wealthy) neighborhoods and making themselves right at home in 12 bedroom mansions and large waterfront properties. Do I agree with what they are doing? Absolutely not. Am I a little happy they are trouncing on the super rich? Yep. I am hoping they stake out at Gates, Buffet’s, and Pelosi’s homes shortly.
Their will always be resistance (some good, some bad). Not everyone inscribes to servitude.
If the straw bosses shutdown the oil industry people will starve, people will die. Try rationalizing with a hungry and desperate person, you can’t. You get enough of them and the end game is always questionable.
Agree with you, oil runs the world economy and cannot be replaced in our lifetimes without mass starvation since our food is produced at every step using petroleum products. The economic depression that an oil shutdown would cause, would result in billions starving. That’s not a defect, that’s a feature of the totalitarian shutdowns, of which COVID is a test run, and they will never stop the shutdows because they believe it is necessary to stop climate change – they will only get worse – particularly after Biden/Harris/Beto take our firearms. These folks are believers – climate change is their religion and NOTHING is going to stop them other than violence. Climate change MAY BE a real problem, but the totalitarian solution will be unacceptable.
On flying airplanes, yes there are a few but they are small, only hold a few passengers, and are limited in range. Google: “The largest electric plane yet completed its first flight — but it’s the batteries that matter” and open up the nbcnews website.
Let’s see how the construction of the soon to be required power grid goes. Or will all uses of electricity other than EVs be outlawed?. The plain simple fact is that regardless of the good or bad of EVs, there is no chance in hell of the necessary infrastructure needed to support them being in service by 2030. Which means that outlawing ICs is nothing more nor less than outlawing private transport. Period. Except for walking and bicycles anyway. Of course the willful destruction of our economy may remove any argument one way or the other. Won’t be a lot of cars being driven when you can’t feed yourself, much less a gas tank.
There is another way. The manufacturers simply stop producing electronic components for automobiles, either by design or legislation. Poof! Modern cars are gone. Want to buy a new one? Only electric ones are for sale. Job done.
Think I’m kidding? Try to buy some critical electronic components for 2005 or earlier autos today.
Hi Mugwump,
You raise am excellent point – in re parts availability. I expect this problem to become worse and more obvious in the near future, if only because model turnover is much more rapid now than it was and volume is lower, too. My ’76 Trans-Am is more or less the same in terms of its critical components as any other ’70-81 Firebird and shares many basic components with many other GM vehicles from that era, of which millions were produced. These parts are also interchangeable; i.e., not specific to my particular car. This is one reason why it is still easy to find any necessary part for my car, even though it is pushing 50 years old. Finding parts for 100 year old model T Fords is no problem, either.
But a given 2005 car that was made for a much shorter time and in far fewer numbers may be hard to find critical parts for after 15 years. The parts for many newer cars have to be for that specific car, too – no mixing and matching.
Friends of mine just bought a ’90s-era Dodge truck with the Cummins diesel, mechanically injected. That’s the ticket.
Eric,
I understand that you can get almost ALL the parts of a Ford Model A too! I saw this documentary about why the Model A was the best American car ever made: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0imK2TaNUk
Yes, I believe diesel will probably be the way to go since I believe we cannot replace trucks and large or heavy construction equipment diesels with batteries. Us gasoline users will start seeing a steady increase in the price of gas as fewer and fewer cars will require it. No need for legislation really, market forces will drive it upward. Refiners producing less gas costs more to refine. Tankers hauling less gas to stations costs more to haul. Stations maintaining gas pumps selling less gas costs more to maintain. All those costs passed on to the consumer in the price per gallon of course.
What about the availability of gas? Why would a gas station today running 10 pumps waste all that real estate when less people are using them? They’ll rip out the pumps one by one and install charging stations or something else to turn that real estate space back into a profit center. They have to. They wouldn’t have a choice.
We’ll probably be left with one gas pump selling very expensive gas, like the gas station near my home that has one pump for the expensive ethanol free stuff.
Yes the end of trump means the end of ICs by biden or his copresident kamala. It also means vaccination certificates to get a drivers license – go to a grocery store – travel on a plane etc. Theyll pack the court – get new states and total communism will be here. And president moron let it all happen on his watch with his weird don-in-law kushner. You dont fight the voting process after the fucking fact.
Amen, Mark-
This: “You don’t fight the voting process after the fucking fact.”
Especially when you could see it coming 10 miles away.
He isn’t fighting the “voting process”. He is using it as defined in the law and the Constitution. Refer to Al Gore versus Bush in 2000 for a refresher. It was not settled until December 13, 2000. For history on the process, Google: “Electoral College & Indecisive Elections” and open the history.house dot gov website for a good read.
For a refresher on Bush v Gore, Google: “Order Code RL30736 Presidential Transitions Updated February 11, 2008”, then open the fas dot org website, and read pages CRS-19 thru 21. Very interesting read. Bush did not receive funds for the transition until Dec 13, 2000.
Comment from H.L. Mencken on a strategy to fight the tyranny (with words for now) that is more effective than calmly explaining it. The mind control programming is too strong for that… “The liberation of the human mind has never been furthered by dunderheads; it has been furthered by gay fellows who heaved dead cats into sanctuaries and then went roistering down the highways of the world, proving to all men that doubt, after all, was safe – that the god in the sanctuary was finite in his power and hence a fraud. ONE HORSE-LAUGH IS WORTH MORE THAN TEN THOUSAND SYLLOGISMS. It is not only more effective; it is also vastly more intelligent.”
I’ll be sure to do that each and every time someone says “there’s a deadly pandemic” or some shit about electric cars being “better for the environment.”
I think it’ll work better face to face than online. A wordy and raucous post can come across as crazy. Better a pithy or Spartan response. Less is more with words.
This is very true, Michael – and it’s precisely why I refer to this enchilada of pathology as a Sickness Cult and mock the Holy Rag, the Face Diaper. Never grant it the legitimacy of of “mask,” much less “yours.” I’ve never owned such an embarrassing item and never intend to.
Yes you do sir. That’s why I keep coming back to read. Your insult game and mocking picture game is on point too.
Thanks for the kind words, Michael!
More on deck…
With current or even remotely plausible future battery technology, electric cars are not feasible to replace the petroleum fleet. Anything else is a pipe dream at best and dishonest propaganda at worst. Any current battery technology relies on a large supply of lithium. This simply doesn’t exist on our planet. When you ask where the lithium will come from, they tell you that we can recycle old batteries. How do you recycle your way into increasing the total supply, I don’t know. I’m not supposed to know, and I’m asking too many questions.
It’s easy enough to see where EV Fever leads ― to the tumbrels.
Tesla’s dirty little secret is that you only need a current-limiting inverter and jumper cables to convert any Tesla into an efficient mobile electric chair ― the ultimate weapon against Climate Wrongthink and Carbon Crimethink.
Fanning out across flyover country (because that’s where the deplorables dwell), Kamala-chan’s Green Guards make quick work of those concealing a ghastly fetish for deadly, IC-engined relics that should long since have been packed off to the crusher.
Strapped to any handy piece of furniture ― Adirondack chairs work splendidly with their long, flat armrests ― the grizzled old perps (they’re always old, aren’t they, and 95 percent male) twitch and convulse like electrified rag dolls as the first revelatory jolt widens their eyes and tightens their jaw.
Green Guards gaze reverently as rheumy old fingers blacken and curl under the cleansing command of 480 volts AC, while often wisely paraphrasing Max Planck to the effect that ‘climate justice advances one funeral at a time.’
Benevolently the smiling framed portrait of Komrade Kamala, required by law to be prominently enshrined in every home and business, beams down at the cheerful prospect of one less mouth to feed, one less pension paid to the undeserving and the unenlightened.
Think I’m making this up? Just in time, electrocution is ‘all legal’ again:
‘New Justice Department rules allow for the use of more methods for federal executions, including firing squad and electrocution. The new regulation will be published Friday.’
https://thecrimereport.org/2020/11/26/new-doj-execution-rules-allow-firing-squad-electrocution/
I believe benjamin franklin said yje biggest argument against democracy is a five minute conversatiom with the average voter. certainly true now since no biden voter knows what they were voting for because he never told anyone bresides what bland things his handlers told him to say. pathetic
In 2020, political risk was injected into every financial decision, business and personal.
Why do people continue to fall for this stuff? The Wilson administration really was a coup d’état in the United States, brought about by the first generation of elites. All of the 20th century BS started here. Even Edward Bernays was brought in to sell the Great War. I guess when all you know is what you’ve been spoon fed that’s all you want to hear.
I’d say it’s definitely a good idea to at least hold off a car purchase until the (s)election IS decided…
I can respect people with whom I have an honest disagreement. What I can’t respect, or stand, is rank dishonesty and duplicity. If the Harris/Biden Gang said, “We’re gonna make it illegal to drive any car that isn’t electric”, I wouldn’t like it but, at least you’d know exactly what I’m dealing with. However, this BS about, “Oh, we’re not BANNING anything. We’re just encouraging the use of other things.” is absolutely infuriating.
As the character Fletcher said in the Outlaw Josey Wales, “Dont’ piss down my back and tell me it’s rainin’.”
Mock them mercilessly
If they outright ban something, then they’re subject to the same restrictions as everyone else. Oh sure, money can buy a certain amount of anonymity, but it’s pretty tough to hide an internal combustion engine. No, better to make something too expensive for the mass market to own, then the CFR crowd can still have the good stuff (and enjoy the fact that their “success” is what made it possible).