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Lexus has said it could never build a car priced under $30,000, because it wouldn’t be a Lexus, it would be a Toyota.
That’s a respectable position to take, because it gives the luxury brand at least a little separation from its plebeian cousin.
Other luxury automakers have decided against that strategy and built entry-level vehicles designed to entice younger buyers into their brands. That decision, though, cheapens the brand for more upscale buyers.
I pulled up to the bank yesterday and parked nose to nose with a Mercedes-Benz.
It was kind of weird at first glance but I only looked for a moment and didn’t give it a second glance until I passed it again, on foot, on the way into the bank.
The car was an “Anniversary Edition,” at least according to the crudely applied stickers near the front fender. That’s when I paid more attention and realized the car wasn’t a Mercedes at all.
It was a Kia.
Consumer Reports has drunk the American Kool-Aid.
The magazine, influential among car shoppers who commonly consult its ratings and recommendations, has made a decision that doesn’t make any sense.
I’m not saying car shoppers should dismiss the magazine’s advice, but I will say, on this topic, mine is better.
“You know, we should probably check out a Buick.”
I had no idea my dad was capable of speaking such nonsense. He wasn’t even kidding.
My parents were in the process of shopping for a new car, and my dad, a lifelong proponent of foreign cars and skeptic of American cars, uttered those fateful and surprising words.
At 60 years old, my dad was just doing what many 60-year-olds do. Thankfully my mom is still 59 and hasn’t crossed over into the age of Buicks just yet. She prevented the purchase and influenced a choice that conveys a considerably younger persona.
My son just wanted to look. As a young car-obsessed kid interested in a future of car design, he is desperate to own a sports car. The kid has taste, though, and knows the value of a Porsche over a Corvette.
He wants his first car to be a Boxster so he can drive to high school in style.
He wants my new bride and me to own a 911.
Wishful thinking, right?