If you’re lucky enough to have purchased a new vehicle in your life, you’ve almost certainly come across the annoying reality of the “destination fee.” These fees are different between manufacturers and may even be called something else entirely, but the impact is always the same. You pay this fee on top of the selling price of the vehicle. If a dealer wants to throw you a bone, maybe you can get the fee waived. But the fee is always there.
Matt wrote a Morning Dump about the secret way automakers are making you pay for tariffs, and one of the stories was how destination fees are basically bogus ways to get more money from customers. I love V10omous’ alternative:
You should have the legal right to pick your car up at the factory or port of entry and pay $0 destination (if domestic) or reduced destination (if foreign).
The fact that no one allows this (Corvette museum delivery still requires destination for example) puts proof to the lie of what that fee really is.
Spikedlemon:
It’s time they learnt from cereal box companies.
Just make the box slightly smaller, depth-wise, and it doesn’t change the shelf-appeal despite having 20% less inside it.
Cut out some of that sound insulation for the passengers, have even-worse OEM tires, move the sunroof further up the option-chain, raise prices of higher volume trim models but leave the base (the sticker-model) lower…
What’s the automotive equivalent of adding sawdust to food?
Whatever Stellantis does.
The end-of-the-week Shitbox Showdown from Mark included a Nissan Altima, a Ford Ranger, a Kia Spectra, and a Chevrolet Aveo. StillNotATony has a wild idea:
Altima.
I’d like to conduct a science experiment: is the origin of Big Altima Energy car based or driver based?
Hardibro seems like a pretty even keeled type of guy. If, after say, six months of Matt driving the Altima, it’s riding on at least one space saver spare, the tags are expired, has one or more bumper caps hanging off or missing altogether, and is perpetually doing 90 while swerving across multiple lanes of traffic, we’ll know it’s the car.
However, if it’s in pretty much the same condition and Matt’s driving record is reasonably unblemished, we’ll know it’s the driver.
Yeah, science, bitch!!!
Grey alien in a beige sedan:
Much like hopping in a 1980s Camaro and instantly growing a mullet, hopping into any year Altima turns you into a police-fleeing heathen before you even turn the key.
Alpinab7:
Every time a mullet reaches shoulder length, an angel gets its jean jacket.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
(Top graphic: GM)
The post A Logical Alternative To Car Destination Fees: COTD appeared first on The Autopian.
