SF Loses $5 Million
If you want to buy a new Lexus, Infiniti, Acura, Dodge, Saab, Hummer, Saturn, Lincoln, Mercury, Mitsubishi, Ferrari, Maserati, Maybach, Rolls-Royce, Porsche, Nissan, Subaru, Suzuki, or Hyundai, you can’t buy it in San Francisco.
A rough calculation suggests that the City of San Francisco loses at least $5 million per year in sales tax revenues on these lost sales. Even more is lost on sales of cars that are sold here when San Franciscans go out of town to buy them.
Our town is a tough one for auto retailers. Autos are a low-margin business. High costs for real estate, insurance and employees can’t be passed on to consumers in the form of higher car prices. That fact has driven most car dealers out of San Francisco. Those who remain must absorb those costs and accept a lower return on their investment.
A luxury hotel room or fine meal is worth a lot more here than in San Bruno, but how much more would you pay for an identical car bought here vs. 20 miles away? You know the answer: zero.
When you make your choice, and if you want to help San Francisco, remember that $250 or more of the sales tax on each new car sale made here goes to the city.
Two Contrasting New Offerings
By now you’ve surely heard that the hottest-selling new car today is the hybrid gas-electric Toyota Prius. Waiting lists are four-to-six-months long.
Several years ago, Toyota introduced the first version of the Prius. It was an immediate hit, especially in environmentally sensitive San Francisco. With its low-polluting, high gas mileage combination, $20,000 price, and Toyota reliability, there was a lot to like.
In typical Toyota fashion, long before consumers tired of the first Prius, they introduced the new model. It looked as if they offered 50 percent more car for no more money (around $20,000). The car grew in size, power and presence; it’s quite handsome now, and remains a paragon of fuel efficiency and enviro-friendliness.
In a Prius, there are two motors – gasoline and electric. According to circumstance, it runs on one or the other. Sounds complicated, but in real life, it’s quiet, lively, and seamless as it transfers from one power source to the other.
Around town, it tends to get even higher mileage than in freeway driving. There’s a neat display screen on the dash that tells you your fuel consumption, and it seldom reads under 40 miles per gallon. On the open road, the speed builds up impressively, and is displayed by a very space-age digital speedometer. I saw it go up to 80-90 and beyond to 100 miles per hour. The total effect must be experienced! I could only think “magic carpet.”
Ford Freestyle
This new 7-seater model, which could replace your van or SUV is actually a high-roof, all-wheel-drive station wagon.
But before telling you more about this rather bland-appearing car, one has to wonder how cars get named. Someone must sit around and think about these things, and maybe survey people to find out what names mean to them, and get well paid for suggesting names.
If I were that person, and all I could come up with was “Freestyle,” I’d give my paycheck back and look for other work. From within the Ford family we’ve had great names: Mustang, Explorer, Bronco, and even plain old Model “T”. But Freestyle? What does that mean? Honda’s Element tells what it is; even letters and numbers have come to have associations, like Z-28 on a Camaro or 300SL on a Mercedes.
Maybe we could call this Ford J.A.R. for Just About Right. Whatever its name, this Ford is a superb effort. All the basics – seating, suspension, body structure, power train – are extremely well done.
Materials are of good quality, but it’s curiously understated, to the point of looking very plain. At least there’s nothing offensive, and one suspects it will wear well, like that jacket you hope never wears out.
In a time of confusing dashboards with hundreds of buttons, this Ford design stands out for looking clean and well-organized. Every function is clear and understandable. Everything fits with precision.
Some reviewers have questioned its power – is there enough? There seems to be plenty, along with fine handling. One reviewer pointed out that the V6 Ford out-accelerates the V6 Porsche Cayenne. A Freestyle costs about $30,000, plus or minus a little depending on options. You might wonder what you get for $20,000 to 50,000 more in some of the “prestige” nameplate SUVs. You’ll have to drive them and ask yourself the same question. The plain fact is that very high-quality cars are now available at reasonable prices – testimony to the remarkable abilities of auto manufacturers to be innovative and to control costs.
Makes one wonder what abilities the industry’s many critics have. To paraphrase an old saying: If you can’t do it, criticize it. |
