Which is almost any used car on the road today. Has anyone here adjusted their headlights, ever? Do you know that headlights can and should be adjusted? Do you think after driving on our roads today or after an accident that anyone thinks of adjusting their headlights? 
Seriously, look at âyourâ (not you specifically, the general you) headlights against a wall or something. Are they aimed correctly or even close?
Or drive by or behind other cars (not raised trucks and SUVs) and check that the bright spots hit below the other carsâ windows.
My experience is that headlights generally donât go out of adjustment in normal driving. So the misaimed ones are probably due to (a) crash damage, or (b) intentional misaiming âto make them brighterâ.
No one ever adjusts them or inspects them. Just like a wheel alignment, headlights require inspection and adjustment. Headlights come with an adjustment mechanism.
My experience, most do, some more than others.
Sounds like the same one⊠
Adaptive headlights are coming. They only became legal in the US with the new infrastructure bill.
We saw a Rivian last week somewhere near Irvine (± 5 miles?). As mentioned above, The Long Way Up series is excellent and really gave us an appreciation for what they can do. Now if theyâd only come up with a RAV4/CR-V size vehicle weâd definitely be taking a look at that. Weâre not truck people, but that Rivian sure is cool.
My cars have had self-leveling headlights since 2002. The technology is mature and out there, but most manufacturers wonât implement it unless it becomes mandatory.
Wall Street Journal article today:
âWith dealership lots stripped of inventory, car buyers hunting for a bargain will be lucky if they end up paying the sticker price.â
(Behind a pay wall):
https://wsj.com/articles/why-a-car-deal-will-be-hard-to-find-this-holiday-season-11639477803
Self-leveling headlights are adjustable as well and will eventually need adjustment, but are certainly better than other headlights.
Another auto industry new sourceâwhich is behind a pay wallâexpects higher new car prices from the manufacturers due to scarcity and to inflation.
Hereâs a more optimistic view of when the supply chain issues will start to ease:
Interesting, but not convincing, video. Both the host & the guest couched their predictions in cautious terms.
I spent a couple of hours at two different car dealerships (Honda & Subaru) trying to buy a second new car. All of the SUVs that I went to test drive were sold within hours of being posted on the Honda dealers website. I was there within 12 hours of posting & all 3 were sold. Was informed that I could reserve a new vehicle for an estimated delivery in March barring unforeseen circumstances.
The Sunbaru dealer had zero new cars for sale. I could reserve one expected to be delivered in about 5 or 6 months. The Subaru dealer had a 2018 used car for sale similar to new 2022 one we bought a month ago. The 2018 had used up its new car warranty & was listed at a non-negotiable price of $5,000 above what we paid for our new 2022 which included a $2,500 market adjustment premium surcharge.
In short, I will believe Toyotaâs cautionary optimism when I see it on the dealer lots.
The Subaru dealer has zero new vehicles for sale.
https:// cnbc.com/2021/12/15/rivian-to-build-5-billion-electric-truck-plant-in-georgia-sources-say.html
Rivian, like Tesla, sells direct to consumers (does not use dealers).
My work vehicle comes off lease in Feb 2022, and knowing the current issues I started looking early. Most dealers only had one or two of the SUV I was interested in and would not budge off MSRP, but the real problem was they were jacking me around on the money factor and other lease charges. I ended up ordering a BMW X3 from a lease broker, which Iâd never done before but so far so good. Got 6% off MSRP, process was quick and transparent, and car is on track to be available for me to pick up 8 weeks after I ordered it.
I bought an extended warranty on a car when I was 16. Iâll never do it again. If I remember right, I spent about 1200-1500 on that warranty, which was a HUGE amount of money to me (I made $4.75/hr at my job). many many things went wrong with my car, and that warranty didnât cover a single one of them.
My boyfriend bought some extended warranty on his car when he bought it 2 years ago. I wish he wouldnât have, but itâs his money and it gave him piece of mind. Itâs going to wind up being a lot of money thrown in the trash can, IMHO. At least he makes > $4.75/hr. Lol.
I have had my problems with cars covered by warranties. The warranties were always the ones from the manufacturer and I insisted they honor and not tack on charges I didnât agree to.
So far I havenât made any claims on my Prius prime warranty but itâs for 10 years or 100,000 miles. It gives H and me peace of mind. Iâve had the car 7 years and made one covered claimâthe gas tank had gas spill out when you were filling it. It was fixed with no hassles.
Even our neighbor with decades of highly skilled technical experience purchased a manufacturer extended warranty for his new pickup truck since new vehicles are computers with a lot of electrical components / functions. And this is a person with an engineering degree who rebuilds cars & trucks as a hobby.
My favorite Consumer Reports review:
Buick Encore
"This subcompact SUV has a veneer of luxury, but overall itâs an outdated and overpriced vehicle.
On the downside, the Encoreâs little 1.4 liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and six-speed automatic transmission combine to deliver plodding acceleration and unimpressive fuel economy.
The small Encore is expensive ($23,200-$25,220) for what you get, which makes it a dubious value. The interior is narrow and cramped, and the swoopy styling intrudes on the view out of the back."
Yet, it receives a CR check mark which indicates that the Buick Encore is a ârecommendedâ vehicle.
The RAV4 Prime spreadsheet was updated today. Ignore anything that says Dealer Hold as those are spoken for. It looks like a few are available in CO, but you never really know until you contact the dealer.
Average new car is selling for 11.1% above sticker price (MSRP):