It’s early in the process. My wife and I intend to buy a new car that will be the last car we ever buy, so it needs to realistically be able to last for fifteen or twenty years. That’s not just a pipe dream; our current second car is twenty-one years old and it still looks good and runs perfectly, so we’re not being unrealistic. And we’re not even trading in that second car; we plan to keep it, and trade in the “new” car, which is coming up on nine years old.
So of course I’m doing a lot of preparatory reading. There is much to consider, but the main priorities we both have involve reliability and comfort. And maybe an interior that looks and feels nicely-done rather than cheap. No, we’re not looking at Lexus or Mercedes, but we don’t want an Econobox, either. We want a car that will feel good, look good, and will last.
Now, if I’m reading the times correctly, what we are looking for is very Boomer.
Sensible.
Practical.
Solid.
But that’s not what the car critics seem to think we should be looking for. The people who dispense advice about what car buyers should look for all believe that the most important factor in choosing a car is whether the car is “fun to drive.” Does it feel “sporty”? Does it bring a smile to one’s face on a twisty mountain road? Is it exciting?
>Yawn<
Oh, did I mention that we are looking for another compact SUV to replace the one in our garage now? We are not looking at a Mustang or a Supra or a Z-car. We are looking for the modern version of what used to be known as a station wagon: a boxy vehicle that will get you where you want to go, in reasonable comfort, with the ability to carry along a fair amount of stuff if the need should arise.
Oddly enough (or maybe not so oddly), this category is by far the most popular vehicle style in America. I think that this is because the station wagon. . .I’m sorry, Sport Utility Vehicle. . .is the most practical design for most people. And that is reflected in the sales figures. According to Motor Trend, in 2023 over 60% of new personal vehicles bought in the United States were SUVs, while cars and minivans accounted for a bit more than 20% and pickup trucks made up slightly less than 20%.
It seems that the American people, on the whole, choose vehicles that are practical. Even the ordinary car sales are dominated by sensible cars.
Yet car-buying advice mavens keep focusing on fun.
Excitement.
Even farfegnugen.
And now that I think about it, that makes me kind of happy. Because it says that even if most Americans like to read about zippy, sporty cars, when the time comes to actually put their money down on that new chariot, their choice is going to be one that is practical. Reliable. Long-lasting. Solid.
And the point of all this is that Joe Biden is not very exciting. He doesn’t communicate and connect in the way that Roosevelt did (or Reagan, for that matter.) He doesn’t make hearts flutter the way Kennedy did. He doesn’t even “rally the troops” the way that, uh, you-know-who does.
All he does is get things done. Good things (mostly).
And that is why, when I see opinion polls that look bad for Uncle Joe, I don’t really care at this point, because those polls are being answered by people who wish that Joe elicited more farfegnugen. But in the end, when the day comes that they have to actually “buy the car,” the majority of them are not going to choose the exciting one that constantly breaks down the way those luxury Jaguars did back in the day. They are going to choose the one that they know they can actually count on, who will do the things that they actually want to be done.
So, until November, keep working hard, but DON’T PANIC.