Mike Monroney reaches redline
A. S. “Mike” Monroney, who represented Oklahoma in Congress for thirty years, came up with the Automobile Information Disclosure Act, which mandates certain information be provided to the car shopper on what is now called the Monroney sticker. The sticker is provided by the manufacturer; should the dealer wish to tack on additional equipment, it is spelled out on a separate sticker.
When do the tacked-on items become tacky? When they include stuff like this:
It was a [2010 Chevrolet Camaro] V6 RS with no sunroof and auto. Not what I’d want, but it was nice. List was $27K+. Get this: the dealer added a $5000 “market adjustment.” But wait, there’s more! How about a $695 “Desert Protection Pkg.”? They also added … you’d better sit down … $999 for Nitro Tires. It was explained on another car’s sticker that it’s a lifetime supply of nitrogen for the tires. Wow, just wow. This at a dealer that’s got one foot in the grave, too.
“Market adjustment” I can understand: it’s a brand-new model, and demand is demonstrably high. But a thousand bucks for nitrogen? I’ve got nitrogen in my tires. Cost me $6 per tire. I had them refilled once, when the tires were rotated, since the recommended pressures differ front to rear. Assuming I continue to have them rotated every 7500 miles as recommended, a thousand dollars would get me to the 420,000-mile mark. As I drive maybe 11,000 miles a year, I’d have more than one foot in the grave long before I used up all that gas.
And does anyone know what goes into that “Desert Protection Package”?
Tom »
5 May 2009 · 2:26 pm
I ride a road bike (think “10-speed”) and carry a spare tube with 16-gram carbon dioxide cartridges and inflator in the event that I experience a flat. The problem is that CO2-inflated tires lose their inflation relatively fast, so you want to get to a tire pump within an hour or two to exchange the CO2 for “real air.” I’m led to believe that it is the small carbon molecules that squeeze through the tube, as compared with the larger nitrogen molecules that do not. But I will entertain other opinions.
As for optional equipment, whatever became of piston return springs and muffler bearings?
CGHill »
5 May 2009 · 2:38 pm
As obsolete as blinker fluid.
McGehee »
5 May 2009 · 3:15 pm
The horn is deliberately made not to sound like Chuck Jones’ Road Runner — so as to avoid causing the unnecessary deaths of coyotes.
Old Grouch »
5 May 2009 · 8:05 pm
That’s so you can get the seats cleaned, should you hit a bump after you’ve just been through the Dairy Queen drive-thr…
never mind!
CGHill »
5 May 2009 · 9:06 pm
Sort of a Butterscotchgard, then?