Letters to the Editors
Send a letter to the editors

Subject: "How Much Oil Is Left?"
From: Paul
Unfortunately I agree with the letters written in response to your biased article on oil. However, I must applaud you on stirring up controversy and then have the guts to print the responses. Well done.

Subject: "Top 10 Trouble Signs at a Dealership"
From: Ivan
As a person in the market looking to buy a car, all I can say is "GREAT ARTICLE"! I have had such a bad car-buying experience so far it's not even funny. I fell for #8: "They say the advertised car is no longer available."

I went to a Nissan dealer in North Texas inquiring about a Sunday advertised special. I called the dealership, and the salespeople said to go ahead and come in so I could test-drive the car. He even said that he would have the car I inquired about parked in the front of the lot waiting for me. At the time all I could think about was "WOW what great customer service!!" Well, unfortunately that all changed later when I actually got to the dealership. Once there, I was greeted by about 3 different salespeople and asked for the salesperson that had helped me over the phone. The salesperson recognized me and said he was in the process of pulling the car to the front of the dealership.

Once he pulled the car up it "LOOKED" exactly what I had asked for. (A New, Dark Gray, 2005 Nissan Altima.) He proceeded to show me all the exterior and interior car features and gave me the keys and said that we could take it for a spin. Once I got inside the car I told him I could not believe how he could have the exact color, model, and price I was looking for. Then he looked at me very calmly and said that this was not the one I had seen in the newspaper, and that this was a 2006 model. I looked at him very confused and asked him what he meant. He responded by saying, "Yes, the car you asked about 30 minutes ago just got sold 20 minutes ago, and the model you saw in the newspaper had a manual transmission." (FYI: the car in the newspaper said that it was automatic.)

Once the salesperson realized I was too upset and there was no way he was going to convince me to buy the car, he calmly asked me to leave. Anyway, I guess I will finalize my venting by saying "GOOD JOB ON THIS ARTICLE." It's interesting to read how the negative comments to your article only came from the people that work in this industry.

Subject: "How Much Auto Insurance Do You Really Need?"
From: Clyde
While I do agree with most of your statements, telling someone that if they do not own a home or if they have minimal assets, they should only buy the state required limits is wrong. If someone has an at-fault accident, their insurance company will only pay up to the limits that the insured has purchased. If the damages surpass the limits on the policy, the insured is liable for the balance of the damage. The courts will garnish wages, and they will file financial responsibility judgments against the under insured person. You need to rethink your position.

Yes, I am an insurance agent. When I write a policy, I explain this to the insured and if they choose lower limits than the 100/300/100, I have them sign a quote declining the increased limits. Please remember that PIP also pays for lost wages in some states.

Subject: "We Test the Tips"
From: Robert
I just completed reading your excellent article.

One gas-saving opportunity that I didn't notice mentioned was driving at the speed limit. It would have been interesting if you had done the test again, but averaging 10-15 miles per hour slower, to simulate a comparison of resulting miles per gallon with the real-world experience (sans traffic jams) of people typically driving that much over the speed limit. At least where I live and drive, people rarely drive the speed limit. Yet from everything I've read, and from my own experience, the gas savings of driving the speed limit versus "standard practice" can be at least as large as the savings you reported from other methods.

Yes, I realize that many people would respond to the suggestion of slowing down by saying that their time is too important to give up the few minutes (or more in some cases) saved by excess speed. I don't buy the argument in most cases, but I may be holding on to a minority viewpoint on the matter. For me, slowing down and saving gas is a way to save money but is also the "patriotic" thing to do to contribute to our energy security and to minimize putting $s in the pockets of overseas oil producers who, directly or indirectly, might do us harm.

I do drive the speed limit whenever I can, but very often I speed up so I don't become an obstruction, and therefore greater safety hazard, to the main flow of the traffic.

You are quite right that driving the speed limit will save a lot of gas. We have done a second round of testing in which we drove 75 mph and 65 mph. The savings were as high as 14 percent. We also noticed that we got to our destination just fine. Unfortunately, one of our test-drivers was almost run off the road by someone who felt going the speed limit wasn't fast enough. Perhaps when people realize how much fuel is at stake they will calm down and obey the law. — Ed.

Subject: "We Test the Tips"
From: Jack
Nice article on gas-saving tips. Now, how about doing one in full-size pickup trucks with the tailgate up in normal fixed position, and secondly with the tailgate down, or removed as the case may be. I have always heard leaving the tailgate down improves gas mileage drastically. I understand the drag factor of having tailgate up, but wonder if actual savings is enough to worry about since removing tailgate is not a pretty sight!

If removing a tailgate improves mileage, does it make a difference if the bed of the truck is a short bed, as oppose to a long bed?

We haven't tested pickup trucks (although we've heard the "tailgate down" tip, too). We have tested the aerodynamics of cars by opening all the windows. We only saw a measurable effect in the SUVs and the most noticeable difference came when we opened all the windows and the sunroof. — Ed.

Subject: "We Test the Tips"
From: Jerry
I have just read this article, and am confused by the claimed mileage results achieved by the 2005 Ford Mustang GT. I am very interested in this model and currently conducting my research, but have cooled on the Mustang in recent weeks due to the cost of gas.

It excited me to see that you got 30.7 miles per gallon with your long-term test GT on your 56-mile loop traveling at 65 mph with the windows down and A/C off (29.5 with windows up and A/C on). Then I noticed that your mileage dropped to 23.7 MPG at 60 mph, regardless of whether the tires were over- or underinflated.

Ummm…23.7 mpg at 60 mph and 30.7 mpg at 65 mph? Did someone forget to shift into 5th gear? Was the tire inflation test conducted with a lead foot, rather than a feather foot? Has FoMoCo found the Holy Grail and figured out how to improve gas mileage the faster we go? Is there some form of GM's Displacement on Demand (DOD) in the new Mustang motor that all of the automotive reviewers have missed. If the 300 horse, bristling and burbling GT 'Stang really gets 30 mpg at the legal highway speed, Ford dealers might have a legitimate reason for charging a premium above MSRP.

We were interested in establishing differences produced by changing only one variable (in this case tire pressure) rather than the differences between the tests. Furthermore, the Mustang was the only vehicle we tested that didn't have a computerized trip meter. We always filled up at the same pump but still, there could have been a larger margin of error in these results with this car. Still, we proved that, driven at constant and moderate speeds the Mustang is capable of getting very good fuel mileage. We have run a second set of tests with two other cars and will average our results for a more accurate picture of the effects of different factors on fuel economy. Stay tuned. — Ed.

Subject: "We Test the Tips"
From: Dale
The comparison I saw was between recommended inflation and underinflated tires, but what about inflating the tires to the maximum pressure indicated by the side wall from the manufacturer of the tires? For the last 40 years I always keep the pressure on my eight cars to the max allowed by the tire manufacturer. The tires always have given me great mileage per tire and when the wear bar starts showing it is even across the tire face not thin at the center as I would have expected. How much better gas mileage could I expect? I drive about 40,000 miles a year.

Thanks for your help in this matter.

I hope next time you do a pressure inflation test for mileage you have three categories, under recommended by car manufacturer and maximum pressure allowed by the tire manufacturer.

We know that Toyota Prius owners find the best performance at an inflation level close to the maximum allowed by the manufacturer. In our tests we didn't see the fuel economy deteriorate substantially with underinflated tires. However, the cars we tested had low-profile performance tires and the sidewalls might have allowed very little bulge. More conventional tires might produce different results. In any case, tire pressure is also very important for safety and to promote even wear, as you correctly pointed out. — Ed.

Subject: Negotiating Pricing on a Luxury Car
From: Eric
First off I'd like to say thanks for the great site. Edmunds is far and away my #1 point for research and I've really enjoyed your articles (such as the confessions of a car salesman). However, I do have a question. I'm in the market for buying a Lexus, BMW, or Audi in the next 8 months. Most of the Edmunds advice columns work well regardless the car one is considering. However, according to your TMV price it seems these cars rarely sell for less than a few hundred off sticker. When negotiating a price on these cars, should I still start negotiations at invoice or only a thousand or so below TMV? Thanks!

When you attempt to buy a luxury car via the conventional showroom route the salesmen are very adept at keeping the price close to sticker. Their approach is to make you feel like a cheapskate for even suggesting that a discount might be available. But discounts are available. First, make sure you check our incentives page to see if there are any rebates. Second, consult our TMV and use this as a benchmark. Third, solicit quotes from at least three different places using our dealer locator. This will put you in touch with the Internet manager and you will be well on your way to getting a great deal. — Ed.

Subject: "Diesel, Gas or Hybrid?"
From: Jeff
What is always missing from these articles is biodiesel, and that diesels last twice as long as gasoline and hybrid engines.

Biodiesel:

• can run in any diesel engine without any modification
• is vastly cleaner than current "clean diesels"
• is non-toxic
• has a low flash point, making it the SAFEST fuel to transport, and in accidents