Letters to the Editors
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Subject: Agreement Regarding Comparison Tests
From: Jim

I love your Web site, visit it at least three times a week, and will continue to do so regardless of whether you heed the following advice or not. But here goes:

I am in total agreement with letter writer "Mike" when he commented that it is unfair to compare a $40K BMW 330i with a $32K Acura TL Type-S.

I think you guys are so used to having your test cars supplied/loaned to you that you've lost sight of just how important price really is to the overall purchase equation. In the real world, most consumers (at least those with a functioning brain) determine approximately what they can afford to spend and shop for the most appropriate vehicle for their needs in that price range. It's one thing to have a price point gap of two, three, four thousand dollars — that's to be expected. But when you get beyond a $5,000 difference for something comparably equipped, it doesn't matter how close the specs are — you are no longer comparing apples to apples. Let's get real — if price were really such a minor issue, wouldn't we ALL be driving a BMW, Mercedes or Porsche?

You guys did a terrific job creating TCO — don't throw it out the window when it comes time for a comparison test. And please spare me the part about factoring price into the results. I want to see how well the Germans fare when they play against similarly priced Japanese and American competition. Now that would be interesting!


Subject: More Entry-Level Luxury Sport Sedans Test Gripes
From: Gary

You write in response to a letter critical of your results, "When we conduct a comparison test, our primary mission is to collect cars that have similar characteristics and performance."

I think a growing number of your readers are saying that your statement above is not true. In the entry-level luxury sport sedans test you mixed compact cars with midsize cars. You mixed $40K cars with $30K cars. You mixed cars with automatic and manual transmissions. Your first-place car ranked last in interior/cargo space.

Edmunds' road test editors have fallen into the same trap as most every other road test editor. They're rating high-performance cars very highly because those are the cars they like to drive. Meanwhile people who spend their own money on a car are probing a little deeper to insure they get long-term bang for the buck. That means utility, reliability and low cost of ownership as well as performance. Only a few can afford to trade away a car after they've driven the crap out of it for a year or two.

The average price of the cars used in the entry-level luxury sport sedans comparison test was approximately $36,100. The BMW, the most expensive car in the test, had a price of $39,510, while the least expensive Infiniti G35 had a price of $32,420. As the price of any of these cars can vary by thousands of dollars just based on the type of options that are installed, we consider a deviation of about $4,000 to be acceptable.

While there were slight size differences between the cars, we were more interested in what we expected potential buyers to be shopping for. All of the cars were the respective companies' entry-level offerings. A mix of manual and automatic transmissions was unavoidable because Acura and Infiniti don't currently offer manuals on their cars. (And as this test was about sport sedans, we wanted manuals.)

The bottom line is this: the information we provide is a guide. It is not the Holy Grail of buying a luxury sedan. Just because we say the BMW 330i is the best car doesn't mean it's the best car for you. We hope you read what we have to say and then apply independent thought about what your particular needs are.


Subject: Brauer's Rule
From: Bob

From the cab of my diesel-fueled Excursion:

I completely agree with Brauer's rule, and gladly disavow any connection whatsoever with any environmental group or movement, most of whom are hopelessly technically incompetent, and many of whom have political agendas well left of center.

The environment itself knows who its real friends are, and does not need Karl Brauer to screen them.

I suppose the rationalization is that, "I only drive my '70 GTX to church"?

Our editor in chief responds:

No, I don't just drive my GTX to church. In fact, my wife drives it everywhere, with both of my kids in the backseat. She particularly likes how fast and noisy it is.

I think you got the wrong impression from my rule about SUV owners claiming they are environmentalists. I personally have no problem with people driving SUVs, especially if they truly use the increased carrying capacity for people/cargo hauling. The point of my rule was to force any and all SUV drivers who claim an allegiance with the environmentalist movement (i.e. the majority of SUV-driving actor in Southern California) to seriously consider the validity of such claims. To me, people who claim concern for natural resources and air quality while driving an SUV are blatant hypocrites. People who don't make these claims (myself included) are welcome to drive as many SUVs (or 440-powered muscle cars) as their garage and/or budget will accommodate.


Subject: Mercedes G500
From: Christopher

It's amusing that Ed Hellwig is laughing with the rest of his Edmunds associates at the silly sliver of the American population who choose to purchase vehicles such as the G500. If anything, that sliver should be laughing at Edmunds. Can Edmunds be any more hypocritical? As a regular reader on the site I have laughed since Day One when Edmunds acquired a 550 Ferrari Maranello for a long-term test vehicle. Each month I read with great interest as Edmunds repeatedly tries to sing praise on the Ferrari when the vehicle's behavior clearly defines it as a $226,000 piece of fantastic-looking junk. Bolts coming off, an oil pressure gauge that disabled the car — it goes on and on. Yet just because it's exotic and Italian, all is forgiven by Edmunds.

America is not obsessed with SUVs, America is totally obsessed with being gluttons. The majority of Americans want the biggest or most expensive of everything — houses, boats, cars, etc. — irrespective of actual value. Edmunds blatantly declares the excellence and pleasure of a mostly stationary expensive piece of Italian automotive art to the masses, yet Hellwig can't figure out why someone would pay $70K for one of the most overbuilt SUVs on the planet? Edmunds can't figure it out, because Edmunds is part of the overall problem. The inferred pretense of Edmunds being something better, something higher towards the summit of automotive nirvana, rings forth, when in reality you're pigs just like the rest of us.

Whether Americans are gluttons is largely irrelevant. Road Test Editor Ed Hellwig simply pointed out that there are better SUVs to spend $70,000 on than the G500. As for the Ferrari, we have accurately reported about every problem it has had. Where else is a potential buyer going to find this type of information? Car and Driver or Motor Trend? Don't think so. — Ed.


Subject: A Note of Appreciation
From: Antonio

I just want to say how grateful I am for your great Web site. Just a few weeks ago I had almost no knowledge about the car-buying business in this country; until a friend of mine, who is a constant reader of your site, recommended I look into it. Since then I have learned so much. Your site is very informative and easy to understand. I am so glad to know you are there for so many people like me with so little knowledge of the car business. We all greatly benefit from you. With the knowledge I have gotten from your site, I feel very confident in the future purchase of my first car. Thanks a lot.


Subject: Comments About Edmunds Editorial
From: Al

Having just read the latest batch of letters received from readers, I felt compelled to write in to offer what is apparently lacking — the kudos you deserve. Absent from this letter are the unfounded complaints and accusations of impartiality that typically appear in letters posted on your site, but go ahead and read it anyway, it's good to break up the monotony, you know.

I visit your site three or more times a week. I consider myself a car enthusiast, and I thoroughly enjoy reading your reviews and updates. Without question, yours is the best site on the Web. It's a shame, however, that so many of your readers visit your site with the apparent sole purpose of finding fault, which reminds me of two points. The first is that people love to complain. The second is that when you're the best (as Edmunds.com is), others will continually try to knock you off your perch.