Sunday, January 14, 2007

cash guzzler

There are a number of healthy reasons I will never own a Lexus automobile. If you happen to own a Lexus, I tread carefully in hopes that you do not harbor an unusually intimate connection to your car and will now dislike me indefinitely for maligning it. If it soothes you, by all means feel free to snicker at my ordinary, clearly substandard method of transportation as you whiz by me down the freeway.

The first, and potentially most obvious reason: Any given new Lexus has a price tag on it which trumps the mortgage on my first house. And I did not buy my first house in 1948, either. This car apparently has gold plated engine parts. Or an trunk full of cash, which is one of the only explanations my frugal-to-a-fault mind could logically accept for the radically exorbitant cost of this vehicle.

The next reason centers around my beloved police Sergeant husband, who tells me that Lexus' (or is it Lexii?) are among the most commonly stolen cars here in our-neck-of-the-woods, California. Though the Highway Loss Data Institute reports that the most commonly stolen auto in the whole US last year was the Cadillac Escalade, locally, it's any given Lexus on any given day. That information does not thrill me ~ who wants that pressure of that kind of stress, you know? It's like driving with a giant red and white target branded to your hood.

And rounding out the list is that the manufacturers of this particular brand of automobile do not seem to be concerned with how to design and build a car that has anything to do with my life. Case in point: the catalyst for this rather grouchy-toned post. This lovely frostbitten January evening, as I innocently channel surfed, I came across a Lexus commercial extolling the virtues of the newest luxury feature offered in its' newest 2007 model sedan: automatic parallel parking. Yup, that's right: this car will actually parallel park itself with no driving skills required from the human being at the steering wheel. All for the bargain price of around $80,000.

I'll tell you what. For $80,000, not only should this car park itself, it should wash itself, be able to fill itself with gas, and then go out and get a job in order to be able to pay for itself. Because that's the only way it would ever find itself on my driveway.

...for the whole 4 days it would apparently be allowed to park there before some hoodlum stole it.

8 Comments:

Blogger mom23 said...

The only thing more obnoxious than a Lexus is a Lexus SUV - in my humble opinion of course. And guess who would drive that? My mother. *eyes rolling*

7:34 AM  
Blogger Mo said...

My favorite people are those who buy outrageously expensive vehicles then complain when their insurance rates skyrocket. It is those people, the Lexus drivers or any other very high priced vehicle owners, who tend to claim every single little thing on their precious vehicles. And again, they wonder they their rates are so high.

9:26 AM  
Blogger lachen said...

Personally, I am not on board with the anti-SUV crusade. And honestly, I really do not mind if people choose to spend their money on large, expensive cars. It's just not something that I could find justification for in my own heart, ESPECIALLY when said car costs as much as the GDP in many third world nations, and will probably be stolen in short order.

But hey! Doesn't this encourage us all about our little "ordinary" cars?

2:13 PM  
Blogger Liz said...

My very pretentious step-sister drives the Lexus SUV. I can't even stand to look at it. But then again, money is pretty much the most important thing to her. However, I am on the SUV bandwagon in my adorable Hyundai Santa Fe. Doesn't quite have the price tag of the Lexus though. ;-)

8:51 AM  
Blogger Roxy Wishum said...

Our Camry is the blue-collar Lexus. Same engine, same body, same drive-train but without the gold-plated "L" and heated seats. Is the "L" really worth the price of another car?

6:38 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My husband drives an SUV Lexus. But he makes the big bucks; I guess he can do what he wants. lol The most frequently stolen vehicles here in Arizona are the 1991 Honda Accord and 1995 Honda Civic, the same two cars that lead the national list. Yes, older, smaller cars.

Some hints:
Park in well-lit areas with pedestrian traffic.
Lock your vehicle, roll up the windows and take your keys with you.
Hide valuables in a secure location, such as the trunk, under the seat or any place out of view.
Consider using a steering-wheel locking device to help secure your vehicle.
Consider installing a security alarm system for your vehicle.
Consider installing a tracking device in your vehicle to help recover it if it is stolen.
NEVER leave your keys in an unattended vehicle.

le

10:26 AM  
Blogger lachen said...

Hi Le! Can your husband's SUV Lexus park itself? I can't wait for a car that drives itself altogether, where our participation is optional?

Personally, I am saving my money for the days when cars hover over the ground like the futuristic ones in "Back To The Future". *grin*

10:54 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Personally, I am saving my money for the days when cars hover over the ground like the futuristic ones in "Back To The Future". *grin* "

Me too. Really, shouldn't we all have robot maids by now? Hey, Rosie! lol

le

12:35 PM  

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