Letters to the Editors
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Subject: "Follow-Up Test: 2006 Volkswagen Passat 3.6"
From: Roy
Regarding the article by Ed Hellwig posted 5/4/06, I would have to say that I fall into the camp of considering the car overpriced. I just bought a fully loaded Infiniti G35 sedan for $500 over invoice. Its 3.5L V6 has 298 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque, which coupled with the six-speed manual should do 0-60 mph in about 6 seconds. I think the rear-wheel-drive layout will provide better handling as well.

Keep up the good work. Edmunds is my favorite source for automotive info.

Subject: Vehicle History Reports
From: Suzanne
What do you do when Car Fax says one thing, and Auto Check says something different?

It would be safest to assume the worst. If either vehicle history report lists a problem, you should investigate it thoroughly before moving forward. However, bear in mind that these services are not 100-percent accurate. They only report the information that has been given to them. Therefore, use a degree of common sense when interpreting the information. If possible, verify that a problem does exist. You can even give the current owner an opportunity to explain the situation. In summary, a problem on a vehicle history report is a red flag: proceed with caution. — Ed.

Subject: "Top 10 Cheap Cool Cars for Teens for 2006"
From: Richard
Do you realize what minimum wage is? Did you know there are families living on minimum wage? You have the audacity to write an article, proclaiming a $20K car is for a teen due to it being so cheap. There are single-parent households that do not make that much in a year. There are people in the military giving their lives for our nation that do not make that much. You might put more consideration into your audience before you write your next article. I found this insulting. Maybe you should reserve these articles for the yacht magazines.

Really? We've never flipped through a "yacht magazine", but we imagine they're usually reserved for, well, yachts, not budget-priced cars like the Honda Civic and Pontiac Vibe (both of which made our list). Our story was geared toward buyers who want to purchase new (2006 or 2007 model-year) vehicles. Five of the cars mentioned could be purchased for less than $15,000; it doesn't get much cheaper than that when you're talking new cars. Someone on a tighter budget might want to check out our Used Car Best Bets. — Ed.

Subject: "Ethanol? Fuel Cell? Biodiesel? An Alternative Fuel Overview"
From: Jon
OK, that's great info, no doubt. But what do I do now? I don't have a field of corn to make my own ethanol, nor the ability to make a fuel cell, nor somehow making electricity out of thin air. OK, I do have plenty of "animal fat" particularly around the midsection…but let's move on, shall we? So, what do I do? My options currently are: A) buy gas, B) buy gas, C) buy gas, D) walk.

Do I just sit and wait crammed into my '99 Saturn SL2 hoping beyond hope that one day I can afford a vehicle I can actually fit in? And, BTW, whoever decides the sizes of adults in car capacity needs to be fired immediately! Five people in my Saturn? I can barely fit in there by myself! But I digress….

Anyway, what I want to know is what do I do now? What are my realistic alternatives? Are there any even remotely practical options for us? I can afford about a $10,000 car if I'm lucky. I'd be much happier in a larger vehicle, but the prices and payments are insanely huge. So, what do I do? Can anyone answer me that? Anyone? Bueller?

Based on what you said, and reading between the lines about your current physical condition, here's what you do now: choose option D) walk. — Ed.

Subject: Ethanol and Hybrids
From: TC
Do you know if any of the hybrids can use ethanol-enhanced fuels?

Hybrids use gasoline engines in tandem with electric motors. As such, the gasoline engines can run on up to 10-percent ethanol without modification. However, we assume that you are asking about running a hybrid car on E85. If so, the answer is no. At this time no hybrids are running on E85. — Ed.

Subject: "What Really Saves Gas"
From: Robert
In the article "What Really Saves Gas" by Philip Reed and Mike Hudson, you made some suggestions on how to reduce your gas consumption. Some of the suggestions are good, but your suggestion #1 (drive moderately) and #2 (drive the speed limit) are simply not real-world solutions!!!!

Here in the Cincinnati area, at least once a week there is a terrible accident on the interstate where some out-of-towner was actually driving the speed limit (55 mph) and was impaled by a semi doing 90 mph, or pushed off the road by an SUV to get him out of the way. The actual MINIMUM speed on the interstates around here is 75-80 mph. Anybody going slower risks their life and the life of their families.

I have personally been driving a Corolla and been pushed down "Death Hill" by a semi doing over 80 mph, because he thought I was going too slow. A woman with a van full of kids was crossing the Brent Spence bridge at the speed limit and pissed off several drivers…one of which unloaded a 9mm pistol into the van. Several injuries resulted.

Of course, in this "real world," being a "nice" driver is simply not possible. The modern interstates are combat zones. One of the major reasons of the popularity of the big SUVs isn't the gas consumption, or even the room, it is the safety factor. In a combat zone, it really pays to drive the biggest tank.

Subject: "Internet vs. Traditional Car Buying"
From: Greg
I was fascinated by Phil Reed's article on Internet vs. traditional car buying because of my experiences with it.

All I had heard about Internet sales made it sound like it was much easier than trying to hassle with a salesperson face to face. I was startled to find that it was just as bad…two of the three dealers seemed to somehow lose my e-mails when it was convenient to do so and just generally give me the runaround.

The end result seemed less like high-pressure sales tactics than simply telling me that they didn't want my business. The irony was that I wasn't even trying to drive a particularly hard deal, being perfectly willing to pay TMV price on the car. They would have had an easy sale and got a good profit margin on it.

Instead, I spent hours making sure that my e-mail was working right — I had been having some other problems and had reason to be suspicious of it — ensuring that I didn't want to deal with these folks in the future.

Subject: Nissan Recall
From: Debbie
I love your site and used it as a wonderful resource before making a decision to purchase a 2005 Nissan Altima approximately one year ago.

To my dismay the vehicle as well as all Altimas and Maximas from 2002-2006 have been recalled due to severe corrosion of the vehicle subframe when exposed to chemicals used for snow maintenance on roads.

My question to you is in two parts:

First, where can a potential buyer go on the Internet to become knowledgeable about recalls prior to purchasing a vehicle? I would not have made the decision to purchase the Altima (actually I would have opted for the Camry or something that did not have a significant defect) had I been aware of the recall. It is apparent to me Nissan was fully aware of the significant potential for the defect, since the recall included 2002 models, which are available to be purchased since the fall of 2001.

Second, I believe my car has depreciated considerably due to the recall. What resource is available to determine the current value of the car due to this recall?

Thank you for your time and response to my request.

Our Maintenance Guide will tell you what recalls and technical service bulletins have been issued on each car. We do not have information about how recalls affect the depreciation of different cars specifically because of recalls. However, our True Cost to Own data will show you depreciation for each car and will eventually reflect the effect of recalls. — Ed.

Subject: "Top 10 Tips to Prevent Road Rage"
From: Jeannette
I would like to mention how much I enjoyed this article — very well-written!