By Patricia Johnson

Have you attempted to purchase a new vehicle lately? Our automobile is over 10-years old, and although it doesn’t have a lot of miles on it; we were thinking it’s time for a new one.

The problem is – where do you start? I looked up one car dealer online and before I could even look at vehicles I had to fill out a form. From that point on, I was bombarded with text messages telling me what great deals they have.

I would love to get a great deal on a car, but what car? I had almost decided on one particular brand, only to find out there’s been a huge recall.

Now I’m thinking about another brand, but which car? Do I really want an electric car? No, I don’t think so. So that leaves me with a choice between an all gas vehicle or a hybrid. Why are hybrids so expensive? The problem with a hybrid is now you have twice as many things to go wrong with the vehicle.

So, I’ve narrowed it down to a gas vehicle. Have you checked the price of gas lately? Looks like most of the time it will be sitting in the driveway for one of two reasons; either I won’t be physically able to drive it due to medical problems or I won’t be able to afford the price of gas. Either way it’s probably a good deal because the resale value will be higher with less miles

So I’ve narrowed down the brand, and I’ve narrowed down the engine type so I’m only left with which vehicle. Would someone please tell me why each car manufacturer makes so many different models? It seems to me that the cost of a new car would be considerably lower if each manufacturer would keep the same model for five years instead of changing every year (or in some cases, semi-annually). It appears there were over 400 new designs placed on the market in 2026.

How much would a brand-spanking-new vehicle cost if there were no changes for a five year period?

Look at it this way, if they had five-years to design a new model; the manufacturers might be able to actually manufacturer a vehicle that didn’t have to be recalled.

© 2026 Patricia Johnson