Montana's Used Lots Are 19% Diesel. Washington DC's Are 1.4%.
Diesel is supposed to be finished in America. It is in some places and thriving in others, and the split maps almost perfectly onto what people use their vehicles for.
In Wyoming, a Fifth of the Coverage Available Goes Unbought
There's a gap between what a full insurance package costs and what drivers actually spend, and it varies a lot by state. The states where people buy the least are not the ones you'd guess.
Cars on Sale in Maryland Are Five Years Older Than the Ones in North Dakota
Two buyers in different states searching the same model see completely different cars. I averaged listing age by state and the spread is five years — with a pattern behind it that affects what you should be inspecting.
Fuel Economy Went Nowhere for Five Years, Then Jumped 30%
Fuel economy is supposed to improve every year. I charted it by era across our whole catalogue and found a decade where it did nothing at all — which is useful, because it means one buying window is far better than it looks.
Every Car Hits the Used Market at 119,000 Miles, Whatever It Is
I split the used market by drivetrain expecting three different pictures. The mileage came back almost identical across all three, and the number that did differ says something more interesting.
2,426 Cars for Sale Wear a Badge That No Longer Exists
Six brands that stopped selling cars in America are still on the used market in numbers. They're the cheapest vehicles you can buy with a real badge on them, and there's a specific reason to check one before you do.
Cars Grew Four Inches Taller and Four Inches Wider in Twenty Years
The car you're replacing is smaller than the one replacing it, whatever the badge says. I measured the dimension data across two decades and the growth is uniform, relentless and mostly invisible until you park.
Jeep Owners File 76 Complaints for Every Recall. Lexus Owners File One.
Recall counts and complaint counts both get published, and both are misleading alone. I divided one by the other and got a number that says something neither does — how much trouble never turns into an official fix.
In Florida, Two Thirds of Your Premium Protects Other People's Cars
Everyone knows Florida insurance is expensive. Nobody says which part of the bill is expensive. I split the premium into its components by state and the answer isn't the part that covers your car.
Volvo, BMW and Tesla Average a Perfect Five Stars. Jeep Averages 4.09.
Individual crash scores get quoted constantly. I averaged them across every model each brand sells instead, and one mainstream American brand stands out for a reason that's built into what it makes.
One Model Year Dominates the Used Market, and It Isn't Recent
I counted every listing in our data by model year expecting a smooth slope down from new. It isn't smooth. There's a clear peak, it sits about a decade back, and that's the single best place to negotiate.
Four Brands Offer a 10-Year Warranty. None of Them Are German.
The longest warranties in America belong to the brands people used to dismiss, and the shortest belong to the ones charging the most. I checked what every manufacturer actually promises.