On Fri, 08 Jul 2005 21:31:02 -0400, James C. Reeves wrote:

> The Malibu had these DRL and ABS safety features you seem to love so much
> that the Sebring doesn't have. Coverage is identical for both.
> "Garaging" and commute distance is identical for both. Annual mileage
> estimate is identical for both. Yet the Malibu's insurance was higher.
> Care to tell me why the insurance cost was higher for the vehicle that
> supposedly had the better safety features?

Sebring: Geezers. Malibu: Beginner drivers.

>> Everyone wins, except for the minute number of control freaks, who are
>> incapable of finding out how to override the feature they don't like.
>
> No one wins when there is a self-proclaimed big brother (GM) imposing
> their will on the customer by telling them how they *must* use their cars
> in a otherwise legal manner. Is GM the government now?

How can GM 'impose' something on you? Did they force you at gun point to
buy their car? Or were you just too lazy to read the spec sheet and see
that the car has your hated DRLs and ABS?

Fact is: You knew and you didn't mind the features back then. Now you
bought a car that doesn't have them and all of sudden you hate them,
because you can't admit that you purchased the wrong car without
researching it properly.

>> Of course it would cost them, just as the person, who edits your BCM/ECM
>> is going to charge them. Every extra feature, especially one that
>> necessitates a more complex light switch (ever priced one of these? Not
>> fun.) costs money. Yours and mine.
>
> Doesn't seem to be a problem for GM's competitors to accommodate the
> customer in this regard.

Their foreign competitors are much more expensive. And Chrysler was too
cheap to even fit ABS on the LXi. Funny: Their higher models all have ABS
stock, which clearly shows the reason they don't provide is not to give
the customer a choice but to save a few dollars and make even more dollars
by selling ABS as an optional feature.

>> And implementing a feature for a tiny number of customers
>
> Hmmm.... Thern you go agiin. Let's see, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota all offer
> DRLs as no-cost options...

.... and ABS stock.

> they're free for the asking (last I checked). Less than 5% of Ford and
> Chrysler cars on the road have them.

Before you start claiming further numbers I suggest you back these up.

[anti-GM-rant snipped]

Chris