Australia is a very different situation, though I have no idea about their auto manufacturing economics. They’re at the far end of the world, and suffer from having to spend all their lives upside down! 
Assembly plants typically operate on a JIT (just in time) basis, which is difficult if you’re remote from parts manufacturing facilities. This may make domestic manufacturing more expensive than just importing cars.
I just bought half a dozen avocados in varying stages of ripeness, but mostly unripe, to stash. They keep well in the fridge once they get fairly ripe, so I hope to be able to make guac for at least a few weeks before prices start to climb.
Nachos and guac for dinner tomorrow!
45/47 is in the process of launching a global war and to pre-empt the disruption you are buying a couple of avocados?
Patently you have no concept of what is being done, how severe it’s impacts will be or how long it will take to unravel.
None of us has the ability to prepare for what is coming.
Let us take solace in the little joys we can give ourselves whether it be ammunition or avocados.
Whoooooa there @penultima_thule. The situation is dire, but I think that @teelabrown is as much whistling past the graveyard as the rest of us. And not spending a fortune in stockpiling against the tariffs is a valid choice as well.
I’m angry, disappointed, and frustrated, and obviously you are as well, but maybe take it down a notch against your fellow travellers?
Obviously you should have stockpiled a dozen cars in your shed. Take that, global trade war!
Probably the biggest event for guacamole consumption (the Superbowl) is in a week and most avocados sold in the US are imported from Mexico so this is prime time for price spike.
I bought a new fridge as soon as Trump was elected. Glad I did. I may hasten a purchase of new tires, too.
Seriously. For many reasons, especially the expectation of loss of PHEV/EV credits we got the new PHEV in September. In October, I replaced my laptop and bought additional RAM. I’m about 90% of the way through convincing my wife to replace our TV this week.
Everyone should prepare to buckle down, prepare to the extent that budget, storage space and waste avoidance allows, and support the sanity-seekers among the political and legal Powers-that-be.
Yeah, we had avocado toast for breakfast today (yum!). I know it’s a small thing, but dammit it’s personal.
I think anyone thinking of buying a car in the next few months should buy in the next few days:
While on one hand I think there is a good chance that tariffs will be postponed or cancelled; I think there is a good chance that there will big increases in car prices–and not just imported ones.
My two favorite car sites (Jalopnik and its spin-off Autopian) have been following tariff rumors (and now, news) for months.
They’ll affect a wide range of products… I was planning on buying a used car this year. Now it may have to be right away, as new car buyers will be priced out of the market and will be chasing after the dream car that I deserve!
And so many cars that you assume are An All-Amurican-Mobile are assembled in Non-Amurican countries, or are full of parts from all over.
But tariffs will also affect car repairs. More parts than you’d think started life over a border or two.
So don’t put off installing those curb-feelers…
A related cost I’d watch is Car Insurance.
Whether your state/policy requires OEM parts, or even aftermarket parts (leaving out reconditioned parts) I’d bet the majority come from outside the US. That means that for the first time in a while, the cost of parts is going to be the inflationary part of a repair, rather than the labor (which has always been quite high).
And carriers can and will pass that down to the policyholders, though some states do regulate the percentage increases allowed on an annual basis.
I can’t speak for Homeowners (was never my field), but I’d guess increased expenses there as well, and considering how marginal some states have become for the market (California’s fires, Gulf and Southern state hurricanes, etc.) I can see a LOT of people losing coverage if various carriers pull out of those states/areas due to the increase in costs.
It’s often the little, trickle-down injuries that bleed people to death.
I believe you may have inadvertently misspelled “Make America Great Again!”
Well, you’re not WRONG, but I was trying to be a touch more general in the application of the problem. You can implement good policies at the top, but either not realize, or ignore the countless downstream consequences as well. In this case, I agree 100% that the people making the policies at the top are making poor choices, and don’t CARE about the downstream consequences, secure in the knowledge (correct or otherwise) that it won’t be applied to them.
We have another 9.6KW of solar panels arriving next week. I was planning on the expansion prior to the election, but now it’s a priority given the tariffs and potential loss of the tax break. Speaking of which, I need to do our taxes but it’s awfully tempting to get on the “But what if we didn’t” bandwagon.
I need to buy a laptop and a new car but not in a position to get to them before tariffs. I’ll wait it out for now.
Not much else I can do.
I rushed home and placed an order for two Nikon Z lenses I was looking at, when I heard about the new round of tariffs. I was planning on buying them anyway, but decided that now was a good time to pull the trigger, and save multiple hundred dollars.
Any thoughts on replacing tires now? [My tires have substantial wear–but I hadn’t expected to replace them for 6 months to a year.] It looks like at least 60% of tires are imported, and even domestically manufactured tires rely on imported natural rubber as well as synthetic rubber.
Then again it’s not clear about Trump and his policies: will he quickly fold?
I bought a new furnace and AC shortly after Trump was elected. I was hoping to save up for them in full but I only had about half. Luckilly I got 12 months of 0% financing so it was like having an extra year to save up. Almost there.
I have one more Windows 10 computer to replace, and I want to rebuild it myself, so I need to get on that sooner than later.
I want my mom to start wearing an Apple Watch. She has finally agreed to buy one, but she keeps waiting for “the sales.” I don’t know how to convince her that they’re not going to go on sale.