Why acetone damages cars (and other answers)

Why do I have to pay a “destination charge” when I buy a car? I know that the car must be shipped to the dealership, but so what? When I buy any large appliance, they’re shipped as well but I don't see a special charge for that.
— Jim M., Morgantown, W.Va.

With most things we buy at the store, the cost of shipping the product to the retailer is included in the price. For motor vehicles, federal law requires the destination charge to be listed on the window sticker.

The Automobile Information Disclosure Act, commonly called the Monroney Act, requires manufacturers to put a retail price sticker on each new vehicle. That sticker must include all various information, including the make, model, serial number, final assembly point, MSRP, price suggested for optional equipment, and the transportation charge.

By the way, since the dealer really pays the manufacturer to have that vehicle delivered from the factory, the destination charge is rarely negotiable.

According to MSN Autos, the destination charge for a given vehicle is usually the same to any point in the entire country.

I drive under 3 miles to my office. I have read that hybrid cars are not suitable for short-distance driving, which is why I did not purchase one. Is this true?
— Anonymous

Hybrids are just fine for short-distance driving. In fact, they work best in low-speed, stop-and-go city driving, because you are using the electric motor more than the gasoline-powered one.

The one thing you need to consider is the payback period. Because you drive so little, it’s going to take you a lot longer to save enough in gasoline bills to pay for the higher price of the hybrid. On the other hand, you’ll pollute a lot less every mile you do drive.

I always hear news reports about the cost of a barrel of "light sweet crude oil." What is it and why is it called that?
— Anonymous

Light sweet crude is considered to be the cream of the crop; the type of oil most refiners want. Light means it’s not too thick. Sweet means it has a low sulfur content. Because there’s less sulfur to remove, it’s easier to “crack” or make into motor fuel.

Heavy sour crude is more costly and difficult to refine into gasoline. Some refineries aren’t able to handle this thick, high sulfur oil.

You keep hearing about light sweet crude because it’s become the benchmark for international pricing. There’s less of it on the market, and the demand is increasing. Most of the refineries in China were built to handle light sweet and China’s demand for oil is growing dramatically.

Why do gasoline prices include tenths? Why not just round the price up to the nearest penny?
— K.T. in Ann Arbor, Mich.

As far as I can tell, gasoline is priced this way because it’s always been priced this way. It’s just tradition.

The idea was to make the price seem a little lower. It’s why a computer is never on sale for $500. It’s always $499.

Back when I started driving, 29.9 cents a gallon really did seem a lot cheaper than 30 cents a gallon.

With today’s staggering prices, a tenth of a cent couldn’t possible make them seem cheaper.

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