Should you be in the market for a new (to you) vehicle, the 2025 Volkswagen Jetta is a smart, simple compact car that is short on jewels but great on practicality.

All kinds of ugly things are happening in the new car market (and other parts of the human universe) right now, so I will try, as best as possible, to Accentuate the Positive and while not ignoring the negative.

 (As I write, everything under Trump is changing for the worst, especially for this audience.  Please proceed with caution, do your research, and, as Bette Davis once said “Fasten Your Seatbelts; it’s going to be a bumpy night.)

My first impressions of this year’s Jetta were positive, assuming you do not need nor want much in a car other than reliability and practicality.  If you goal is just to get from Point Gay to Point BBQ safely, smartly and with as little drama as possible, this Jetta is for you.

There is nothing fancy about the Jetta.  Utilitarian points and maybe a few sugar sprinkles highlight the interior and exterior of this classic. (List price last December for the entry-level S Trim was at $27K US, which wasn’t bad – Edmunds.com is showing some available for as low as $23K US – but that was when we had hope that America could expect a Black, female president.)

Combined mileage is 33 mpg, and that is impressive for a gas-only vehicle.

There really are not a whole lot of particulars to emphasize about the Jetta.  And yet it is still a smart practical car that should serve you well assuming you just need some transportation.

While Edmunds.com calls the Jetta’s simple style “conservative” (a word that Democrats truly need to reclaim), the simplicity and non-splashiness of the 2025 Jetta is echoed in every review you may read.  Personally, I find that refreshing.  The less money you spend on a car means there is more money for you to be physically and emotionally fabulous.

Now, with 25% tariffs soon to be in place on all new cars and parts, let’s be honest: the car market has gone to Helena Handbasket (and not the drag queen).  Used vehicles are about the only viable option, just short of you being a true A-Gay with the assets to prove it.

Trump and his idiots are trying to downplay the impact of the tariffs by making arguments like how 60% of all cars and parts are imported, intimating that 40% are still safe from tariffs, right?

But that 60% figure is for total cars and parts, and there is truly no car that is built on American soil that does not contain nor need foreign-made parts. That statement is misleading; everyone will pay the Trump tariffs.  Further, all transportation costs will go up, to include Uber and Lyft. They need to make up their costs somehow.

From here on out, I will talk about just the cars and avoid listing any prices.  This will be a challenge indeed.  You still need to have a reliable car for work, play and charity; we here at gaywheels.com will help you as much as we can.

Again, look at used cars for now, while those still remain somewhat reasonable in price.

Under Obama and Biden, everything was going so well. We got marriage.  We got gender-affirming care.  We were having a good time.

And then the Anita Bryants and Nancy Reagans of the world got all pissed-off because we had better hair and music.  And they started plotting their revenge….

And here we are now, as Easter approaches, in a real-life Hunger Games.