I understand your point and that applies to many other options (sunroof, electric folding mirrors, dual auto A/C, etc.). There are many trims to choose from so if one doesn't want a power liftgate he or she can go for the lower trims. For the past decades, I always chose the middle trim as the base trims were missing things I wanted and higher trims had things I didn't want! To each their ownI'd accept the car and take the $160 because I have no interest in a power liftgate. It's just something else that can break.
