Why American?

[hydralique]

Automotive Globalization

Automotive globalization has been going on for a long time! My sister and I share a house, and both of us like old cars. At one point in the driveway we had a ‘73 Citroen (French car with an Italian engine), ‘73 DeTomaso (Italian car with an American engine), ‘87 Saab (Swedish car built in Finland), ‘92 Eagle (American/Canandian car with a French engine and German transmission), ‘02 VW (German car built in Brazil with an Austrian engine), and an ‘04 Mazda truck (Japanese truck built in the US, can’t remember where the powertrain came from).

Of the two North American built cars, the Eagle was by far the worst. Thank goodness for the Renault engine, as that was the only part of the car that didn’t give trouble, and Jeep/Eagle parts backup is the worst I’ve ever experienced . . . nobody in my family will ever think of buying a Chrysler product again. Jeep/Eagle dealers won’t even ship out of stock parts via second day air if you offer to pay extra! Any they were out of stock with some anti-lock brake parts for nine months when the car was still under warranty (with the brake alert light on during that time).

The Mazda has so far been quite good, although it still has only 24,000 miles on it. Essentially it is a cousin to the Ford Ranger, and built in the same plant in New Jersey. It isn’t fancy, quiet or smooth, but so far has been almost completely reliable (one weeping rear axle seal replaced with no hassle by the dealer), isn’t bad to drive, and returns very nice fuel economy with 2.3 liter twincam four and five speed transmission. Very inexpensive to buy too.

The most difficult part of it was finding the truck in the first place, as it has power locks and windows, cruise, nice interior, etc., which most dealers will order only with the V-6 and automatic. I finally located it at a dealer in Stockton, several hundred miles from LA, but it was worth it. The V-6 is way less economical, and only has 5 extra horsepower (at least in ‘04). Based on this truck, I think the Mazda and Ford Ranger are a great value in small trucks and am pleased that the guys in New Jersey seem to be putting things together pretty well. It also took a pretty big hit in the tail by an inattentive driver in an ‘02 Dodge Neon on the Hollywood Freeway. The Neon was totalled and the bed on the Mazda banged up a bit, but my sister wasn’t injured and the truck drove home under its' own power. Only time will tell if the Mazda does a Jekell and Hyde routine like my VW diesel, which was pretty reliable for the first 64,000 miles but has been a royal pain for the last 14,000, but I’m hoping for the best.

Regarding bulletproof cars, years ago I had an opportunity to buy a bulletproof Alfa 6 sedan. That model was never sold here in the US, but somehow this one had been imported, complete with inch thick glass, siren under the hood, etc. I passed because it was very heavy, and had an automatic. I also used to know some people with a bulletproof DeTomaso Deauville sedan . . . now that’s a rarity as very few Deauvilles were made in the first place. I rode in it and yes it was pretty damned insular . . . in a funny way it is related to the Lincoln, as it used a Ford V8 powertrain.

 

[myhooverco]

I won't buy American again...my '06 Accord sedan has been with me now for 7 months and not a glitch...this is much better than my Saturn, Chevy, or Olds that I bought new. My wife's '05 Honda Element is almost two years old and nothing but smooth sailing. We have gotten great service (oil changes tire rotation) from our dealer which the 3 different GM dealers were nothing but insults and put downs. With all of the trouble we had, they got to know us real well. So I do not feel bad for GM...they are getting what they deserve for offering low quality cars with lousy service. Best part...my Hondas are made here in OH! If I worked at GM, I would put my application in at Honda!

--Tom

 

[Timonator]

American Car

One thing I find amusing about all the hype of foreign made cars is nearly everyone who owns one will tell you how great it is..but honestly.do you see any OLD ones on the road..Im talking 70's 80's will there ever be an old collectable Honda Accord? Or Toyota!! Im sure I'll get lots of comments about explosions...death or whatever but I'll keep my Pinto

 

[exploder321]

I will continue to buy american... Although with the latest bouts of car troubles i am having one never know...

BUT no Friggin Hondas!

 

[bobbyd32l]

I have owned Chrysler products my entire life. Never had an issue with any of them!

I had a 94 Chrysler LHS, that got totaled by a drunk @ 177K miles)
97 Chrysler Cirrus that I "Accidently" blew up (hehe)@ 134k miles
97 Dodge Intrepid ES that I traded in at 75K miles for a
2001 Chrysler Concorde that I traded in with 95K miles for a

2005 Scion tC.......... Now I picked this car up in May 2005. 2 weeks after I picked this car up, It needed to go back for a horrible rattle from the front suspension. ended up just being a lose bumper cover. This car had the worst interior rattle out of ANY of the cars above. Panels squeaked, rear hatch rattled, radio cover made this horrible screeching sound over bumps etc.

I took the car from MA-PA for a car show that I attend every year and it was o.k. after about 45 minutes in the seat I wanted OUT!! Not a comfortable car to take on a long trip, and I only average 23mpg at 65-70 mph, which is terrible for a 4 cyl. and 5 speed manual, the freaking LHS with its big ass 3.5L V6 got 28.6 mpg on that same trip! but back the the subject. About a week after I got home the car started pulling to the right dramatically. Took it to the dealer, and with only 4K miles they did the Re-alignment" under warranty. It drove fine for 2 hours, took my hand off the wheel and it traveled to the right... made another service appointment and it went in again.

Dropped the car off and was told it would take "all day." Asked for a loaner car and was told that Toyota will only give loaner cars if the car is "undriveable." WTF Is that? I got a loaner for the 01 for a freakin oil change! End up that the tech forgot to align the rear as well... Ended up not being the case, it still pulled...

Contacted Scion and was told to bring the vehicle to another dealer and it would be taken care of... Not the case again! Took it too this other dealer and they had it for 3 days and couldn't find a problem, "Low profile tires pull" is what I was told... BS

Contacted Scion once again and was told to take it to their regional service center and some head honcho service tech will look at it... Tells me that this a major issue, gets me a loaner car and sent me on my way... One week later I get a phone call saying that the front wheels needed to be replaced, steering rack, struts, all kinds of front end parts... Go pick up the car (At 7pm in the dark so I didn't notice the following) get in the car and drive home. I drop my cell phone and go to pick it up, take my hands off the wheel and the car SWERVED right very dramatically. I corrected the situation and noticed that the steering wheel was practically up side down while moving straight...

I do some investigating and contact a lawyer and send a letter to Toyota stating that it was a lemon and I wanted my car taken FAR AWAY. After one last repair attempt per mass law, the Scion was declared a LEMON.

Purchased a 2002 Chrysler Concorde Limited with 11K miles and total it after 3 months of ownership

Now I'm Driving my 300M Special! I absolutely love it! Handles like a dream (I love taking certain on-ramps at 70+mph and not a screech hehe) It also stops on a dime, and has very quick pick up, and NOT one rattle or bump, and it rides harder then the Scion did, because it has the performance suspension... That is saying something.

I have a friend who owns a 2001 300M and he has over 310K miles and is still going strong!

here is a picture of my M:

 

[whirlcool]

I have had a Mazda Tribute for over two years now, it has 50K on the clock and has been totally reliable. I have the dealer do all the maintenance on it, and I am very pleased with their performance. They always greet you by name, review exactly what they will be doing to your vehicle, and it is always ready at the time they tell you it will be ready.
As for the car itself, it has the 205HP engine which is very peppy and still gets 21mpg. It handles great, more like a car than an SUV. It is very versatile and I will be keeping it until it has at least 200,000 miles on it. A co worker of mine has a 91 Mazda pickup that has over 300,000 miles on it, is garage kept and still looks brand new inside and out.
Strangely enough I was going to buy a Ford Escape, but found that the Tribute is basically the same car, but with a better suspension and trim, at a slightly lower price than the Escape. And it's built here in America.

 

[spats]

I have a now close to 6 year old Mitsubishi Galant my parents bought brand new for me (though I had to pay for it, just paid it off earlier this year). I love this car. It's been great to me without any problems. It actually averages about 27mpg and gets 35mpg highway.

 

[hydralique]

Old Cars on the Road . . .

Old foreign cars on the road? I see way more Japanese stuff from the ‘80s and ‘90s than anything else . . . Civics, Corollas, and Camrys seem to run forever, not that I would particularly like to drive them. I don’t see many Japanese cars made before the mid ‘80s, but that probably reflects their poorer sales then and also the reluctance of many manufacturers to supply parts for cars more than 15 years old or so.

I am amazed sometimes by the number of old Mercedes sedans around even going back to the stacked-headlight “S” class cars of the ‘60s and early ‘70s. I’m not a big Mercedes fan either, but you can still get parts for them, lots of shops service them, and the values are higher than old Japanese cars so people will still put money into them. The diesels and 4.5 V8 models seem particularly eternal.

There are a few collectable Japanese cars. The Toyota 2000 GT of the late ‘60s is a solid high-dollar car, but it is very sexy, fast and rare, which always helps. Early Datsun “Z” cars certainly have a following. I predict that some of the ‘90s Toyota Supras will be collectable, as well as the Honda S2000.

 

[irishwashguy]

i would never buy an American car-MY THREE BUCKS

I think that the American car makers lack in many ways.Let me give you a few to chew on.
#1 GM built their trucks with the gas tank in the back so that on impactFROM 1973-1987, it would explode. Knowing this even, they kept producing them, killing many inocent people, therefore being sued and paying damages for undisclosed amounts.
#2.The X cars. Being built with a little bit of smart design.Echinomical, roomy, and deadly.Yes Deadly. They did not even bother to recall any of them, killing many people, then they fix the problem? My mother had a 80 Citation that she whirled around 5 times inwhen she tried to stop
, and had the presents of mind to take her foot off of the clutch. She came home and told me that she had wet herself and could not stop crying.The Chevy dealer told my mom that it was a fluke, there was nothing wrong with her car.Does that sound like someone that you can trust with your very life? i am glad that there was no one that was coming along that could have hit my mom when her car was out of control.
#3 i have seen more than one Dodge Shadow on fire at the same intersection.It scared the snot out of me.That is not the kind of flaming that I want to be doing!!
#4 Chrysler has had a rash of bad transmitions in all of there cars around 57K.My Aunt Betty had a Brand new Grand Charokee Jeep with a failed Tran problem at 500 miles.I just do not think that they, and of the big three care at all except when they are failing, they can go to the goverment to bail them out, just to have jobs that were here shipped to ofF shore, and Mexico. i will never own one unless it is older 1950, maybe 60's.I say put the new ones in the recyling bin and buy a Honda. I have had four of them and had great luck with them. My three bucks.