off topic What make of car do you drive? Import Edition

[spndnchz]

Well you're just full of surprises aren't you?

 

I want to see pictures of tiny little Chz on a giant Harley or else I'm not sure I could believe it.

 

 

Tell me about it. Lucky that the bike is lower to the ground than the other Sportsters. The forward controls are a bit of a reach. Nothing beats a hard mounted engine for giving a good massage.

[Knightrider]

2010 Ford Mustang GT convertible

2008 Chevy Tahoe

2009 Harley Davidson Sportster 1200C

2005 Four Winns Horizon 200.

 

Buy American, boys and girls.

 

And who needs a snow blower - I have a shovel!

 

Oops! Just saw the other thread.:blush:

 

If a US company would build an all wheel drive vehicle I might have bought American. OK, who am I kidding, after being burned by quality issues multiple times, I doubt I will. I know, I should give them another try! They are much better these days! :death:

 

I've owned the Audi since 2004 (bought it with 47k and it now has 120k) and have had it in for a repair once. Coolant was leaking into the turbo. The fix cost ~$800, but was covered by warranty. That's it.

 

I've owned the Toyota since 2005 (bought it on Ebay with 27k and it now has 135k) and have not had to repair anything. This was the first year Toyota put AWD in the Sienna, mind you. Oh, and it was built in Indiana.

 

When you say, "Buy American", I suspect you mean, buy UAW. The UAW has destroyed the "US" car makers. I will not buy any vehicle that an UAW worker has touched.

An interesting read.

 

 

 

I love buying older Japanese cars and then driving them forever - Hondas, Toyotas, and Subarus. They simply cannot be beat for long-term reliability. I could afford to, but I've never purchased a brand new vehicle and I probably never will...let somebody else eat the majority of the depreciation. My goal is always to keep my cost of ownership under $1000/yr (not including gas and insurance). Two years ago I purchased a 2002 Subaru Forester on Ebay, it was in Florida so I had it shipped up here. Being a southern car it had never seen winter and was in mint condition. Got it for $5500 and plan to drive it for at least 10 years, so $550/year and if the repairs are under $450/yr (they almost certainly will easily be less than that) then I'll be within my goal. Also, being a Japanese car, it will still actually have some resale value when I get rid of it.

 

I love cars, I really do...but I also love never having a car payment. :thumbsup:

 

I would never buy new, nor would I take out a loan for a vehicle. What would have been a car payment becomes an investment that you cash out when you need another car.

 

I once bought a Honda Prelude with 125k miles for $1650. After driving it for a year and 30k miles, it was totaled, and the insurance company paid $2500. Before I bought the Audi, I had 4 Preludes. They were great cars. 3 cost in 2k and were good for 30k, and the last was a little lower mileage, at 91k, which was good to 200k.

[Weave]

When you say, "Buy American", I suspect you mean, buy UAW. The UAW has destroyed the "US" car makers. I will not buy any vehicle that an UAW worker has touched.

An interesting read.

 

 

Just to preface what I am about to say.... I am not a UAW worker. I am not a union worker. But I am in the auto industry. I'll leave which company out of the conversation.

 

That article has a good bit of misinfornmation, whether on purpose or because the author doesn't have the whole story... I don't know.

 

#1 Yes, Kaisan was an innovatiopn of the Japanese, but American automakers have been using Kaisan principles for years. Continuous improvement programs and lean systems have been in place for at least 15 years. I'll grant you the Japanese have been at it longer but when that article was written Kaisan was already old news at American auto maker facilities.

 

#2 Yes, GM was strangled by union contracts. But not because of union wages as the author strongly suggests. It was legacy costs from the gazillion retirees in GM's system that was strangling them. GM had to run their business to maximize cash flow to allow them to continue to cut retiree checks each month. It was a short term survival tactic that they used for long term out of necessity. The recent restructuring shed GM of those legacy costs and left them better able to compete.

 

#3 The idea that the gov't was targeting the Toyota recall with more vigor than they went after American automakers becaue there was more of a gov't stake in the big 3 is unsubstantiated IMO. Ford was doing fine financially when their recall came down. The gov't didn't need to protect them and didn't have an ownership stake in them. The bottom line is, the Toyota recall was for a highly publicized series of accidents. The press lit the fire under the Gov't. It had nothing to do with protecting American auto interests.

 

As for your anti-UAW sentiments.... there is a nugget of truth in your feelings, but it is much more complicated than "the UAW destroyed US car makers". There is lots of blame to go around. And when you choose to buy non-UAW you hurt non-union big 3 employees too. Just sayin'...

[Knightrider]

Just to preface what I am about to say.... I am not a UAW worker. But I am in the auto industry. I'll leave which company out of the conversation.

 

That article has a good bit of misinfornmation, whether on purpose or because thaeauthor doesn't have the whole story... I don't know.

 

#1 yes Kaisan was an innovatiopn of the Japanese, but American automakers have been using Kaisan principles for years. COntinuous improvement programs and lean systems have been in place for at least 15 years. I'll grant you the Japanese have been at it longer but when that article was written Kaisan was already old news at American auto mker facilities.

 

#2 GM was strangled by union contracts. But not because of union wages as the author suggests. It was legacy costs from the gazillion retirees in GM's system that was strangling them. GM had to run their business to maximize cash flow to allow them to continue to cut retiree checks eachj month. It was a short term survival tactic. The recent restructuring shed GM of those legacy costs and left them better able to compete.

 

#3 The idea that the gov't was targeting the Toyota recall with more vigor than they went after American automakers becaue there was more of a gov't stake in the big 3 is unsubstantiated IMO. Ford was doing fine financially when their recall came down. The gov't didn't need to protect them and didn't have an ownership stake in them. The bottom line is, the Toyota recall was for a highly publicized series of accidents. The press lit the fire under the Gov't. It had nothing to do with protecting American auto interests.

 

As for your anti-UAW sentiments.... there is a nugget of truth in your feelings, but it is much more complicated that "the UAW destroyed US car makers". There is lots of blame to go around. And when you choose to buy non-UAW you hurt non-union big 3 employees too. Just sayin'...

 

I am not in the auto industry, so I bow to your insights on #1 and 2. WRT to #3, the timing of this just stinks to me. Whether it was spurred by the government or the UAW, the abnormal publicity on Toyota seems very artificial to me.

 

And I am not hurting anyone. It is my job to get the best bang for my money for me and my family.

[nobody]

I got a sweet little Toyota carolla. It's great. :ph34r:

 

 

Is that a knock off version of the Toyota Corolla? ;)

[darksabre]

It should also be noted that the first American foray into Kaizen was this:

 

 

:thumbsup:

[Weave]

I am not in the auto industry, so I bow to your insights on #1 and 2. WRT to #3, the timing of this just stinks to me. Whether it was spurred by the government or the UAW, the abnormal publicity on Toyota seems very artificial to me.

 

I just wanted to make the point that given how much error the author had in points 1 and 2, I wouldn't put much credence in his 3rd point (the recalls) unless you find something else independent from this guy to back it up with. This author was writing just to be read cuz he's not terribly informed from what I can see.

 

And I am not hurting anyone. It is my job to get the best bang for my money for me and my family.

 

Agreed. I took it that you were avoiding UAW cars because you had it out for the UAW. IMO that would be counter productive. But your response here indicates otherwise. As a consumer you should always look for the best value, I can't argue that.

[Weave]

It should also be noted that the first American foray into Kaizen was this:

 

 

:thumbsup:

 

Those were ugly, terrible, awful cars from an ugly, terrible, awful time in US car making history. :sick:

[darksabre]

Those were ugly, terrible, awful cars from an ugly, terrible, awful time in US car making history. :sick:

 

A time period which by my standards extends from the 74 Mustang to the 2005 Mustang. A very dark 31 years. I still find most late model cars to be ugly as sin. But it's hard to beat the Ford Taurus and the Chevy Lumina for pure-bred awful. Or the C-body DeVille. :sick:

 

Or this!

 

 

:death:

[UncleWally]

Or this!

:death:

 

Step back, that Seville is sweet.

[Assquatch]

Buying a 2012 Impreza when they come out in the fall. AWD and 36 mpg.

[notwoz]

Is that a knock off version of the Toyota Corolla? ;)

 

 

:clapping:

[Mox]

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e172/moxhair4/IMG_0342.jpg

2011 Subaru WRX

 

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e172/moxhair4/IMG_0290.jpg

2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR

 

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs958.snc4/75170_1467257207440_1413845444_31020938_1821357_n.jpg

2008 MINI Cooper S

 

I'd buy an American car if they built a Sport Compact that was as fun to drive on a road course or autocross course like the WRXs and EVOs are. There are American cars that get better MPG than my MINI, but none are more fun. Have to make my hour and a half drive to work as much fun as possible.

[SwampD]

If a US company would build an all wheel drive vehicle I might have bought American. OK, who am I kidding, after being burned by quality issues multiple times, I doubt I will. I know, I should give them another try! They are much better these days! :death:

 

I've owned the Audi since 2004 (bought it with 47k and it now has 120k) and have had it in for a repair once. Coolant was leaking into the turbo. The fix cost ~$800, but was covered by warranty. That's it.

 

I've owned the Toyota since 2005 (bought it on Ebay with 27k and it now has 135k) and have not had to repair anything. This was the first year Toyota put AWD in the Sienna, mind you. Oh, and it was built in Indiana.

 

When you say, "Buy American", I suspect you mean, buy UAW. The UAW has destroyed the "US" car makers. I will not buy any vehicle that an UAW worker has touched.

An interesting read.

 

It's funny. I've had the exact opposite experience. Every foreign car I've owned has been a way more unreliable and more expensive to fix than my U.S. made cars (I had a Mercury Villager that went well over 200K and I don't drive that far to work). I will now only buy American. Plus, being 6'4", foreign cars just don't fit right.

[cdexchange]

I once bought a Honda Prelude with 125k miles for $1650. After driving it for a year and 30k miles, it was totaled, and the insurance company paid $2500. Before I bought the Audi, I had 4 Preludes. They were great cars. 3 cost in 2k and were good for 30k, and the last was a little lower mileage, at 91k, which was good to 200k.

 

Awesome.

 

Before my Forester, I had an old Civic that I drove into the ground. It was a 5-speed stick and had ZERO options - no AC, no ABS, not even power steering (lol) and the body was quite literally falling apart. I could easily rip chunks of the wheel wells off with my bare hands it was so rusty. Despite the lack of options and the horrible body condition, I still managed to sell it for $1200. :lol:

 

Damn Buffalo winters. I swear if I lived down south I would buy a low-mileage Camry or Accord, maintain it religiously, and drive it for the rest of my life. Since I work at home and only put about 4k miles per year on my vehicle, I could probably get 30 years out of it easily. B-)

[billsrcursed]

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e172/moxhair4/IMG_0342.jpg

2011 Subaru WRX

 

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e172/moxhair4/IMG_0290.jpg

2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR

 

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs958.snc4/75170_1467257207440_1413845444_31020938_1821357_n.jpg

2008 MINI Cooper S

 

I'd buy an American car if they built a Sport Compact that was as fun to drive on a road course or autocross course like the WRXs and EVOs are. There are American cars that get better MPG than my MINI, but none are more fun. Have to make my hour and a half drive to work as much fun as possible.

 

Nice cars!

 

Do you track the WRX or EVO? If so, where at?

 

I'm tempted to make my Z a full time track car (autocross) but I have to convince myself to get another DD first, and the car is just too damned fun to drive full time right now... that and I haven't tracked it yet.

[Wyldnwoody44]

Subaru SVX! !!!

[Braedon]

'03 Toyota Corolla, still going strong. Before that, '98 Mazda 626, got me to 200k.

[Bmwolf21]

2002 Honda CR-V, wife drives an '07 Toyota Rav4. I dumped my Dodge Dakota quad cab when the gas prices approached $3 last year and showed no signs of going back under. Too much wasted gas, especially since I didn't use the pickup enough as it was intended. That being said I would still buy a Tacoma if I could afford it.

 

My first car was a Ford Tempo (94, I think) and after that we had crappy Dodge after crappy Dodge. Intrepid, Stratus...horrible reliability, constantly in the repair shop. Switched to Hondas and Toyotas and nowhere near the problems since.

[darksabre]

The whole "drive American cars for years and then switch to import and never look back" thing seems to happen a lot.

 

Really surprised that no one has a Kia. Considering how many I see driving around. Gotta be someone out there with one.

[Claude_Verret]

2007 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport

 

2011 Honda Odyssey EXL

[shrader]

Really surprised that no one has a Kia. Considering how many I see driving around. Gotta be someone out there with one.

 

And they're essentially identical to the Hyundais. But that must be a Buffalo/Rochester thing because I never see a single Kia out here in Boston. It's all Honda and then a surprising Nissan in 2nd place.

 

So which country do those ridiculous smart cars come out of? Every time I see one of those, I can't help but wonder how ugly a collision would be.

[cdexchange]

My wife's family all lives out in the "sticks" (Chaffee/Arcade) so naturally they all drive domestics. They're always razzing me about driving imports, even though when pressed they will always concede that the Japanese cars are generally way more reliable. They all have their brands that they stick with for life - "My daddy drove Ford trucks so I drive a Ford truck". I always argue that being blindly loyal to an inferior product is totally counterproductive and contributes to the inferiority of that product. If a large segment of the population is always going to buy Fords anyways no matter how crappy they are, what incentive does Ford have to make a better product? Competition is healthy!

 

Fortunately there are signs that the American car manufacturers are finally getting it, particularly Ford in my opinion. The Fusion has been an extremely reliable model so far. If that holds up long term then I will consider it in the future.

 

I totally get why people say "Buy American" no matter what. I understand the reasons for wanting to do so. But I'm not sure it helps in the long run. In any case, half the cars on the "American-Made Car Index" are actually Toyotas and Hondas, including the #1 and #2 ranking models:

http://www.cars.com/go/advice/Story.jsp?section=top&subject=ami&story=amMade0710

[shrader]

My wife's family all lives out in the "sticks" (Chaffee/Arcade) so naturally they all drive domestics. They're always razzing me about driving imports, even though when pressed they will always concede that the Japanese cars are generally way more reliable. They all have their brands that they stick with for life - "My daddy drove Ford trucks so I drive a Ford truck".

 

I had a salesman pull that line on me in December when I was looking. I went to Honda dealership first because it was the closest one and easiest to get to. When I was ready to leave he asked me what other cars I was going look at, he pretty much used that "why, because your dad drives one" line to shoot down every other company. The guy was an absolute scumbag and I couldn't wait to get out of there. He couldn't have been any more demeaning even if he tried. I'm set for years now anyway, but I know of a certain dealership I won't go anywhere near ever again.

[cdexchange]

I had a salesman pull that line on me in December when I was looking. I went to Honda dealership first because it was the closest one and easiest to get to. When I was ready to leave he asked me what other cars I was going look at, he pretty much used that "why, because your dad drives one" line to shoot down every other company. The guy was an absolute scumbag and I couldn't wait to get out of there. He couldn't have been any more demeaning even if he tried. I'm set for years now anyway, but I know of a certain dealership I won't go anywhere near ever again.

 

 

Yet another reason to buy on Ebay :thumbsup: